'Gauri’s' boss, who owns a chain of hotels in Mumbai, said he did not know it was such “a serious offense” to hire a minor, despite the fact that the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act was passed in 1986, and that in 2006, the ban included work in the domestic sector, restaurants and tea stalls.
Through rescue operations that can be very traumatic for them, the Child Labor Program locates working children under fourteen, removes from the work site and hands them over to the juvenile justice system or (sometimes) to educational institutions. Although punitive actions against employers are carried out, the process may also lead to the criminalization of children.
Historically, when the worst forms of child labor caught the attention of international organizations, the idea of "rescue and rehabilitation" gained popularity. However, 'rescuing' child workers without providing better alternatives to them and their families, merely push them to less visible and harmful jobs. It seems that, at least in some cases, the social duty ends at 'freeing children’, without stopping to think that by doing this alone, their right to survival is violated.
Children who are forced to work are not criminals; they do not work because they want to or enjoy it, but because they have no choice. Victims of an unequal and unjust system, they are often regarded and treated as criminals instead of individuals whose rights have been violated, who struggle to survive amidst growing pressures, and who should be respected and supported in their transition to durable solutions.
Through its work with marginalized communities, Asha-Kiran strives to provide education and opportunities to children in need, and to empower their families as well. Help us keep our projects with vulnerable children going so that they will no longer need to work. Click below to contribute to this cause.
Source: The Concerned for Working Children
