Labour dept lacks data on child labourers in Meghalaya
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG: Deputy Chief Minister and in charge of Labour department, Rowell Lyngdoh, on Thursday admitted that prevalence of child labour in the State ‘cannot be ruled out’.
The National Commission for Protection of Child’s Right (NCPCR) had recently come down heavily on the State Government for its failure to curb employment of children in hazardous mining work, especially in Jaintia Hills. Speaking to The Shillong Times here, Lyngdoh said, “Child Labour is mostly prevalent in coal mining areas.”
He informed that the Labour department has already directed the deputy commissioners and labour inspectors of respective districts to inspect every area and take necessary action to prevent child labour.
As per an independent survey by the Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Mumbai, there are 343 cases of child labour in ten villages of the State. The NCPCR has already directed the Principal Secretary of the Labour department to rescue these children and arrange for their rehabilitation.
Pointing out the difficulties in detection of child labourers, the Minister stated that whenever officials of the Labour department visit any coal mine, the children there would claim that they were only accompanying their parents who were working in the mines.
Admitting that the Labour department did not have any data relating to child labourers, he said that the process of creation of a data for child labourers was on. “We will also appoint one inspector in every block to detect child labourers,” he said.
The NCPCR had, earlier, asked the Labour department to conduct a State-wide survey to map critical areas where child’s rights were been violated.
Reacting to a query about children who are often seen employed in restaurants and hotels, the Minister said, “We often send show cause notices to the owners and take action against them.”
