Child Labor - Law to curb it exists only on paper!

This is a report on reality of  child labor that exist in our "Namma Bengaluru" city in spite of strict laws against child labor that exist only on paper.

Yesterday myself and a friend of mine made a visit to a special school for children who were until few days back were engaged in "CHILD LABOR". Don't get shocked with previous statement. There is much more shocking news than this. This is an organization running different activities revolving around the various aspects of Child Labor. I would like to share some information that I gathered during my visit to this school.This visit was an eye opener for privileged persons like me.

The school serves about 600 child labor per year. The modus operandi is, this NGO with their social skills removes children from the businesses they work in and admitted into the school. Since these children comes from very impoverished backgrounds, they are first  homogenized and equipped with basic reading and writing skills. From then on, they are admitted into regular/formal school program. They are provided free education along with other day scholars from the locality. The job doesn't end here, rather it starts here. Since the family is short on the daily income the child brings in, is given alternate support to earn and compensate the child's income by imparting vocational training to Youth and adult family members. Vocational training includes Basic Computer Skills, English communications, Sewing/Embroidery etc depending upon the qualification and skills they might already have. After the 3 months training they are helped with the placements. According to the Founder Benazir Baig, so far they have a 100% placement success.

According to Mrs. Baig, about 2% of Bengaluru population is accounted for child labor. If we go by 2010 census, then this figure comes to 200K (2 Lakhs).

Here is some startling background information on child labor

Reasons for Child Labor:

1.     Poverty
2.     Death of an adult earning member
3.     Absence of institutional/Govt funded social support structure
4.     School Drop Outs

Areas of employment

1.     Automobile (service and repair)
2.     Automobile Component refurbishing
3.     Agarbahthi Manufacturing
4.     Fabrication
5.     Scrap/Rag picking
6.     Zari and embroidery
7.     Silk Industry
8.     Construction
9.     Stone quarrying
10.     Furniture and wood works
11.     Brick Manufacturing
12.     Hotel Industry

NOTE - It is possible that every thing that we may use in our daily life are the products of hard labor of these children.

Earnings Per Day  - Rs. 10-20

Working Hours - 9 am to 9 PM

Legal - Punishable and Non-Bailable Offense

Law enforcement authority - Labor Department at State and Central Level.

It is evident how the laws are enforced with existence of 2 lakh child labor force in the market. According to the NGO's, officials are fully in collusion with businesses and hardly enforces any law.

Even though great souls like Benzir Baig are trying to fill in where the government has utterly failed tpo protect the children who are national assets, who should be taking the responsibility for such criminal acts?

It is an classic example of mere laws won't fix things. It needs backing of social support systems that could change our attitudes towards social malaise like child labor, bonded labor etc.