Child labour ban: States turn to police, NGOs for implementation

Bihar has decided to use the police to get working children to schools, West Bengal has decided to conduct a survey of child labour, while Delhi has decided to work with NGOs to track and stop child labour.

These are some of the responses from various state governments as the ban on child labour entered its second day today.

The ban, along with addition of new clauses to the Child Labour (Protection and Regulation) Act, 1986, came into operation yesterday with no indication that it would mean a better morrow for the child workforce in the country.

The new clauses banning child labour below 14 years in hotels and homes will affect only 5 per cent of this workforce, majority of whom work in agricultural fields. Besides, the ban has no provision for rehabilitation of these children.

In Delhi, Business Standard found that the children continued to serve food in roadside dhabas and work in houses as domestic helps. "We know about the law, but the boy is 16 years old," a hotel owner in ITO said pointing at a 12-year-old serving tea.

At the end of the day, not a single child was removed from his workplace. Delhi Labour Minister Mangal Ram Singhal said, "We have decided to act only on the complaints of NGOs and not on our own."

In West Bengal, State Labour Minister Anadi Sahu said the state government was carrying out a survey on the status of child labour in West Bengal. He felt the Centre should come forward in rehabilitating them in alternative avenues.

In Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar seized the opportunity to send back children to school. He has drawn up a plan to use the police to ensure implementation of the ban on child labour by using them to take children to school.

"A meeting chaired by the CM was held last evening where it was decided to take help of the police in bringing street children to schools," Human Resource Development Secretary M M Jha said today.

NGOs, while favouring total ban on child labour, have questioned the new notification, pointing at lack of a rehabilitation programme and also absence of any consultation with civil society groups working with children.

"How can the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan rehabilitate children? And who will take them to school? Where will they stay for 10 or 15 days before they go to school?" asked Swami Agnivesh of the Bandhua Mukti Morcha.