The Hindu : Kerala / Kochi News : Children under 14 still being employed in Kochi?

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Children under 14 still being employed in Kochi?

Staff Reporter

In Ernakulam, no one has been punished under the Child Labour Act in the last one year
Minister admits failure in following up child labour cases; shortage of staff is one reason

KOCHI: Even as another World Day Against Child Labour was observed on Thursday, the menace of child labour remains yet to be completely reined in.

For instance, in Ernakulam not a single person was punished in the last one year under the provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.

When asked, the district labour department said that there was no case warranting prosecution under the Act. That in all cases the children rescued were found to be over 14 years was the reasoning.

The Act prohibits a child (defined as a person who has not completed 14) from being engaged in any kind of work and those aged above from being employed in hazardous jobs.

It provides for an imprisonment of a term ranging between three months to two years or a fine between Rs.10,000 and Rs.20,000 or both against the violators.

However, Childline, an organisation working for the protection and development of children, said that it alone had rescued 22 children from child labour in the district during the last one year. “Most of them were below the age of 14 years,” Antony Jinoy, district coordinator of Childline said.

Talking to The Hindu, P.K. Gurudasan, Minister for Labour, admitted that there was a failure in following up cases of child labour and ensuring that the guilty were punished. This will be rectified and it will be ensured that the guilty were actually punished, he said.

He cited the shortage of staff strength with the labour department as one of the main reasons for the failure to pursue the cases.

Proposal

“A proposal to increase the staff strength is with the Finance Ministry,” Mr. Gurudasan said.

K. D. Vincent, chairman of the District Child Welfare Committee, said that it was high time the age limit for being treated as child labour was enhanced from the existing 14 years. This was widely accepted as a pre-requisite by one and all for fighting child labour.

S. Murugan, secretary of the Theruvora Pravarthaka Association, said that restoring the rescued children with their parents only resulted in them working again in some other place. The need, he said, was for an elaborate arrangement by the government for the proper rehabilitation and education of such children.

More than children from the State, it was children from migrant families who were often the victims.

“Majority of the children we rescued last year was from Tamil Nadu,” Mr. Jinoy said.

Mr. Gurudasan said that there was the danger of more children being forced into child labour owing to the global economic meltdown.

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