Whopping rise in child labour in industrial city

KANPUR: Despite several laws, the problem of child labour is rampant in the city. It is a common sight to see children working at roadside dhabas, automobile workshops and small-scale industries. Mashrooming of child labour in residential areas is also a thing to be worried about. Though the officials of child labour department claim to conduct regular drives throughout the year to check child labour in the city, the scenario seems to be never-changing.
There is apparently no control over the situation. According to data from the child labour department, since the start of the current financial year in April, only 8 child labourers have been rescued, while 66 children were set free last year. When asked why the number of rescued children has been so less this year, additional labour commissioner, Ravi Srivastava, who is looking after the child labour issue in the city, said that as per the Child Labour Act, only children employed or working under someone are considered as child labourers. Kids, like rag pickers etc, who work independently without any bosses do not come under the Act.
“We raid places only after we get complaint from locals about kids working in homes, bakeries, hotels, restaurants, small scale industries, automobile workshops etc. Since April, we have raided two places and caught 8 kids from a hotel and tea stall. Last year, 66 kids were rescued and rehabilitated,” said Srivastava on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) on Friday.
It has become a common trend in the city to keep children as household help. People give them shelter at their homes, provide them with food and clothes and in return make them do all the household work. Talking about the increasing threat of child labour in the residential areas, Srivastava said, “Mushrooming of child labour in residential areas is a thing to be worried about. We conduct raid on the basis of complains we get. If public is aware and sensitive enough about the issue, only then we can curb and control the problem,” he said.
Meanwhile, according to a recent report by Child Rights and You (CRY), Child labour in Indian urban cities have increased by 53 per cent over 2001-2011, with UP among the top states juggling with the issue. The report that was released on Thursday states that the whopping rise in child labour in the age group of 5-9 years in urban areas--the number of working boys grew by 154 per cent whereas the number of working girls grew by 240 per cent. Five Indian states--Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra--harbour majority of working children. These states account for more than 55 lakh child workers.