Kids fight against child labour

Anuradha Mane / TNN / Nov 8, 2007, 03:58 IST

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A national convention will see 10 children talking about education, child rights, child immigration and the support-seeking machinery for child labourers.

PUNE: Till a few years ago, 12-year-old Ramesh Gaikwad's life was divided between working at the brick kilns on Wakad road and doing odd jobs to earn some extra money. His day started at 5 am and he also suffered from problems like stunted growth because he had to load and unload heavy weights.
But his life changed for the better when he was urged to go to school by an NGO.Since then, Ramesh, now in Std V, has not only taken a keen interest in studies, but is also being trained as a peer educator to help other child labourers around him.
Ramesh and nine other children from Pune who have either been full-time child labourers or have had a close shave with child labour are now set to show their peers the way ahead.
A national convention, Hum Bacche Saath Saath Bal Majduri Ke Khilaf will see 10 children from the city talking about education, child rights, child immigration and the support-seeking machinery for child labourers. The convention will be held at Bhubaneshwar from November 19 to 22.

Having been trained in these aspects, the seven girls and three boys are looking forward to the all-important experience. Twelve-year-old Pooja Rankhambe, who lives in Yerwada thinks her experience as a peer educator will come in handy. "In Maniknagar where I live, there are a lot of young girls working as domestic helpers and my friend was one of them. As a peer educator, I knew how to talk to my friend and her parents to urge her to go back to school. Today, with the consent of her parents, she goes to school with me," says Pooja.

The India Sponsorship Committee (ISC) that is responsible for making a large number of child labourers in brick kilns take up education has encouraged several girls and boys to participate in the national convention. "The children were recently taken to Solapur where they were oriented about regulated and prohibited child labour. Having children themselves as peer educators helps create greater rapport with other child labourers," said Audrey Ferreira of ISC.
Fresh from the orientation programme in Solapur, 13-year-old Manisha Thor says that the convention will also give her an opportunity to address the issue of child sexual abuse which is just as important as child labour. "We have been preparing material like charts and posters to effectively get across our message to hundreds of other children who will be participating from all across India," she says.

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