By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: As per the survey conducted by the district labour offices recently, it is found that the number of child labour in the State has decreased, said Deputy Labour Commissioner FK Marak.
Disclosing this on Friday, Marak said as per periodical reports collected from the district labour offices, other than Jaintia Hills district where the number of child workers in coal mines were around 200 in 2010, the figure in other districts shows nil.
This figure has come down following a Government notification wherein sixty headmasters and head teachers were appointed as inspectors under the Child Labour Act to move around and see that no child is being employed in those coal mines as well as to remove them from their place of work and put them back to school, informed Marak.
However, when contacted Impulse Chairperson, Hasina Kharbih stood by her NGO’s survey that Jaintia Hills district tops the list in employing the highest number of child labourers in the state. She claims that the number of children working in the coal mines of Jaintia Hills has is a staggering 70,000 and asserts that the number increases especially during the peak coal mining period.
She also mentioned that these children are trafficked from Bangladesh and Nepal, while some are from within the district. She further mentioned that the organisation has forwarded the numbers to the National Commission for protection of Child Rights last year wherein the State Government was asked to take up the matter seriously.
When asked about the possibility of children receiving education with the recent approval of the Right to Education (RTE) Act by the State Government, Kharbih said it depends on the time as it is still a long process and it will take another year for the Act to be implemented in the State.
Meanwhile, World Day against Child Labour was observed in the city on Friday by World Vision, an organisation which focuses on child’s welfare in collaboration with Impulse Network NGO and Shishu Shiksha Ghar at Jhalupara Community Hall.
About one hundred children from Jhalupara and its adjoining slum areas gathered together. It was noticed that there were children who have been deprived of their right to schooling because of financial problems in the family. What is worse is that although these children were victims of child labour but they do not understand what it implies.
“Child labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity and that it is harmful to physical and mental development,” FK Marak said while adding that the Government is trying its best to curb child labour in the State.
She further informed that the State Labour Department has sent a proposal to the State Government for establishing child labour project schools in all the districts and this is still under process with the Government.