Kailash Satyarthi

Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi’s footprints in the anti-child labour movement in Banka are fresh but residents repent how the work has lost steam.

Somlata Singh, the district co-ordinator of voluntary organisation Sava Srijan Bachpan Bachao, recalled how Satyarthi initiated a movement against child labour in Banka, an otherwise sleepy town in east Bihar, in 2006. At least six children were rescued from different parts of the district and rehabilitated.

All this, she added, was thanks to Satyarthi’s initiative. “Now, the movement has lost its effectiveness because of lack of government support and the hostile attitude of officials concerned,” said Somlata.

“Many children were rescued from tea stalls, bakeries and other places in the district around 2006 when the movement was at its peak under Satyarthi’s direction. Many of the rescued children were admitted to the government primary school of Murgidih too,” said Pradeep Chakravorty, a lawyer in Banka.

Now, it’s a completely different story.

Chakravorty lambasted the lackadaisical attitude of government officials for not providing wholehearted support to the movement. “Today, there is no officially sponsored programme for rescuing child labourers or checking rising atrocities against children,” he added.

Child rights activist Satyarthi — the founder of Bachpan Bachao Andolan — was declared the joint winner of Nobel peace prize with Malala Yousafzai of Pakistan for 2014 last Friday. Satyarthi’s organisation, founded in 1980, works for the cause of children. It started operations in Bihar back in 1993.

Residents and social activists, however, said in spite of having a platform as Satyarthi’s organisation, the anti-child labour crusade has not been able to flourish in the district.

Anurudh Prasad Singh, the founder of Mukti Niketan, a social organisation in Katoria, alleged that several children from remote areas are still compelled to migrate to distant places with their parents in search of livelihood. Many of the children are engaged in hazardous work as well.

He said: “Satyarthi won the Nobel because of his commitment and devotion towards saving children but we, the people of Banka, have failed to continue on his path.”

Somlata said: “I feel excited when I remember the days we used to visit Patna to meet Satyarthi. It was because of his initiative that we successfully rescued several children in Banka. However, the hostile attitude of officials led to the movement losing its effectiveness. As a result, today, there is no work on the rehabilitation of child labourers in Banka.”

“The government should initiate an anti-child labour movement,” said Birendra Kumar, a social worker in Amarpur, Banka.