The Hindu : Front Page : Corporate initiative to curb child labour

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Sunday, Jul 12, 2009
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Corporate initiative to curb child labour

Liffy Thomas

Photo: R.RAGU

Hope on horizon? IT firm HCL Technologies along with the Chennai Corporation and ChildLine are trying to identify and rescue child labourers. The scene at a mechanic’s shop in Chennai on Saturday. —

CHENNAI: Information Technology company HCL Technologies has come forward to help the Chennai Corporation and ChildLine identify children who are employed as labourers and warn their parents and employers.

The drive, introduced as a corporate social responsibility initiative, was launched on July 4. Six HCL volunteers, two staff members from ChildLine and three field staff from the National Child Labour Programme (NCLP) have rehabilitated a few children. Each case is first brought up by employees from among the 20 centres of HCL in Chennai, who send in details of the child — his or her age, description of the work done and the location.

The company tabulates the data and its volunteers, along with the field staff, warn the employers, or admit the child labourers to a Corporation-run school.

“The first Saturday of every month is earmarked for this initiative, called ‘child rescue and rehabilitation.’ It will be an ongoing project where we may increase the frequency depending on the number of volunteers,” says A.S.M. Porres, regional head (community service council), HCL Technologies. So far, 100 associates have volunteered for the drive.

Mercy Joy Joshua, project director, NCLP, says it was the first time they have a corporate house helping them curb child labour.

“In a case in Mylapore, we warned the employer and made him give in writing that he will never employ a child again. In another case, a child working in a sweetmeat shop was admitted to the Indian Council for Child Welfare facility in Shenoy Nagar,” says the project director.

Speaking to The Hindu, Corporation Commissioner Rajesh Lakhoni said: “Helping us identify cases will enable us pursue the issue better. We encourage corporates to help us in our initiatives as this will go a great way in making the city a better place.”

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