INTRODUCTION OF NGO

Organization profile

Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO), more commonly known as

BOSCO is a project of the Salesians of Don BOSCO (SDB). BOSCO is a

registered Non Profitable Charitable Organization under the Society's

registration Act of 1960 (No.184/86-87). Constituted in 1980, we offer service

to the Young at Risk like - children living on the streets, child labourers,

abandoned / orphaned children, victims of drug abuse, victims of child abuse,

begging children, rag pickers etc. Now, BOSCO has spread its wings across the

city of Bangalore through 7 rehabilitation centres & 6 street presence locations.

History & Origins

Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO) is a voluntary organization working with

street and working children in Bangalore city for the last thirty years, we derive our

inspiration from BOSCO the priest Don Bosco of Turin (1815 - 1888), an

educationalist who worked tirelessly for the betterment of destitute and needy youth

who lived on the streets during his lifetime.

Bosco Mane

This centre acts as a halfway home to street children below 15 years who are

persuaded to come away from the streets. At this centre, boys enjoy maternal/paternal

care, affection, concern and true fellowship. Some of the them are referred to other

institutions for formal education while others attend training in carpentry, welding,

two wheeler repairs, tailoring, electrical and bookbinding. At present there are about

80 boys residing in the centre. Besides, Mane serves as a convalescing centre from

1986 for the sick boys from the areas that require special care.

The major services of the centre

Child & Family Counselling

Enrolment into Formal Education

Awareness on Health & Hygiene

Recreational Activities

Home Integration and Repatriation

CHILDLINE

Special Juvenile Police Unit (SJPU)

Children’s Day Celebration

Craft Works

Value Imparting Programs

Orientation Programs

Various Religions Celebration

Working Strategies of BOSCO

1. At the level of young at risk

2. At the level of community and Society

Target Groups of BOSCO

1. Unaccompanied Children living on streets

2.Children who do labour

3. Abandoned / Orphaned Children

4. Runaway / Missing children

5. Victims of Substance Abuse

6. Victims of Child Abuse / Violence / exploitation

7. Children who do begging

8. Children who do Rag Picking

9. Children whose Rights are violated

Services

Counseling

Every child who enters BOSCO would undergo Counseling. They provide two

types of counselling: Initial counseling and Intensive counseling. The intensive

counselling will take a week long. The details of the child are revealed through

the initial counseling. Their professional counsellors, who would in the process

identify the real problems of the child and help him to transform his attitudes

towards life. The intensive counselling includes recreational and motivational

therapy as well. At the end of the counselling the child is either reinstated into

his family or placed in one of its centres for rehabilitation. In some exceptional

cases the child is referred to other care institutions.

Home Placement

Home placement finds its core importance among all our activities. BOSCO

believes that the Child belongs to his/her home and that is where the children

can grow up best. Reinstating the children back in their homes at the earliest

after rehabilitation is the goal that BOSCO pursues with intent. During the

intervention time BOSCO absorbs them in the interim for a period that may be

necessary and which depends on the specific needs of the individual. The

counseling services in this direction and the formative measures undertaken are

focused on enabling and empowering the individual child to reintegrate them

back into their families or societies.

Tracing Missing Children

BOSCO is the nodal agency for the state for the missing child bureau as per the

proceeding of Government of Karnataka. This decision has come with the

efforts of BOSCO in ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000 and the corresponding

Amendment Act (2006). The Act envisages that the State Government shall set

up a Missing Children’s Bureau to document and publicize information relating

to Missing Children with the co-operation and collabouration of a child welfare

voluntary organization and District Police Station.

Education

Most of the children stop their education after their initial schooling. The reason

behind this scenario is that economic instability. BOSCO intends to support

these children for their higher education in different trades with the help of well

wishers and like minded people who could support these children to puruse the

education further.

Vocational Training

Vocational training coupled with Non-Formal Education is provided to those

children above 14 years of age, who show too much resistance towards formal

education. This is because many children from poor families find earning

money as a better alternative compared to going to schools. Therefore we try to

provide them with this option at least to help them lead a better and more

responsible life. The vocational training includes welding, carpentry, two-

wheeler mechanism, computer training, tailoring etc. However, in the process

whenever we discover that a child has developed interest in formal education,

we help him to make a switch.

Job Placement

After completing the vocational training, we place these children in different job

setting according to their qualification. This will help them to construct their

future, by making them to find out their bread from their sweat.

Room Placement

Room placement for older boys nearing the age of 18 years is an activity to help

them become independent. The job placed boys are assisted in procuring a

separate rented room outside BOSCO’s residential facility. Around 3-4 boys

live together in a room, they pay the rent jointly and stay together as a family

with bonding.

