Saturday, June 12, 2010

TAMIL NADU: Child labour remains a pressing issue

By G Saravanan

Published in The New Indian Express on June 12, 2010:

CHENNAI: Despite the State government’s sustained efforts and the involvement of the United States in a child labour eradication project, child labour remains a pressing issue in many districts.
In fact, it has increased substantially in Virudhunagar and Sivakasi, says Agni Subramaniam, executive director of the human rights organisation Manitham, which had recently conducted an extensive study in both the districts.
Subramaniam explained, “In 2007, we had done a study and documented several child labourers who were robbed of their education in these districts. In the May 2010 survey, we found the same children working in hazardous cracker industries, indication enough that the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) has not achieved anything over the years.”
Manitham’s survey revealed that about two lakh child labourers were engaged (both directly and indirectly) in hazardous cracker industries and about 70 per cent of workers engaged in the matchbox industry were child labourers.
“Manitham found in August 2007 that a large number of children were employed in fireworks — cracker factories and match factories. The recent survey reveals that there has been a huge jump in the numbers,” Subramaniam told Express.
To eradicate child labour, the Centre, with the support of the US, had started a five-year project — the Indo-US (INDUS) Child Labour Project — in 2004. Later, the project was taken over by the National Child Labour Project (NCLP).
Till March 2009, while the INDUS project was on, there were 44 schools offering classes up till standard VIII in Virudhunagar district. However, after the completion of the project’s contract period, the number of schools dropped to 39 and classes down to standard V. Besides, during the term of the project, there were 120 teachers employed at these schools for rescued children. That figure has gone down to less than 100.
Locals fear that the number of schools may further dwindle during the current academic year, Subramaniam revealed.
Manitham also found that teachers, who were not paid their salary for a year, received three months’ wages recently and that too after the survey was held.
Interestingly, during the INDUS project, every student who was attending these schools was paid
Rs 100 each month, an incentive to parents and to encourage the children to attend school regularly. But for the last 12 months, the NCLP has not paid students, which has again forced many children to seek jobs to help their families.
Manitham’s survey also revealed that although there were more than 1,500 students in 44 schools meant for rescued children during the INDUS project, due to non-payment of the incentive to students the rate of attendance had declined to below 1,000.

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