Efforts to abolish child labour should not be merely symbolic, says Judge Amarnath
Senior Civil Judge Amarnath K.K., who is also the member-secretary of the District Legal Services Authority, said here on Thursday that efforts to abolish the scourge of child labour should be backed by real programmes and not be confined to symbolic events.
He was speaking at the inauguration of 'World Day Against Child Labour', held at Maharaja's Pre-University College.
The judge said that children are pushed into labour at an early age and are deprived of education. The social practice of families depending on child labour for livelihood must be completely eliminated, and is the responsibility of every citizen, he said.
The government has enacted Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, and this should be implemented in full measure, said Mr. Amarnath. He pointed out that there were 27 laws in the Constitution relating to child-related offences, with Sections 2, 3, and 14 playing key roles.
Veena S.R., Assistant Labour Commissioner and member-secretary of the District Child Labour Project, said that parents must encourage children to prioritise learning over earning, and education must not be interrupted in early years.
She said society should cultivate the habit of enrolling children in schools if they are found engaged in work. Under the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, employing children below 14 years or adolescents in any form of labour is a criminal offence,' Ms. Veena said.
Senior advocate N. Sundar Raj said poverty and illiteracy are the primary reasons for the increase in child labour in India. Citing various articles of the Indian Constitution and the laws that prohibit employment of children below 14 years in any hazardous occupation, Mr. Raj said under Article 21A, the government is mandated to provide free and compulsory education to children between 6 and 14 years.
Underlining the increase in juvenile delinquency and POCSO cases, he said there are about 900 cases pending in district courts. Child Welfare Committee Chairperson Ravichandra and others were present.
The event was organised by the district administration, District Legal Services Authority, Zilla Panchayat, Department of Women and Child Development, the police department, and NGOs.
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