Despite of the Supreme Court order enjoining the employing of children as labourers, the labour department of Aligarh and the district administration have failed to take effectual steps to impose a ban on child labour in various lock and hardware units of the district.
There are about 6,000 lock manufacturing units functioning as semi organised and tiny groups in the industrial sector and Muslim populated areas here.
According to a survey conducted by a NGO Tb eradication committee( chah rog nivaran samiti) with the help of nagar nigam, of one lakh workers employed in these units, nearly 30,000 are children.
The Uttar Pradesh Government, after the Supreme Court directions, against the use of child as labour, enacted a law which provides for a fine of Rs 20,000 and criminal proceeding in respect of each child found engaged as a labourer. But due to the negligience of district administration and the labour department, thousands of children still sacrifice their childhood working as labours in the lock industry.
According to a detailed survey, it has been found that the children are made to do all sort of works in these units whether it is plate cutting, body drilling, manufacturing, casting, lock fitting , designing or electroplating.
About 1000 children are employed in plate cutting, 1500 in body drilling, 1500 in manufacturing, 2000 in casting, 2500 in lock fitting process, 1600 in washing of locks, 2,500 in key manufacturing, 1600 in designing of locks, 5,000 in electroplating polish, 4500 in packing and 2500 in other related processes.
Undoubtedly, the health of such children is pathetic and degrading as they are engaged ind close rooms, working without gloves and prone to severe hazardous diseases.Dr. Rubeena Rathi , president of the chah rog nivaram samiti and a respiratory diease specialist told pioneer that “these children who are working in such units are prone to many hazardous and non hazardous diseases as they are working in close rooms with no ventilation and are engaged in a hazardous process such as electroplating and polishing. Most of the children are suffering from Asthma, tb and skin diseases”.
These children ( approximately aged between 8 to 14) are totally deprived of education. Even though 40 schools were setup for such children with the help of UNICEF and the ministry of labour, central government under the name of National Child Labour Project(NCLP) but these children do not get the benefit as these schools are for children other than child labour and also they don't get time to go for any sort of education.
Mohd Kafeel, the father of a child labour , told that “children are sent to such units to earn their livelihood due to poverty and financial crisis”.
Rafeeq Ahmad, a child labour of lock factory told Pioneer that “he is the third generation to be working in this industry. Even after having a basic education, he had to work in factory just to earn his livelihood. Knowing his condition that he is need of money, the factory owner harasses him by not giving full salary and making him work even harder”.
In this context Dr BrajMohan Sharma, assistant labour comissioner, Aligarh told Pioneer that “process of eradication of child labour is being continuously done and many children have been rescued from the lock units in past few years. There have been 40 schools established for the welfare of child labour in which 2000 children are studying so that the child labour can also outstand in the mainstream”.
The Supreme Court ruling has been given a go- by in Aligarh district as the district administration and the labpur department are not really looking into this matter and risking the life of thousands of children who are sacrificing their childhood and their health for the sake of earning the livelihood for family.