Alarmed by a survey ordered by State Information Commissioner Hafiz Usman, the labour department has initiated strict measures to curb child labour practice in the state. Besides directing to recruit parents of the children, instructions have been given to ensure education to children in schools. All divisional commissioners are directed to start a drive to curb child labour in their jurisdictions and take steps for rehabilitation.
The SIC said on Tuesday that Principal Secretary, labour, has directed Commissioners to identify child labourers and provide lists to all Basic Siksha Adhikari (BSA) so that the parents could be convinced to get their children enrolled in government schools.
Hafiz Usman said that the DMs had been directed to ensure that parents got some job as per their qualification and ability and the employer should not exploit their situation by paying less. “Since the survey showed that the majority of child labourers in west UP were from the minority community, I recommended that madarsas be opened in the area and upgrade existing ones for imparting education to less fortunate children. I have also directed that focus should be on making children technically sound so that they could make it their profession and live a decent life.” said the SIC.
Earlier on November 14, The Pioneer carried a report on how a recent study on child labour in Amroha on the SIC’s direction pointed towards a large number of kids working as domestic helps and labourers to win their bread. The survey indicated the problem needed urgent redressal. “The high dropout rates in schools create a continual supply of potential child labourers who are exploited by employers with impunity,” it added. After interacting with agencies concerned, the surveyors concluded that if government policies remained unchanged, there were little chance of checking the growing menace of child labour in the country.