Ban on child labour from Today Focus on domestic and restaurantworkers Double punishment to Govt. employees Jail term of 3 months to 2 years and/or a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000 1098 is a 24-hour toll-free numberto complain on ill treatment 56 occupations are considered as hazardous 27 lakh child labourers and out-of-school children in the State 40,000 children in domestic employment in Twin Cities Awareness run on Oct 29
With the Union Government declaring homes and hotels as hazardous work places for children below the age of 14 years, employing children in these places has been banned all over the country from October 10.
Anyone found employing children for domestic and hotel work will run the risk of facing criminal prosecution. And the penalty for violators is a jail term ranging from three months to two years and/or a fine of Rs 10,000 to Rs 20,000. The decision was taken on the recommendation of the Technical Advisory Committee on Child Labour.No kidding dude…
No kidding dude….
A strict warning has been issued to government employees against employing children in their homes as they will face double action.
The Labour Ministry, which has already prohibited the government employees from engaging children as domestic help, recently issued a notification warning that anyone employing children would be liable to prosecution and other penal action, including fine and a one-year jail term.
There are 56 occupations and industries had been classified as hazardous for children and with the issue of notification classifying domestic and hotel work also as hazardous, the number of hazardous industries goes up to 58. There is a separate law banning the employment of children in factories, mines and hazardous work.
The act prohibits employment of children as domestic servants or servants in dhabas (roadside eateries), restaurants, hotels, motels, teashops, resorts, spas and recreational centres.
The child labour elimination scheme will be linked to different other schemes particularly the Srava Shiksha Abhiyan and Employment Guarantee Scheme for compulsory education to children and employment for their parents.
The other side of the coin :
But there is little cheer for about 13 crore working children as their future appears uncertain in the absence of a comprehensive rehabilitation package.
Questions have been raised on how the government will ensure the effective implementation of the child labour (prohibition and regulation) act that bars children under 14 years from working as domestic help or servants at roadside eateries and other non-hazardous jobs.
While the government has decided to crack the whip, experts are of the view that a ban without a proper rehabilitation plan will backfire.
The Labour Ministry is, however, planning to strengthen and expand its rehabilitative scheme of national child labour project, which now covers 250 child labour endemic districts.
What to do today onwards? Child workers
With the order banning child labour, the under-age workers seem to be confused and scared about their future after the implementation of the well-meaning legislation.
"What will happen to me? and if I leave this place, where does the government want me to go," asks a boy, who does not want to admit that he is less than 14 due to fear of losing his job at an eatery here.
Hoping that this legislation will not have any impact, the boy said "laws have been hardly a part of our living and hence I feel that this would also pass through."
Childline (1098) is a 24-hour toll-free number that children or adults can call for help or to report abuse or ill-treatment of children.
The emergency service is backed by a round-the-clock support and intervention service.
It's available in about 66 cities. It focuses on street children, child labourers in the unorganised sector, domestic help and all children in need of care and protection.
No room for child labour…no matter what the reason is : Government
Deputy Labour Commissioner Ajay Kumar said that teams led by labour officers would visit residential colonies with prior information to sensitise public about the dangers of the provisions against domestic employment of children that were added to the legislation three months ago. If they would continue to employ the children, they would be prosecuted.
Sixteen such teams were constituted for the State capital, he said. The department would also organise a `child labour elimination awareness' run along the Necklace Road here on October 29. Efforts were on to mobilise thousands of people for the run, Mr. Kumar added.
The Deputy Commissioner also said a programme aimed at self-declaration by various sections of people that they did not employ children as domestic hands was on the anvil.
He said the offence was liable to punishment for three to twelve months in the first instance and six months to two years in the second instance. Secretary-trustee of the foundation Shanta Sinha said there were 27 lakh child labourers and out-of-school children in the State. There were 40,000 children in domestic employment in the city.
