It’s social shame to employ a child: Irani

Tribune News Service 
New Delhi, June 12

Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani today said employing a child should be a matter of social shame and urged local market associations and resident welfare societies to report child labour in their vicinities and aid rescue efforts.

Irani was speaking at the inauguration of a daylong national workshop to draft Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for Rescue and Rehabilitation of Child Labour to mark World Day Against Child Labour here today. Irani said unless people got involved in rooting out child labour, the target of eliminating the practice wouldn’t be achieved.

“Exhorted representatives to take a humane approach to the problem of child labour instead of looking at it as an administrative challenge and devise modules that encourage people’s participation to enhance child rescue operations,” she said after the meeting where state-level representatives were also present.

The meeting came in the wake of challenges rescue agencies face when liberating children from labour. Rishi Kant of Shakti Vahini involved in such rescues says the practice of child labour has social acceptability which is hard to challenge. “Unless you have a strong neighbour who will report the crime and remain consistent in his testimony, you will have trouble rescuing children,” he said.

The workshop organised by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights aims to lay down some procedures on how to rescue children and what would be the chain of rescue command.

Irani said “there is a critical need to strengthen Child Welfare Committees and make elimination of child labour a Jan Andolan”. She urged neighbourhood entities to join the campaign.  “It should become a matter of social shame to employ a child,” said the minister, calling for measures to rehabilitate the rescued child.