The book is an initiative of United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the lead UN agency has the mandate to implement projects of human trafficking. The book is a guide on the procedure to be followed by the police and law enforcement agencies on cases of trafficking for forced labour. Formulated by UNODC and the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) team, the book was formally released by Oscar Fernandes at Constitutional Club today. Bhanu Pratap Sahi, the Minister of Labour of Jharkhand state, Gary Lewis, the representative of UNODC’s South Asia office, Kailash Satyarthi, the chairperson of Global March Against Child Labour and representatives from Nepal, Pakistan and other South Asian countries, were the other major participants of the function.
Speaking about the World Day Against Child Labour on the 12 June, Oscar Fernandes said- “Tomorrow is an important day for the world and we hope this day helps the world to realise the importance of the fight against child labour. Our work is to put toys and remove tools from the hands of children.” While he said that eliminating child labour completely may not be possible during his term, he added- “We are going to take all the positive steps in this direction. The most important thing is to punish the people who are employing children or pushing them into child labour. He assured that the Government initiatives like Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (on universal primary education) and National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGA) would help stop trafficking under the garb of migration. He requested the SAARC countries to join together and work on the issue of trafficking.”
Kailash Satyarthi requested Oscar Fernandes that the ILO Conventions 182 on worst forms of child labour and 138 on minimum wages be ratified by India during his official tenure. He also said- “alliances with UNODC, ILO and judicial agencies are required to end trafficking for forced labour. Similarly alliances between the source and destination areas are also very essential to root out this problem.” He announced that 62 child bonded labourers were rescued from Seelampur area today with the help of the Delhi Government by BBA.
Gary Lewis, The South Asia representative of UNODC said: “There are many player in this noble cause. But the key players- viz. law enforcers are not being used to full extent as majority of them who want to do the right thing are not trained to do so. We have collaborated with BBA to formulate a module to help them do so and this is the Standard Operating Procedure. The five states- Andhra Pradesh, Goa, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Bihar, where we have implemented it, have seen tremendous progress. We want it to be translated into local languages.”
World Day Against Child Labour is commemorated on 12 June every year to remind humanity of the pledge to abolish child slavery, child trafficking, prostitution of children, and forced and hazardous child labour. This came through the unanimous adoption of an international legislation, the Convention on combating Worst Form of Child Labour under the International Labour Organisation. This Convention in turn came into being due to the global demand for such a process by the Global March Against Child Labour, a physical global march across 103 countries in 1998. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary since the World Day Against Child Labour was first commemorated.
62 child bonded labourers rescued on the eve of World Day Against Child Labour
11 June 2008, New Delhi: 12 June is commemorated as World Day Against Child labour every year. Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) along with the Government of Delhi launched a raid in Ghonda Chowk area and rescued 62 children from zari units. Most of the children were from Motihari and Sitamarhi districts of Bihar.
The narrow lanes, filth ridden atmosphere, the stench in the air greeted the team of Sub-Divisional Magistrate, labour officials, police and BBA activists as they wound their way into the interior by-lanes of Ghonda Chowk It is difficult to imagine that children work in such unhygienic areas. But what was to encounter the team was gorier than this - children in the barest of clothes, in rooms that are not fit to live in, but where they both work and live. Whether it is scorching heat or biting cold, the children toil with their tiny hands on the fixed zari frames for 16-18 hours, with no pay. If they are paid at all, it is a ‘weekly stipend’ of Rs. 30-50. Ask them why they are here and they have a dazed look of exhaustion.
The physical rescue of these children is just one task. The whole world of legalities starts soon after. To get the custody of the children which would mean whether they would go to the shelter home of BBA or produced in front of the CWC who may send the children to BBA’s rehabilitation centre, Mukti Ashram or to a Government shelter home.
Nazir, 7 years old hails from Araria district. A typical case of trafficking for forced labour, he was brought to Delhi by an ‘uncle’ who promised him and his parents that he would come to Delhi to study and to earn some money by working for a few hours everyday. The reality was 16 hour workdays, no breaks at work, physical abuse from the master at the slightest mistake or complaint of tiredness. My knees hurt so much that I can’t stand, due to the continuous sitting posture to do the embroidery work. I wanted a way out of this hell. I am happy now and want to go home and study in a school” says Nazir.
