Tamil Nadu - Vellore   

VIDS hails initiative to check child labour

VELLORE: The Vellore Institute of Development Studies (VIDS) has welcomed the initiative of the Labour Ministry in involving residents' welfare associations in Chennai in playing a proactive role in identifying child labour in homes.

In a letter addressed to T.M. Anbarasan, Labour Minister, P. Jegadish Gandhi, Director of VIDS, urged him to take steps to extend the initiative to all the districts in Tamil Nadu.

Child labour, he said, is spread over all 32 districts of the State, with concentration in Dharmapuri, Salem and Virudhunagar districts. Twenty-five per cent of such children are involved in hazardous occupations such as weaving, beedi rolling, match works, cotton ginning, hosiery, construction work and automobile repair.

Mr. Gandhi said that in spite of the government's administrative and legal measures and social practices to make the State child labour-free, the problem continues in many parts of the State, especially in the domestic help sector.

He urged the Labour Department to take the help of the district administration in identifying residents' associations to track down child labour and launch rehabilitation programmes.

Child labour could be eliminated with social networking dynamics and proactive participation of non-governmental organisations, he said.

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