Sunday, July 6, 2014

BONDED AND SWEAT LABOUR OF OUR CHILDREN

Sustained global and national campaigns ultimately led to the banning of Child Labour in India 25 years ago. But nothing has changed on the ground as unscrupulous exploiters of cheap labour continued to use child labour as law implementing officials sleep over the violations. Textile Mills are   among the biggest violators. A shocking  revelation is from a Spinning Mill at Dindigal which PULLED OUT 22 school going children from schools to work in the Mill and the poor parents who are peasants in low paying work definitely prefer some money to education.

SUMANGALI is a beautiful blessing showered on women at marriage for a happy married life. But this age-old blessing has been converted to a clever ploy to exploit children. In Kongu belt consisting of Erode, Tirupur and Coimbatore Textile Mills influence poverty-stricken families with girl children with the Sumangali Scheme to keep girls as mill workers on contract for a number of years so that the children could save money for their future dowry???. Many horrifying instances of this exploitation have come in the public domain with no effect.

The government of India enacted the Right to Education Act (RTE) making education of children a fundamental right. Children are required to be in schools and parents are  to be educated on the need for keeping their kids in schools. But  hunger and deprivation make parents  opt for some earning from their children to supplement their wages. So they do not pay attention to their children dropping out of Schools when prospective employers Pull them out of schools.. Pulling children out of schools is a heinous crime. So also making children work. But who will enforce law? Those who are required to protect children and punish the violators of law themselves are in BONDAGE to the violators. Cruelty to children is a media item for a short period : the officials are fully aware of this reality.

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