Since Jan 2008, BBA has rescued over 800 child bonded labourers from 7 different states from zari embroidery units, hotels/dhabas, shellac handicrafts industries to mention a few. All these children have received statutory economic rehabilitation of a minimum of Rs. 20,000 each under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976. The total amounts to INR 16,000,000 (INR 16 million). In addition, a fine of Rs 20,000 was collected from the employers for each rescued child.
It is for the very first time that a rescue operation has been conducted on the world day against child labour. The Sub Divisional Magistrate, Seelampur A.K.Sharma said “Upon speaking to the children, we realised that they worked from 8 AM-10 PM in the night and never received any wages for their work. This clearly means that they were bonded labours. Hence, they would be given release certificates under the Bonded Labour Act. This release certificate entitles them to their rehabilitation package of Rs. 20,000, the availing of government schemes like Indira Awas Yojana, housing schemes etc on a priority basis. Most importantly, the children would be enrolled in NCLP schools.
Kailash Satyarthi, the founder of BBA said “The main reason for having conducted the raid on the eve of the World Day Against Child Labour is to show that action is needed to end child labour. Conducting seminars and programmes on this day will not end the problem. It has to be followed up with action. If the police officials, labour officials, the administration and civil society work together and proactively release children from exploitative situations, complete elimination of child labour is not only possible, but also attainable in the near future.” Rakesh Senger, the National Secretary of BBA led the raid.
World Day Against Child Labour is commemorated on 12 June every year to remind humanity of the pledge to abolish child slavery, child trafficking, prostitution of children, and forced and hazardous child labour. This came through the unanimous adoption of an international legislation, the Convention on combating Worst Form of Child Labour under the International Labour Organisation. This Convention in turn came into being due to the global demand for such a process by the Global March Against Child Labour, a physical global march across 103 countries in 1998. Tomorrow is the 10th anniversary of World Day Against Child Labour.
South Asia Regional Congress on Child Labour and Education
World Day Against Child Labour : Education the Right Response to Child Labour
11-13 June 2008
Programme Schedule
12 June 2008, Thursday
09.05 – 09.30 Registration and distribution of Kit
10.00 – 11.00 Inaugural Session (Speaker Hall)
09.45 – 09.50 Welcome to child participants, Hon’ble Guests, Speakers and other delegates
09.50 – 09.55 Om Prakash, International Children’s Peace Prize Winner 2006, Child Activist – Welcome
09.55 – 10.00 Child participant from India
10.00 – 10.15 Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour, Welcome Address
10.15 – 10.20 Child participant from Sri Lanka
10.20 – 10.30 Smt. Manju Hembrom, Member, National Commission for Women – Remarks
10.30 – 10.35 Shri. Anees Jillani, Founder, SPARC, Pakistan – Remarks
10.35 – 10.45 Shri. K Kekulandara, Education Secretary, Sri Lanka – Key note remarks
10.45 – 11.00 Smt. Sheila Dikshit, Chief Minister, Govt. of Delhi – Guest of Honour
11.00 – 11.30 Tea Break
11.30 – 01.30
Working Sessions I: aims at understanding the various voices coming from various stakeholders and forging a common thread of discussion and action
Session I: Children’s Forum: Voices of Hope, Aspiration and Success
(Deputy Chairman Hall)
Session II: Policy Dialogue: Roles and Responsibilities of Civil Society
(Speaker Hall)
Session III: Role of Media and Advocacy
(Board Room)
01.30 – 02.30 Lunch
02.30 – 04.00 Working Sessions II: aims at giving shape and structure to the understanding and points of action through the formulation of a declaration
Session I: Children’s Forum: Voices of Hope, Aspiration and Success
(Deputy Chairman Hall)
Session II: Policy Dialogue: Roles and Responsibilities of Civil Society
(Speaker Hall)
Session III: Role of Media and Advocacy
(Board Room)
04.00 – 04.30 Tea Break
04.30 - 06.00
Valedictory Session: Open Discussion, Presentation of the Declaration (Speaker Hall)
04.30 – 05.00 Open discussion on the Declaration / Outcome document
05.00 – 05.05 Welcome of the Chief Guest Shri Arjun Singh ji and other dignitaries
05.05 – 05.15 Presentation of the declaration
05.10 – 05.20 Justice Anshuman Singh, Former Governor Rajasthan and Gujarat, Chair
05.20 – 05.25 Shri Mohan Jena, Member of Parliament– Remarks
05.25 – 05.30 Ms. Leyla Tegmo-Reddy, Director, ILO SRO - Remarks
05.30 – 05.35 Shri Gauri Pradhan, Commissioner, National Human Rights Commission, Nepal
05.35– 05.55 Shri. Arjun Singh, Minister of Human Resource Development, Chief Guest
05. 55 – 06.00 Shri. Ravi Prakash Verma, Member of Parliament; Convenor, Parliamentary Forum on Education – Vote of Thanks
Venue: Constitution Club, Vithalbhai Patel House, Opp. Shram Shakti Bhawan, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg, New Delhi
Background and rationale
One in seven children is a child labourer: that's nearly 14 per cent of the children in the age group 5-14 years.
