769 child workers identified in US Nagar, only 54 rescued in three years

Rudrapur: Poverty forced Rambabu to drop out of school almost eight years back. Before the lockdown came into effect, the 13-year-old boy, who worked at a dhaba located on Kashipur road in Udham Singh Nagar district headquarters Rudrapur, was diagnosed with myopia (nearsightedness). In between his treatment, Rambabu got no relief from kneading the dough and cooking 'rotis' - the primary mode of income that supports her family.He got a salary of Rs 3000 from the dhaba where his widowed mother Laali Devi washed utensils and both together run their small family. Rambabu was among the 769 child laborers identified in the district in 2018. Despite the strict laws, these child laborers lived in dire conditions and the pandemic pushed their families further to the margins, said, activists. However, the labor department claims to have rescued 54 such children in the past three years.
Under the National Child Labour Project, 769 child workers working in dhabas, street vendors, and thelas in the district were identified by the childline team of Kumaon Seva Samiti in the year 2018. The team submitted the survey report to the Labor Department on January 21, 2019. In this, 369 children from 6 to 14 years and 400 child laborers from 15 to 18 years were identified. Rudrapur had the largest number of child workers with 180 children from 6 to 14 years and 156 from 15 to 18 years of age. Talking to TOI, social worker Diyani Gaba said, "We urge the government to take strict action against the people for hiring children and making them work. A generation of children is at risk due to additional financial problems. The administration should not only rescue them but also ensure quality education for them".
An official at the labor department, Anil Kumar Purohit said that the India Child Labour Act 1986 aims to eradicate any kind of child abuse in the form of employment and prohibit the engagement of children in any kind of hazardous employment, under 14 years of age. "The department has been working on it and in the year 2019, we facilitated the rescue operations of 18 such child laborers, in 2020 the number was 15 while in 2021, 21 such child workers were rescued. Their employers were imposed a fine of almost Rs seven lakhs. Similar drive will be starting soon this year", he added.
"We were able to conduct rescue operations due to efficient citizen reporting", he added. He said that citizens need to be encouraged to report instances of child labor through calls. Meanwhile, another city-based social worker, Karamjeet Singh Chaana said, “More children should be rescued and the inflation mixed with poverty is increasing this problem everyday. It becomes critical as the pandemic and the consequent joblessness and reduced family income have pushed children towards the menace of labor. Therefore, these children’s rehabilitation becomes of utmost significance. The government should be committed to tracking their education enrolment, and the family’s involvement in different government schemes”.