Advocacy

Legal intervention on behalf of victimized children is one of our chief activity.

We intervene in cases where children are abused / unjustly treated by employers

or exploited by traffickers and send petitions on behalf of the children to Child

Welfare Committee (CWC).

Health Care

Giving better medical service to the children is one of our major concerns. It is

our primary responsibility to look after the children until they are reintegrated

with their families. We facilitate proper treatment for sick children and also

conduct medical camps from time to time.

Personality Enhancement

Personality Enhancement has a vital aspect among our services. Such measures

help to develop positive attitudes in life, facilitate growth in resilience,

recognize and understand the personalities and bring awareness of hazards that

adversely affect the physical health.

Child Labour Eradication

Child labour is a serious and extensive problem, with many children under the

age of fourteen working in hazardous situation. Child labour has been identified

as harmful and hazardous to the child’s development needs, both mental and

physical. BOSCO through its Child Labour project aims at the termination of

child labour gradually and to ensure the change in mindset of these innocent

kids to get in to normal and dignified life.

HIV/AIDS Awareness

HIV/AIDS is considered as the dreadful disease of this century. It is also

spreading at an alarming rate. Being ranked second in case of HIV/AIDs

patients, India is on the path to reach the top spot. This is mainly due to the

unawareness among the people. As a remedy to this, we organize plenty of

awareness programs in order to make young people on the streets to be aware

about HIV/AIDS and its transmission.

National Research and Documentation (NRD)

It is one of the important elements of BOSCO’s activities aimed at providing for

building a strong intellectual base essential for the kind of work it is involved

in. NRD plays an indispensable role of adding intellectual and critical substance

to the programs and activities of BOSCO and discerning its mission in the

context of changing circumstances, emerging realities and policy environment

that affect and influence its target groups and areas. NRD highlights BOSCO’s

experience as an inspiration to others to serve

Who is a Child?  

Defining what age a person is or ceases to be a child is a constant debate in

the India. The Census of India considers children to be any person below the

age of 14, as do most government programmes. Biologically childhood is the

stage between infancy and adulthood. According to the UNCRC'a child

means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the

law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier'. This definition of

child allows for individual countries to determine according to the own

discretion the age limits of a child in their own laws. But in India various

laws related to children define children in different age limits.

The Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860 finds that no child below the age of seven

may be held criminally responsible for an action (Sec 82 IPC). In case of

mental disability or inability to understand the consequences of one's actions

the criminal responsibility age is raised to twelve years (Sec 83 IPC). A girl

must be of at least sixteen years in order to give sexual consent, unless she is

married, in which case the prescribed age is no less that fifteen. With regard

to protection against kidnapping, abduction and related offenses the given

age is sixteen for boys and eighteen for girls.

According to Article 21 (a) of the Indian Constitution all children between

the ages of six to fourteen should be provided with free and compulsory

education. Article 45 states that the state should provide early childhood care

and education to all children below the age of six. Lastly Article 51(k) states

the parents/guardians of the children between the ages of six and fourteen

should provide them with opportunities for education.

.

Child labour was employed to varying extents through most of history. Before

1940, numerous children aged 5–14 worked in Europe, the United States and

various colonies of European powers. These children worked in agriculture,

home-based assembly operations, factories, mining and in services such

as newsies. Some worked night shifts lasting 12 hours. With the rise of

household income, availability of schools and passage of child labour laws, the

incidence rates of child labour fell.

In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities,

child labour is still prevalent. In 2010, sub-saharan Africa had the highest

incidence rates of child labour, with several African nations witnessing over 50

percent of children aged 5–14 working. Worldwide agriculture is the largest

employer of child labour. Vast majority of child labour is found in rural settings

and informal urban economy; children are predominantly employed by their

parents, rather than factories. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the

primary cause of child labour.

Across the world, millions of children do extremely hazardous work in harmful

conditions, that prevents them from getting an education or is harmful to their

health or to their physical, mental, or social development. Every day, an

estimated 215 million boys and girls work as child labourers, in the farms,

fields, factories, homes, streets and battlefields. They face hunger, hard work ,

ill-health and poverty.

According  to  International  Labour  Organization  (ILO)  Convention No. 182,

“the worst forms of child labour” include:

All  forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and

trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom, and forced or

compulsory labour, including forced  or compulsory recruitment of

children for use  in armed conflict;

The  use, procuring, or offering of a child for prostitution, for the

production of pornography, or for pornographic performances;

The  use, procuring, or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular

for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant

international treaties;

Work which, by its nature or the circumstances  in which it is carried out,

is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

At least 2 million children are trafficked annually for child labour and sexual

exploitation. Most child labourers are in the informal economic sector, where

they are not protected by laws and regulations. The worst forms of child labour

are illegal and must be eradicated immediately.

