Beyond city lights, tragic tales of child labour abound

Five boys rescued after early morning raids

August 23, 2014 08:03 am | Updated 08:03 am IST - CHENNAI:

Earlier this week, officials of the labour department rescued two child workers from ‘Pazhamudir Nilayam’, a chain selling fruits and vegetables.

Last week, three children from Andhra Pradesh were rescued from ‘Naidu Mess’, an eatery in T. Nagar.

These incidents have turned the focus on the reality that child labour is alive and present in our cities, and not just confined to small-scale business units.

A team of officials led by A. Valarmathi, inspector of labour, Tiruvallur, rescued the boys from the Mogappair outlet of ‘Pazhamudir Nilayam’, in an early morning raid.

The two boys — M. Kalaiselvan and M. Siva — are from Tirunelveli and will be provided shelter by the State until they go home.

Dark tales of child labourers eking out a livelihood in the metropolis continue to keep labour department officials on their toes.

Raids in both business outlets took place early in the day, since at other times, the owners keep their child employees in hiding.

When Venkatesh, working in sweatshop conditions, was rescued from ‘Naidu Mess’ last week, he maintained he was an adult.

Medical tests — teeth and bone test and radiological examination — however, revealed he was just below 14 years. “My family borrowed Rs. 10,000 from the owner of the mess for my sister’s wedding. So, the owner brought me to work here,” said Venkatesh to A. Saliha Begam, assistant commissioner of labour, second circle, Chennai.

“We also had information about some well-known educational institutions employing children. But, we were not able to make any headway on that as the children were not present when we visited the places,” said Ms. Valarmathi.

A senior official of the labour department said many children who had migrated from Odisha, West Bengal and the North East were in possession of certificates that said they had completed schooling up to class VIII, to prove they were above the age of 14 years.

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