There has to be a proper system in place to monitor any exceptions which may be included in amendments to crucial laws like the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986, Shobha Koshy, chairperson of the Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR), has said.
The amendment to the child labour law, approved by the Union Cabinet, proposes to allow children below the age of 14 to work in family enterprises and the audio-visual entertainment industry on the condition that such work did not interfere with their education.
According to Ms. Koshy, there has to be a proper system to see such exceptions are not tampered with.
In an interview to the The Hindu , Ms. Koshy said the reality was quite different from the accepted perceptions that the State had reached sustainable levels in traditional indicators of development.
“Immunisation levels have dropped, which means there is some segment somewhere which has not been motivated to get vaccinated. Similarly, the infant mortality rate is stuck at 12. So, there is danger of even what we have achieved being threatened if we do not watch out,” Ms. Koshy, who was appointed commission chief in March this year to succeed the former Chief Secretary Neela Gangadharan, said.
New areas
The situation today warranted study of new areas where there was threat of child rights being compromised, Ms. Koshy, a former Chief Postmaster General, said.
It was important to assess the impact on children of domestic violence and break-up of family, their safety in home and in schools, awareness creation in family and society, guidance and mentoring of children, especially with an increase in their exposure to technology, she said. Prioritising some issues while putting others on the backburner is not the way out, Ms. Koshy said. In sectors such as education, focus tended to be on literacy rate or gender equality in primary education.
