Sources have stated that the Union Labour Ministry to bring in certain amendments to the Child Labour Act, 1986 and to allow children below 14 years of age to ‘help’ in family enterprises, activists demand that the government should not pass the bill in Parliament and in the run up to Anti Child Labour Day on Sunday, activists made it the focus of their campaigns this year.
The Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya had said the proposed amendment has only permitted ‘help’ and not ‘employment’ in family or family enterprise and he has added that the family enterprise should be carried on by the members of the child’s family only and should not involve hazardous process.
Vidyasagar formerly Child Protection Specialist with United Nations Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) has told that most of the fields like beedi rolling, matchbox making, where child labour is prevalent, are managed by family elders and children are involved in work. Even now, most of the children are not going to industries, but remain workers in their homes. The proposed amendment would only worsen the situation.
Meanwhile the National Domestic Workers Movement’s (NDWM) State Convener Valarmathi has stated that children of domestic workers were the most affected, since mothers of these children are involved in domestic work, these children are encouraged to help their mothers and so, technically they will be helping their mothers, but child labour practically.
