Child labour, education are focus areas of this ‘manifesto’

The Joint Campaign for Abolition of Child Labour and Ensuring Education for all Children organised a State-level convention to discuss and launch an election manifesto, ahead of the upcoming Parliamentary elections.

Virgil D’Sami, convenor of the campaign, said a number of groups working for the cause of children and education in the State came together to frame the manifesto. “As part of our 13-point manifesto, we have asked that the government ensure that every child till the age of 18 gets mandatory education and all provisions of the RTE Act, 2009, are implemented effectively in the State. All kinds of child labour should be abolished,” she said.

The convention was attended by representatives from all districts and the conveners of the campaign said the manifesto would be taken to candidates contesting the elections from their respective areas.

Speaking at the event, V. Vasanthi Devi, former Vice-Chancellor of the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University, said there were several inequalities with regard to providing education for children.

Ensure implementation

“As the first step towards addressing this, the government needs to ensure that the existing laws are effectively implemented. In Tamil Nadu, school management committees should be more involved in ensuring that schools run smoothly, while at present, it is left to various departmental officials and the bureaucracy,” she said.

She stressed on the need for bringing up issues pertaining to education at grama sabha meetings.

M.P. Nirmala, chairperson of the Tamil Nadu Commission for the Protection of Child Rights, said there were several areas related to child labour which the commission was now looking at. “From children being made to sell balloons and books at signals to children being made to work in the television and film industry under harsh conditions, the commission has been taking steps to ensure that we broaden our focus and create a better environment for children,” she added.