I happened to watch a documentary film titled “Children now”. It depicted the vulnerable condition of the children at their workplace. I was deeply touched to see Pyaari; a small girl aged nine, hiding herself to avoid the owners of the factory. She wanted to enjoy the fun and freedom which is the birth right of every child. It is true about all other working children.
They have to rise in the morning. They have to work day and night in most inhuman and unhygienic conditions. They have to work in dim light. They are hardly provided any nutrious food. They are physically tortured, and some times sexually abused. They are usually employed to work in homes, restrauants and factories.
According to UNICEF,there are an estimated 250 million children aged 5 to 14 in child labour worldwide, excluding child domestic labour. Though the government has passed laws, child labor continues and, whether we like it or not, it will continue. As long as there is want and poverty, people living below poverty line will continue to seek employment for their children to supplement their children to supplement their family income. We should rather try to improve their working conditions. It should be made mandatory not to employ children below 14 years.
There should be vigilance on the wages paid to them. A high-level committee should be constituted to deliberate on the issue of child labor.
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The author is an executive member of the webteam for www.developmentchannel.org
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