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Check on child labour to be intensified

— Photo: T. Singaravelou

HARD LABOUR: It’s just another day after work for a number of children like these children in Puducherry.

PUDUCHERRY: With efforts to curb child labour all set to intensify in the Union Territory, there still remain a number of pockets which needs to be checked. Despite a ban in place, several hotels, automobile workshops and construction industries continue to employ children.

According to officials of the Labour Department, the number of child labourers in the Union Territory has been largely minimised. It was now mainly focussed on checking the employment of children in hotels, houses and automobile workshops.

“While girls are mostly employed as domestic workers, 90 per cent of the children employed in other establishments are boys. We had rescued two boys in the last two years from a hotel and petty shop respectively. The two were from Tamil Nadu,” Director of HOPE P. Joseph Victor Raj said.

As per the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, employers of children should be fined Rs. 20,000 for each child, he said and added that the government should take more effective steps to prosecute employers.

Following a large-scale inspection in 2003, the Labour Department had zeroed down 10 employers of child labourers. “Of this, one employer was convicted in 2006 and four cases are pending. We had identified 150 children then,” Assistant Inspector of Labour K. Kaliaperumal said.

He said the department was carrying out regular inspections throughout Puducherry in all shops, establishments, catering establishments and factories, with weekly and monthly reports being sent to the Union government.

Those below the age of 18 should be declared as children as per the UN Convention on the Rights of Children as different laws define various ages, Mr. Raj emphasised.

The organisation has been creating awareness among the public of prevention of child labour through street theatres. So far, street theatres have been staged at the beach road, Ariyankuppam, Bahour, Villianur, Nettapakkam, Thirukannur and Oulgaret, he added.

“The government should constitute child labour monitoring committees at the commune levels involving government officials, panchayat members and NGOs. The flow of children from Tamil Nadu should be checked,” he suggested.

Officials of the Labour Department said there were eight Labour Welfare Centres in the Union Territory which included five at Puducherry and one each at Mahe, Yanam and Karaikal.

“Street children and child labourers who are identified are being educated at these centres. From 2004 to 2008, around 100 child labourers have been rescued and rehabilitated here,” Mr. Kaliaperumal pointed out. The department is all set to intensify its efforts and would erect hoardings at three public-concentrated areas to create awareness on preventing child labours.

“We will erect hoardings near the Clock Tower on Bussy Street, behind the Government Maternity Hospital and near the new bus stand. Already, we are showing slides on child labourer in between screening of movies at cinema theatres throughout Puducherry, Karaikal and Yanam,” he said. While child right activists call for proper implementation of the ban on child labour, the Labour Department assures to work towards eradication of the social evil in the Union Territory.

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