It’s never too late to enjoy your future.

    William Blake wrote “London”  after seeing the plight of chimney sweepers in that city but today the chimney sweepers are found in Chennai, the ones we rarely notice, the children working in the kitchen of a Dhabba ,washing  cars or working in industries for over 13 hrs a day , the city had  reported 5192 child labourers  last year .Under the national child labour project (NCLP), the corporation of Chennai , raided 57areas and rescued 167 children all of whom are now in rehabilitation . Although the government is trying it’s best but its private schools like The  Olcott memorial school , with zero drop out rate, free education ,training and  a deep teacher student relationship . The Principal , Mrs Lakshmi Suryanarayanan , said that. “that the issue of child labourers has lack of understanding ,the problem does not get solved by merely sending the child to the school, there is a bigger task which lays ahead “. Her concerns about the students range from the hygiene conditions to their domestic chores which left them too exhausted to study .  Under the  article 37 of the Indian panel law children under 14 years of age are  to compulsorily  be enrolled in schools and not work even as domestic labourers. The violation of which can lead upto 20,000 Rs and upto 6 yrs of imprisonment. But the issue is not just of punishing the culprit but of rehabilitating the victim.

N.C.L.P	No. of children	N.G.O	Society	Total	NO. of children mainstreamed in formal schools
2005-06	926	16	4	20	738
2006-07	819	18	2	20	685(till now)

(the number of child labours rehabilitated , courtesy:  Chennai Cooperatiom)The NCLP  provides non formal as well as formal education to the children that are rescued from the raids ,there is also a vocational training to empower the children so that after growing they are skilled enough to sustain them selves . The ministry gives Rs. 5/- per person per day for nutritional supplements and a stipend of of Rs. 100/-per month , also keeping a  check on the health care facilities. But the web of child labourers  is more complex, the poverty driven children and the uneducated parents, don’t realize the psychological implications and the health hazards that the children later suffer the inevitable consequences are bound to create greater social problems. Need of the hour os for the ordinary man to step up and reform his contribution to this evil, the rest will fall in place .Deepak Chopra says ,”There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in.” lets open the door.

Tags: child labour, India