By IANS,
New Delhi : India’s apex child protection agency and Unicef Tuesday called for reforms and review of existing anti-child labour legislations and policies in the country.
“We call for review of existing anti-child labour legislation and policies and adapting them to the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 (RTE) and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000,” the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) declared in a joint statement here.
The statement was released at a function organised by NCPCR on World Anti-Child Labour Day here.
The labour ministry has given a new set of recommendations aiming to make the existing anti-child labour law in tune with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
While the current Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 allows employment of children of 14 years of age in industries that are not categorised “hazardous”, the reform seeks complete ban on any form of child labour.
“We also call for universalisation of secondary education for all children in the age of 14-18 years,” the statement added.
Shanta Sinha, NCPCR chief, said other than the reforms, the country also needs the “right atmosphere in schools” to make education lucrative for children and reduce drop-out rate.
“To get an adolescent child to school, away from work, we have to create the right kind of atmosphere also. Schools need to be more student-friendly and environment in compliance with RTE,” Sinha said.