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Child labour rampant in city areas
As one walks down the road from Charbagh railway station to the bus stand, one sees a number of teastalls, dhabas, small hotels dotting the area. Business activity here, all on the footpaths, is a 24x7 affair.
As one walks down the road from Charbagh railway station to the bus stand, one sees a number of teastalls, dhabas, small hotels dotting the area. Business activity here, all on the footpaths, is a 24x7 affair.
What one does not see, however, (busy as we are) is the flagrant violation of Child Labour Act inside these roadside units. Virtually every shop here has minor boys working non-stop in appalling conditions—their clothes tattered, faces dust-smeared.
Reveals an NGO, which did a survey on teastalls, dhabas, hotels, lodges, food corners and entertainment centres in Charbagh and Alambagh areas and visited 192 places in one day. More than 350 minors , most of them boys, were found working in the area. The survey also found 10 minor girls. The survey was conducted by Pratham that mainly works for children’s education to assess and see the ground realities of child labour.
It may be recalled that the Ministry of Labour, Government of India, has issued a notification imposing a ban on employment of children in domestic work and the hospitality sector. The notification comes into effect from October 10. These two sectors have been added in the hazardous occupations and hence employment of children below the age of 14 years is prohibited and punishable under the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act 1986.
Talking to HT Live, Smitin Brid from ‘Pratham’ said there was a need to spread awareness about the notification and the owners of dhabas, hotels and other establishments had to be told about the same. During the survey, the organisation also asked the owners about this notification. Surprisingly, 42 per cent of the owners knew about the notification. Yet…
Brid said when only one area of the city has more than 350 children doing the odd jobs then one can imagine the number working in other parts of the city, including in homes. Under an awareness drive on October 10, ‘Pratham’ has planned to go to each establishment in Hazratganj and encourage people to pledge for not involving minors in their establishments. When asked about the State’s preparedness for implementation of the notification, deputy labour commissioner, UP, said the Labour Commissioner would reveal its plan in a meeting on Monday.
