child labour
...ial law, the implementation becomes a crucial and challenging task. Since child labour is a consequence of social and economic conditions, it has become a central issue for researchers, international agencies and organisations including trade unions on a global scale. The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), along with other global trade union partners, has been strongly endorsing the right to education for every child and pressing for a clear commitment to eradicating all forms of child labourIn India, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has been working to expedite the amendment of the laws regarding child labour and set a time frame to achieve free and compulsory education for the children in collaboration with the State Governments. These laws have to be radically re-thought and re-written from the perspective of the rights of the child, in terms of policy and accountability. Child rights and child welfare are distinctly different concepts. Welfare projects can deal with noon meals, and humanise working conditions for child labourers, but may not address the structural problems of the violation of childhood or provide protection from exploitation. The Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC) includes protection rights, survival and development rights, and participation rights. It implies protection from oppression, state accountability to people or human wellbeing in terms of personal security, access to health, education, nutrition and all basic needs. In the Indian context, enforcement and implementation of laws depends on awareness, and in building the enforcement strategies. This year's Magsaysay award to Shanta Sinha's achievement only reinforces the long road to be covered. As secretary of the M.V. Foundation, for 12 years, she has been involved in setting up a string of bridge schools across 491 villages of the educationally backward Ranga Reddy district that has helped over 1,00,000 children in the five-14 age group enter mainstream schools. "The problem needs to be tackled by awareness via education. This in turn empowers individuals to identify and cope with the existing situation", says Andal Damodaran, Secretary, Indian Council For Child Welfare (ICCW). She is as enthusiastic as Sinha about two projects successfully implemented by the ICCW in Vellore and Srivilliputhur. Last year about 300 children who had been working in the match industry in Srivilliputhur, and about 100 children who were bidi workers in Vellore had been put in schools. In Chennai, this organisation has rehabilitated street children and child beggars. Recently, the Union Minister for Labour, Sahib Singh Verma, announced that the successful Child Labour Elimination Programme, currently implemented in 100 districts in Tamil Nadu, would be extended to 200 districts. If social security were provided for the unorganised sector it could help in the battle against child labour, and also help tackle the population problem through education. Child labour keeps children out of school and is a major barrier to development. To make the anti-child labour law a reality, poverty and unemployment need to be eliminated. Unless the standard of living improves at the lower levels of society, children will be forced to work. It is heartening to read frequent news r...