‘Children, women should be aware of the laws protecting them’

The Tiruppur Peoples Forum for Protection of Environment and Labour Rights (TPF) and Village Community Development Society (VCWS) jointly organised a block-level awareness and consultation programme on prevention of school dropout rate among adolescent girls, laws on protecting women workers in the workplace and decent working conditions in textile industries, at Manapparai recently.

School teachers, representatives of voluntary organisations, panchayat presidents, women self help groups members and parents of textile women workers participated in the event.

Speaking at the meet, R. Manamalli, Inspector of Police, Law and Order, Manapparai, said that children and women should be aware of the laws protecting them from different kinds of violence. Work place grievances should be addressed thorough Internal Complaints Committee especially in the textile industries and hostels functioning within the mill premises. Awareness should be increased on the laws and help the girl children to continue their education, she said.

P. Muthumanickam, Counselor, District Child Protection Unit, explained the core points of the existing laws protecting children and women in the community to the participants. He also elaborated on the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 and its amendments and the possible strategies to prevent adolescent girls from dropping out of schools and child labour. He also explained the protection offered to children and women from sexual harassment under the POCSO Act.

Advocate M. Jayanthi highlighted the importance of Internal Complaints Committee under the Sexual Harassment at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013. She also explained the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children (Regulation) Act 2014 and under the law all the hostels in the textile industries should be registered under the Social Welfare Department and ensure safety of the women workers.

An open discussion with the participants was also held as part of the meeting. A steering committee was set up to take up with the authorities issues relating to protection of adolescent girls and ensure safe environment in the community and workplace.

S. Murugesan, Founder, VCWS, P. Melwyn, State Network Coordinator, and C. Ramadass, Director, READ Foundation, spoke.