Placement agencies on govt radar for minor maids

The murky affairs of placement agencies and repeated rap from the Delhi High Court has forced the city government to bring out a draft guideline to regulate the functioning of these agencies which supply housemaids in the city.

The murky affairs of placement agencies and repeated rap from the Delhi High Court has forced the city government to bring out a draft guideline to regulate the functioning of these agencies which supply housemaids in the city.

HT Image

As per the draft guidelines, all the placement agencies have to be licensed and registered under the Shops and Establishments Act. Also, they cannot employ any maid under the age of 18 or it will be an offence under the child labour laws.

“The draft of the Delhi Private Placement Agencies (Regulation) Bill, 2012, is ready and suggestions are being invited and it would be presented before the assembly in February next year,” the counsel for Delhi Government told a bench of Acting Chief Justice AK Sikri and Justice Rajiv Sahai Endlaw.

On child labour

Meanwhile, the court, which ordered a crackdown on child labour in the city on March 23, 2011, categorically told the the Delhi Police that they shall seal all shops whose employers booked for engaging child labour has not paid the fine of Rs 20,000 per child labour rescued from there.