By IANS
New Delhi : The sixth World Day Against Child Labour will be observed Tuesday, drawing the world's attention to the scourge of child labour – the social evil that is spreading its tentacles deep into society.
In India, the day comes in the backdrop of some worrying statistics that there are more than 12.6 million child labourers nationwide, with Uttar Pradesh topping the list with 1,927,997 of them.
Andhra Pradesh and Bihar are next with 1,363,339 and 1,117,500 children respectively, working below the legal age of 14.
Minister of State for Labour and Employment Oscar Fernandes says 27,235 child labourers were rescued in 2006-07 and put in mainstream schools, yet a large number of kids still toil away in various corners of the country.
"Child labour can and will be eradicated. We have to nurture the belief that child labour can be eradicated from the world and it will be," says Kailash Satyarthi of Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA of Save the Child Movement).
"There is lack of political will in India in tackling this problem effectively. We keep saying that children are our future but the number of child labourers is still very high," says the noted civil society activist.
"About three decades back, South Korea had a lot of child labourers but today they have managed to bring the numbers down tremendously," says the patron of the movement that is among several organisations putting the heads and hearts together to eradicate the social menace.
Globally, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) started observing June 12 as World Day Against Child Labour in 2002 at Geneva to draw attention towards the millions of children who often work under inhumane and dangerous conditions.
On the occasion, the organisation holds campaigns against child labour, sends out testimonies from former child labourers, and holds performances and activities by and for children.
In India, while Satyarthi group is holding rallies against child labour in Madhya Pradesh and Bihar Tuesday, their volunteers in New Delhi will take part in the campaigns against the same issue organised by the Delhi government.
Katha, another voluntary group here, sees the problem from a different outlook. By organising mobile school vans, which carry books, computers and teachers to traffic signals and other areas where street children work, the group actually brings the school to the children.
"Sometimes these children who work on the roads are the only bread earners of their families. Hence, their parents would not let them leave their work to go to school," says Parvinder Kaur, director of the programme.
"This initiative enables them to work but also study for three hours everyday."
The Indian government has prohibited the employment of children below the age of 14 years in 15 hazardous Occupations and 57 processes under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986.
Yet, more than 20,000 prosecutions had to be launched against violators during the last three years in various states and union territories, says a statement released Tuesday by the ministry for labour and employment.
Fernandes says his ministry and the US Department of Labour have been working on a common project called Indus to eliminate the social menace in 21 districts of five states through effective support from the department of education.
This effort, he assures, will be replicated in other parts of the country.
When the children's nimble fingers scrub oil from vessels or sweep the floor, stitch in embroidery units or mould glass bangles, the light of hope starts fading, say some leaders of civil society.
"Fierce determination, wholehearted participation, a motivated political will and passion are required to tackle and eradicate this social evil."