Accessibility of children of migrant labour in Kochi to basic living facilities and welfare measures would be assessed soon.
Unicef has cleared a proposal of the Kochi Corporation to evaluate the living conditions of the children and suggest measures for improving their lives. The agency has also sanctioned Rs. 3.09 lakh for the study.
A population profile of migrant families residing in Kochi and its suburbs, an assessment of the socio-economic conditions of the children with respect to their family conditions and suggestions for appropriate indicative measures for the protection and welfare of children of migrant workers are the key components of the study.
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In its project proposal, the civic authorities have stated that “no reliable statistics of data is recorded or available on migrant families resulting them being denied of their basic rights and protection from exploitation.” The rights of these children need to be protected and an assessment on their living conditions needs to be held. Their children should also be protected from exploitations. The assessment of the living conditions was required for assessing the gaps in their access to welfare measures, it said.
Kochi city is home to over one lakh migrant workers who are mostly engaged in the construction sector. It is estimated that there are around 10,000 children of these workers. The areas occupied by the workers in the cityscape will also be mapped, said T.K. Ashraf, chairman of the Health Standing Committee of the Kochi corporation.
RAJAGIRI outreach, an NGO, will begin the assessment next month.
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Populations of migrant workers, who are mostly hailing from Bihar, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Assam and even Nepal, are concentrated at Edapally, Kadavanthra, parts of Goshree area and also at West Kochi.
The burgeoning number of such workers had also been causing worries for the civic administration as many were living in subhuman conditions. The health wing had earlier carried out health camps and inspections at dwelling places of these workers