Child labour on the wane, says GJEPC convenor

The diamond industry of Surat has been charged of employing child labourers, many a times in the past, but the industry has brushed aside these allegations. The industry now says that it has taken steps to bring down the percentage of child labour to as low as 0.31.

"Child labour levels have come down significantly in all important diamond processing centres in Gujarat, including Surat, Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Palanpur and Mehsana, in the recent years. The average percentage of child labour in the diamond industry in Gujarat was 0.55 in 1998, which has come down to 0.31 per cent at present," Chandrakant Sanghvi, Gujarat convenor, Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), said.

"As far as the diamond industry of Surat is concerned, the percentage of child labour was 0.55 in 1998, but this stands at 0.10 per cent at present," he said, quoting a recent survey.

At the same time, Sanghvi said this small fraction of child labourers persists in the diamond industry of Surat, only because of the children employed in small and tiny diamond units. He informed that during the survey, no child labourers were found in any of the large and medium diamond units in the city.

High level of awareness among factory owners is the key reason for reduction in child labour levels.

"The Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council and respective diamond associations have carried out a strong anti-child labour campaign in various cities. Regular raids by municipal authorities, Factories Inspector, and other authorities, have also played a role in creating awareness in the diamond industry," he said.

"The factory owners have become aware of the fact that child labour is illegal, and employing children could mean serious consequences. As per a Supreme Court judgement, a fine of up to Rs. 20,000 can be levied on the factory owner by municipal authorities, if he is found to have employed children," Sanghvi added.

Though the prevalence of child labour in the diamond industry has become almost negligible, diamond businessmen agree that it is not possible to completely abolish child labour.

"The biggest reason for child labour is poverty. There is acute poverty in certain areas of the state, and child labourers in these areas work to supplement their family income. The diamond industry is preferred over other industries as after the initial training period, a child can easily earn upto Rs 1,500 to Rs 2000, which is substantially higher than what his counterparts in other industries earn," a leading diamond merchant of Surat said.

"Another major reason is that the people connected with diamond industry, prefer their children to also continue in the traditional profession. In most cases, workers introduce their children to the industry, which also gives them the feeling that the child is safe, while earning," he said.

"The last reason why I believe that child labour cannot be abolished from the diamond industry is that it does not require a high degree of formal education. So for those children, who do not have access to education, or do not have much interest in studies, the diamond industry is a very tempting avenue," he added.