Rights panel issues notices to Centre and states seeking details of action taken against those employing child labour

Ravi S Singh

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 25

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued notices to the Centre and all the states and UTs seeking details of action taken against those employing child labour and, consequently violating laws.

Their replies have to be filed within eight weeks.

Referring to the development, experts say the Commission's intervention is timely in view of the reports that law-benders are looking for cheap and easy child labour in the Covid pandemic that rendered many families jobless.

The Commission's communique said the Centre and the states and UTs had been specifically asked to provide details of  legal actions taken against companies and their managements who are violating the United Nations Convention for Right of Child and the Child and Adolescent Labour (Amendment) Act, 2016.

India is signatory to this UN convention.

The Union Labour and Employment Ministry had initiated the National Child Labour Projects (NCLP) Scheme to rehabilitate working children in 12 child labour endemic districts of the country in 1988.

Since then, the project has been expanded to cover 312 districts of 21 states.

As per 2019 data of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, the maximum 52 are from Uttar Pradesh, followed by 30 from Telangana, 27 from Rajasthan, 21 from West Bengal, 24 from Odisha, 23 from Bihar, 21 from Madhya Pradesh, 18 from Tamil Nadu, 16 each from Maharashtra and Karnataka. However, the rampant violation of child rights in the form of child trafficking and child labour is still going on.

The flash point for the Commission's notices was the Rajasthan government authorities' contradictory versions in a complaint to it about the alleged child trafficking of girls between eight and 15 years of age in Udaipur, Dungarpur and Banswara districts of the state. 

These children were allegedly sold for Rs 500 to Rs 3,000. Even a commission of Rs 50 was charged on every deal.

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