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Imminent Work Ban
A Ray of Hope for Child Laborers
by Ranjan K. Panda
Chhatrapur (Orissa), Dec 31 (IANS) The Orissa government has set up
a ministerial committee headed by Chief Minister Navin Patnaik to
study child labor problems and look into rehabilitation aspects.
The panel comprises ministers for women and child welfare, school
and mass education, and Panchayati Raj, said Secretary and
Commissioner Benudhar Mishra of the labor department.
"The panel was formed in the wake of the central government ban on
employment of workers below 14 years in 'dhabas' (roadside
eateries), restaurants, hotels, motels, resorts, spas or other
recreational centers or as domestic helps," Mishra told Grassroots
Features.
The panel will send its officials to Maharashtra and Karnataka and
evaluate steps taken by those states after the ban, he added. The
officials would submit a report to the government in 10 days. The
government is putting emphasis on rehabilitation part as the main
concern before it is to help the children who have lost their jobs
after the ban. It has also decided to build transit homes in 30
districts, he added.
The state government estimates there are about 215,000 child
laborers while the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) put the
figure over 4 million. The NGOs say understanding the reality and
making the curb action realistic will only help to check the menace.
The act of brutality on a five-year-old girl sends shivers down the
spine. Sushmita was rescued from the clutches of a Delhi couple. The
child was employed as a domestic help on promise of education and
good life. But the employers made her to lead a dog's life.
"There was only work and no pleasure. I wanted to go back to my
mother and after listening that they became angry," she said.
"They put salt and chilli powder in my eyes, mouth and private
parts. They locked me up in a room and made me starve for two days.
They branded me with a red hot iron rod and even slashed my thigh
with a knife," the child recounted.
Maheswar Singh, her employer, however denied the charges.
"We treated her like our own child. She fled with Rs.5,000," Singh
said.
Kuni Dalei, Sushmita's mother, said: "The employers offered us
Rs.100,000 to keep mum. Even they allegedly bribed the police not to
lodge a first information report (FIR). It was only after some TV
reporters came to know about the incident and interviewed us then
the police registered a complaint."
Chief Minister Navin Patnaik termed it as an "unfortunate incident"
and said the police were looking into the matter. Abandoned by her
husband, Kuni used to work as a domestic help in Maheswar Singh's
village house.
"I lost hope for my future but did not want the same for my only
daughter. So I agreed to Maheswar's offer to take my child to Delhi
for household works," Kuni said.
Orissa has the highest number of people living below the poverty
line (47.15 percent), followed by Bihar (42.60 percent) and Assam
(36.09 percent).
If poverty is not tackled, Sushmita and others will fall into the
similar traps and the vicious cycle will continue.
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