Child rights activists in the city have expressed concern over the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016, which was passed in Parliament last week.
Childline Director Fr. P.D. Thomas said the prohibition on children under the age of 14 from working was a positive step. However, the provision that allowed them to help their family or family enterprise after school hours or during vacations was of concern.
“It is not good. There may be a lot of exploitation in the name of family enterprise. Children’s studies may be affected,” he said.
He pointed out that the United Nations too had voiced its reservations over the clause.
“Who will monitor whether the children are at school or not, especially since the law allows it,” he said. He said that in the absence of mechanisms to ensure that the children were not exploited under the garb of family enterprises, it was better as far as possible to let them pursue education, and stay away from work.
Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights member K. Nazeer said the Right to Education Act made elementary education compulsory. However, education could not be limited to only school hours. Children learnt a lot from the home environment, play, and various activities. When employed after school hours, their quality of education would suffer.
Moreover, the Bill allowed children to work in any profession, manufacture or business of the family, he pointed out.
Activists also raise apprehension over the clause that allows children to work as artistes in the audio-visual entertainment industry such as advertisements, film, television serials and other such entertainment or sports activities, except the circus.
Under the 1986 Act, 83 occupations and processes had been listed where children could not work. However, these have been substituted in the new Bill by mines, inflammable substances or explosives, and hazardous processes as specified in the Factories Act. “The number of hazardous jobs has been limited,” Mr. Nazeer said. There are also concerns about hazardous family enterprises.
