Itanagar: Over 100 child labourers were found working in different establishments in lower Dibang Valley district of Arunachal Pradesh, but parents and employers foil efforts to identify them.
A report by the district administration after an inspection under the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act found that more than 100 children were working as labourers. The report said they could not be identified as child labourers because of the reluctance on the part of the children and their parents and also by employers to provide correct information to the survey team.
Most of the children surveyed worked as labourers and were deprived of the right to education and paid very low wages, the report said. The consolidated inspection reports submitted by the district labour and employment officer cum inspector also revealed that child labourers were migrants from other states.
Inspection under the Minimum Wages Act 1948 and Payment of Wages Act 1936 was also taken up by the inspection team to pinpoint irregularities. According to the survey conducted under CL(P&R) Act 1986, six were identified as child labourers while 45 others were suspected to be child labourers in 21 establishments during the inspection. Show cause notices were issued to six employers, who were directed to send the identified child labourers to government schools.
But the inspection programme has been halted after it was revealed that temporary children’s shelters, rehabilitation centres and special schools for identified children did not exist in the district.
According to the survey conducted under MW Act, 1948 and PW Act, 1936, out of 21 establishments inspected, 14 were making payments below that prescribed by the state government and did not maintain records or registers of payments.
Show cause notices were issued to them as well. The report said that as per the CL (P&R) Act 1986, no child below 14 years of age shall be employed or permitted to work in any factory or mine or engaged in other hazardous work. (PTI)
