(From left) Vice-chairperson of Child Labour Commission Anita Sinha, labour minister Janardan Singh Sigriwal, Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary and chairman of the commission Ramdeo Prasad at the seminar in Patna on Sunday. Picture by Ashok Sinha

Patna, June 12: Law and awareness programmes to weed out child labour seem to have come a cropper and the only solution in sight is to sensitise people about the social evil. This was discussed at a seminar organised by Child Labour Commission at Scada Business Centre.

Inaugurating the seminar on Anti-Child Labour Day, labour minister Janardan Singh Sigriwal said: “We have to pledge that we will not encourage child labour and it should start from our homes. Today, children are not only being employed in industrial sectors, hotel and other workplaces but also as domestic help. People need to change their perception. We cannot change the whole set-up in a day or a year just by implementing laws.”

“We have Dhava Dal (a rescue operation team of the commission) but unless people become aware, nothing can be changed,” added Sigriwal.

Prasad said: “We have pleaded for 50 per cent reservation of these children in the Right to Education Act’s quota for underprivileged children. We have also made a request for establishment of residential schools, where rescued children could be rehabilitated.” Prasad added the worst child labour-affected areas are Kishanganj, Araria, Khagaria, Purnea, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, West Champaran and East Champaran. He also mentioned there are about five lakh children from the state employed as labourers in and outside Bihar.

Ramchandra Chowdhary, the joint labour commissioner, said: “A state action plan has been formulated against child labour activities, it has got its approval from the cabinet according to which a district task force under the assistance of district magistrates and Dhava Dal has been directed to carry out rescue operations twice a week. For the purpose, we are taking help from different non-government organisations. The task force, too, will be initiating its drive in association with block-level, panchayat-level and regional-level officials.”

Child labourers who had been rescued by Dhava Dal also attended the seminar.

“I used to work in a hotel alongside the bus stand in Mithapur. My working hours used to be from early morning till night but I was not given proper food. Sometimes I was given leftovers, I was rescued last November,” said twelve-year-old Shravan Kumar. He is studying in the rehabilitation centre called Srishti International. Shravan aims to be a police officer in future.

Dablu Kumar, a 10-year-old, used to work in the brick-making ovens. “I used to work the whole day, it was miserable. Sometimes, my body used to ache but I continued with the job,” he said. “Today, my parents have understood what is good for me, they are somehow managing their expenditure but encourage me to study at the centre,” Dablu said, adding that he wants to join the army.

Ram Kumar Sinha, the secretary, Srishti International, said: “We have taken a holistic approach towards their health, education and counselling the parents of the children. They are trained in clay modelling and physical training so they can join the army or police if they want to.”