While the Labour Department in Puducherry is making tall claims of having completely abolished child labour in Union Territory on the World Day against Child Labour, a survey statistics give a different picture. According to the Child Labour Data as per 2011 census, there were 2,173 Child Labourers in Puducherry below the age of 14, which is the restricted age group. There were 9,696 labourers between the age group of 15 and 19 and nearly 9,000 child labourers below the age of 18 years.
P. Joseph Victor Raj, National Convener, Campaign against Child Labour (CACL), stated that as per a sample study conducted by Holistic approach for People’s Empowerment (HOPE) and CRY organisation in 2013 among the children aged 15 to 18 years, nearly 4.6 per cent of children in Puducherry go for work, in Karaikal it is 7.7 per cent and in the slums 28 per cent of children work in various sectors both organised and unorganised.
“The CRY supported study found out that among the 2,852 studied children, two children entered labour force before five years of age, nine before 10 years, 37 before 14 years and 375 between 15 and 18 years,” he said.
The Labour Department has not carried out any study on child labourers since then. When contacted, the concerned official in the Labour Department said that they have not received funds to start the study. “We are waiting for the funds and once it is sanctioned we would do it. There is no single child labourer in Puducherry,” said the official.
“The Union Government has approved amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 in May 2015. Though it sounds positive by declaring that all forms of child labour will be banned up to 14 years, it provides loopholes by providing exemption to home-based industries and children helping family and family enterprises. It is a regressive step to justify that the children should learn their family occupations at an early age,” said Mr. Victor.
