‘Send them to school, not work’

With the Maharashtra government deciding to prosecute TV serial producers who hire child artistes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur on Friday said the issue needed to be tackled in a balanced manner so that both society and children benefit.

With the Maharashtra government deciding to prosecute TV serial producers who hire child artistes, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s wife Gursharan Kaur on Friday said the issue needed to be tackled in a balanced manner so that both society and children benefit.

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It is true that if a child is talented, he/she needs to be promoted, Kaur told reporters on the sidelines of a function to mark the International Day Against Child Labour.

“But it should be balanced. It should be good for both society and the child,” she said.
The best way to fight child labour, according to her, is to firm up the education
set-up, including secondary education.

National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights chairperson Shanta Sinha agreed: “Going to school has the capacity to transform a girl’s life in more ways than one. It opens up new avenues and opportunities with girls learning to think, explore, discover and acquire knowledge.”

N M Adyantha, workers’ representative in the International Labour Organisation, said India should immediately ratify Article 182 of the ILO Act, which would pave way for banishing of child labour.
“India is one of 12 countries that has not signed Article 182,” he said.