A task force involving members of various NGOs, the Education Department, the Department of Women and Child Welfare, the Health Department, the Labor Department and the police conduct quarterly raids, each of which rescues around four to five children usually in the age group of 10 to 18. A total of 18 children in the 10 to 15 age group employed in hotels, garages, bakeries and bars were rescued in 58 raids conducted between January 2010 and April 2011 in the city, said additional labour commissioner T.G. Cholke.
According to Manish Shroff, Director of Asha-Kiran Shelters Foundation, State convenor for the Campaign against Child Labour (CACL) and also a member of the task force, the number of children rescued through raids has been decreasing in the last few years. "In 2008, we rescued over 45 children. It was around 40 in 2009. In 2010, we were able to rescue only 25 children. The number has dropped primarily due to the provision in the Child Labour (Prevention and Regulation) Act (CLPRA), 1986, included by the State government in 2009. The Act states that no children below the age of 14 can be employed in hazardous industries. Until then, we had been able to rescue kids up to 18", said Shroff.
"However, effective follow-up post-rehabilitation is missing", Shroff added. "There is no procedure currently that can help us keep track of rescued and rehabilitated children. Therefore, there are high chances of a rescued child going back to work."
According to Manish Shroff, Director of Asha-Kiran Shelters Foundation, State convenor for the Campaign against Child Labour (CACL) and also a member of the task force, the number of children rescued through raids has been decreasing in the last few years. "In 2008, we rescued over 45 children. It was around 40 in 2009. In 2010, we were able to rescue only 25 children. The number has dropped primarily due to the provision in the Child Labour (Prevention and Regulation) Act (CLPRA), 1986, included by the State government in 2009. The Act states that no children below the age of 14 can be employed in hazardous industries. Until then, we had been able to rescue kids up to 18", said Shroff."However, effective follow-up post-rehabilitation is missing", Shroff added. "There is no procedure currently that can help us keep track of rescued and rehabilitated children. Therefore, there are high chances of a rescued child going back to work."
With lacunae in the CLPRA, the only way to counter child labor is to focus on the newly-passed Right to Education Act, says Ingrid Mendonca, founder-member of Action for Rights of the Child (ARC). The umbrella organization, comprising 30 NGOs that work for child rights, has started a drive since May-end to get as many children as possible, especially belonging to the migrant community, admitted into municipal schools.Even though awareness about child labour has increased in society, a proper child care plan that could facilitate effective rehabilitation of rescued child laborers is missing. "In 2009, we wrote to the State Department and the Child Rights Commission about the need to issue to I-cards to members of NGOs involved in rescuing children. This can help members take prompt action by calling the police to the spot the moment we see child laborers employed anywhere in the city. This will cut down the unnecessary time involved in following the current protocol. However, we haven't yet received a favorable response in this regard."
Source: The Times of India
