GUWAHATI, June 11 � Tomorrow the world is going to observe Anti-Child Labour Day, but for thousands of children here, the day has no meaning at all. These children would be toiling throughout the day in various business establishments and some would also be engaged in hazardous jobs. Deprived of childhood, sitting in a class is still a distant dream for them.
The photo below speaks about the condition of the impoverished children in the State. This is a picture of young boys below the age of 14 engaged in road construction work in Guwahati. These boys have been engaged in the work going on at BC Road (Uzan Bazaar to Kharghuli).
Though officially child labour has been prohibited in the country and penalty is meted out to those violating the law, this ban has had little impact in the State.
In view of the gross violation of the law, the Society for Social Transformation and Environment Protection, a non-government organization working for the underprivileged children, has taken up the matter with the Labour Commissioner and the PWD (Roads).
�We have also lodged an FIR against the contractor who has engaged these children in the Latashil Police Station,� informed Umesh Baruah, member of the Society for Social Transformation and Environment Protection.
Baruah said that engagement of children in such kind of work was a violation of human rights and the fundamental rights in the Constitution of the country.
Meanwhile, several organizations have chalked out day long programmes to observe the Day. The Guwahati Street Children Project (GSCP), World Vision, India will focus on creating awareness about the rights of the child.
But for children like Meera, Tikli and the rest, everything about child labour is Greek. Because they have never heard words like child labour and neither their parents know about the laws banning child labour.
Mother of seven year old Tikli, Sunita said that the family would be facing great trouble in having two meals a day if Tikli stops working as a domestic help. Tikli wants to go to school, but this dream has not come true so far. On the Anti Child Labour Day, Tikli would be cleaning, washing and doing other jobs that her age and health does not permit.