One in five children do not go to school – this is nearly 18 per cent of the children in the age group (primary school).
Most of them (57 percent) were girls! Huge numbers of them work as child labourers.
Child labour is a critical obstacle in the path of children's development and society's sustainable development. Children who must spend the most important stage of their lives striving merely to survive are denied the opportunity to develop to their full potential. One in every eight children 5 to 17 years old - 179 million - work in the worst forms of child labour. There are around 300,000 child soldiers involved in over 30 areas of conflict worldwide, some younger than 10 years old. In the 21st century as bonded or forced labour with more than 12.3 million forced labour victims worldwide out of which 2.4 are victims of trafficking, according to ILO’s Global Alliance Against Forced Labour Report.
South Asia
The vast majority of the world's slaves are in South Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal.
Millions of children in India are given up by their families into virtual slavery as domestic workers.
Despite a ban on employing children under 14, India's labour ministry recently said there are 12.6 million children aged between 5 and 14 working, the largest number of child labourers in the world.
In the recent progress reports on the Millennium Development Goals (MDG’s) and the Education For All (EFA) targets have identified that child labour is the major obstacle to access to education. The 2007 EFA Global Monitoring Report indicated that 77 million primary age children are still not enrolled in school and many countries risk not achieving the 2015 target. The Report stated that “Education for all requires an inclusive approach that emphasizes the need to reach groups that might not otherwise have access to education and learning” it called for policies aimed at “reaching the unreached including the policies to overcome the need for child labour”.
The Global March firmly believes that ending the economic exploitation of children can only be possible when free, compulsory and quality education is assured for all children regardless of gender, race, religion, and social or economic status. The elimination of child labour and education for all are two sides of one coin. One cannot be achieved without provision for the other. With governments, international agencies and civil society committing not to let education for all fail due to lack of funds, the elimination of child labour becomes a realistic goal. All stakeholders must take this inseparable relationship into account in their policymaking, law enforcement, budgetary measures and developmental aid in order for all children to enjoy their childhood with books, and not with tools and labour.
The theme for this year’s World Day Against Child Labour is rightfully “Education is the Right Response to Child Labour”. Education, as has been amply demonstrated, is the only approach that should be adopted by all the stakeholders and social leaders to end exploitation of children.
The World Day Against Child Labour has a huge significance for the Global March movement; the voice of the global marchers was heard and reflected in the draft of the ILO Convention 182 against the worst forms of child labour. The following year in 1999, the Convention was unanimously adopted at the ILO Conference in Geneva on 12 June, and later marked as the World Day Against Child Labour commemorating the voices of millions of children around the world demanding an end to child labour and all forms of exploitation of children.
Child Participation is at the core of Global March vision and action. Global March believes that children are subjects of rights, rather than merely recipients of adult protection, and that those rights demand that children themselves are entitled to be heard. This is further reinforced by ILO Recommendation 190 on the implementation of ILO Convention 182 (concerning the Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labour) which states: The programmes of action referred to in Article 6 of the Convention should be designed and implemented as a matter of urgency, in consultation with relevant government institutions and employers' and workers' organizations, taking into consideration the views of the children directly affected by the worst forms of child labour, their families and, as appropriate, other concerned groups...”
The best way the children can truly learn that they have rights and come to believe in them through the process of acting on them. Having a voice about their rights is therefore essential to push for their fulfilment.
Objectives: South Asia Regional Congress on Child Labour and Education aims to
Visibility and Advocacy: on the issues of child labour and education in the South Asia region amongst main stakeholder groups such as policy makers, government agencies, bilateral and multilateral agencies, academia, workers associations, corporations, children’s groups and representations, media and other civil society groups
Promote Child Participation – and genuine representation of children’s voices and demands at the regional policy forum
Knowledge Sharing – on various facets of child labour, worst forms, education strategies, corporate social strategies, etc.
