The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a scheme for the education of child labourers in the state on World Day Against Child Labour observed on June 12.
Launching the scheme at his official residence on Friday morning, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath described it as ‘unique’ for it recognises the fact that children are often pushed to work because of their family conditions.
Under the scheme, boys will be given Rs 1,000 a month and girls Rs 1,200 so that their family expenses can be met while they pursue their education. For children in classes 8, 9 and 10, an additional sum of Rs 6,000 per year will be provided.
In the first phase, the scheme will cover 2,000 children identified in 57 districts of the state which report the greatest numbers of child labourers. It will extend to children who are extremely vulnerable to being pushed to work, including orphans, children whose parents are unable to work due to disability or disease and children in families that do not own any land.
Speaking at its launch, Adityanath said, “The state’s labour department will take the upkeep of their (child labourer’s) family on itself. Labourers are very self-respecting. It is the state’s responsibility to give them a new life.”
He also mentioned that 18 residential schools, named after the former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, shall soon come up in the state’s 18 commissionaries to provide education and skill development to the children of labourers.
At a webinar organized by the not for profit Action Aid on the need to protect children from child labour during the pandemic, Khalid Chaudhary, Associate Director said children were highly vulnerable to being pushed to work and being trafficked, as their parents lose work during the pandemic.
“Child labour is a complex issue with economic, social and cultural implications. It needs continuous monitoring now more than ever,” Chaudhary said.
Around 32 lakh migrants have returned to the state since the start of the lockdown. Among these, 22 lakh are dependents, including women and children who are among the most vulnerable to any natural or man-made crisis. In addition, more underage girls are at risk of getting married as family incomes shrink.
Vinod Chandra, Associate Professor of Sociology at a Lucknow based college said that it was of huge concern that the Child Helpline, 1098, had not released data after April 15 on the number of calls it had received from children in a situation of distress. “Two months have gone by and if we calculate on the basis of the number of calls that the helpline had received in the first 21 days of the lockdown, there could be 20-25 lakh children in vulnerable conditions at the moment.”
“We need to identify and map child labourers, provide social rehabilitation with functional literacy and skill training; and set up an economic fund to support them,” Chandra said.
Sangeeta Sharma, member of the Child Welfare Committee said that while this was a period of crisis, it also offered a ‘golden opportunity’ to prevent child labour. “This is the time to re-activate all such committees, starting with the Village Child Protection units, which have been non-functional,” she said.
Preeti Verma, member of the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights said, “The village vigilance committees which are charged with keeping an eye on migrants must integrate the issues of women and children in their functioning.”
According to 2011 Census, the country has 1.01 crore children working in often risky industries such as brick kilns. The largest numbers are reported from Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