Child labour involves at least one of the following characteristics:

Violates a nation’s minimum age laws

Threatens children’s physical, mental, or emotional well-being

Involves intolerable abuse, such as child slavery, child trafficking, debt

bondage, forced labour, or illicit activities

Prevents children from going to school

Uses children to undermine labour standards

Where does most child labour occur?

Of an estimated 215 child labourers around the globe: approximately 114

million (53%) are in Asia and the Pacific; 14 million (7%) live in Latin

America; and 65 million (30%) live in sub-Saharan Africa.

CHILDREN IN INDIA

Assuming that a child is any person below the age of eighteen let us exam the

demographic state of children in India.  The total Population of India as

recorded by UNICEF in 2008 is 1181412000 (1.18 Billion).

Indicator Total Urban Rural

Child population

 

446960000

(446.96 Million)

37.83% of the total population

 

129618400

(129.6184 Million)

317341600

(317.3416 Million)

Child population below 5 years old

 

126642000

(126.642 Million)

10.72% of the total population

 

36726180

(36.73 Million)

89915820

(89.92 Million)

 

Child population 5-18 years old

 

 

320318000

(320.318 Million)

92892220

(92.89 Million)

227425780

(227.43 Million)

 

Population below international poverty line of US $ 1.25 per day

(42% in 2008)

187723200

(187.7232 Million)

- -

CIF estimates 40% of Children are marginalized due to poverty, labour, abuse, disability, malnutrition,conflicts, disasters , displacement, illiteracy, abandoned, etc

(2006)

178784000

(178.784 Million)- -

Child Labour in India

India continues to host the largest number of child labourers in the world today.

According to the Census 2001, there were 12.7 million economically active

children in the age-group of 5-14 years. The number was 11. 3 million during

1991 (Population Census) thus showing an increase in the number of child

labourers. Workers in general are classified into main and marginal workers1 by

the population census. Census data shows that there is a decline in the absolute

number as well the percentage of children (5-14) to total population in that age

group, classified as main workers from 4.3 percent in 1991 to 2.3 percent in

2001. But there was a substantial increase in marginal workers in every

category of worker irrespective of sex and residence. As a result, despite the

number of main workers declining from 9.08 million in 1991 to 5.78 million in

2001, the total number of children in the work force increased. A large part of

the increase was accounted for by the increase in marginal workers, which

increased from 2.2 million in 1991 to 6.89 million in 2001. The trends between

1991 and 2001 of declining main child workers along with increasing marginal

workers may indicate the changing nature of work done by children. This is also

to be seen in the context of decelerating employment growth in general in the

economy during the last decade.

Poverty and lack of social security are the main causes of child labour. The

increasing gap between the rich and the poor, privatization of basic services and

the neo-liberal economic policies are causes major sections of the population

out of employment and without basic needs. This adversely affects children

more than any other group. Entry of multi-national corporations into industry

without proper mechanisms to hold them accountable has lead to the use of

child labour. Lack of quality universal education has also contributed to

children dropping out of school and entering the labour force. A major concern

is that the actual number of child labourers goes un-detected. Laws that are

meant to protect children from hazardous labour are ineffective and not

implemented correctly.

A growing phenomenon is using children as domestic workers in urban areas.

The conditions in which children work is completely unregulated and they are

often made to work without food, and very low wages, resembling situations of

slavery. There are cases of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of child

domestic workers. The argument for domestic work is often that families have

placed their children in these homes for care and employment. There has been a

recent notification by the Ministry of Labour making child domestic work as

well as employment of children in dhabas, tea stalls and restaurants "hazardous"

occupations.

The following are some of the situations in which children are engaged in work:

Agriculture- Children working long hours and under severe hardships on the

fields. They are also exposed to the hazards of working with modern machinery

and chemicals.

Hazardous Industries/ Occupations- Like glass making, mining ,

construction , carpet weaving, zari making, fireworks and others as listed under

the Child Labour Act.

Small industrial workshops and service establishments.

On the streets- Rag pickers , porters ,vendors etc.

Domestic work- Largely invisible and silent and hence face higher degree of

exploitation and abuse in the home

Magnitude of Child Labour across States

There is across the board decline in the incidence of child labour in the Southern

and Western Indian States and UTs between 1991 and 2001. However, there has

been an increasing trend in the Eastern and North Indian States and UTs. While

the Kerala and Tamil Nadu stories are well known, it is heartening to see that

the state of Andhra Pradesh, that had a dubious distinction of having the largest

child labour force in the country, shows very remarkable reduction in work-

force participation, along with a dramatic increase in the enrolment of children

in school. Surprising is the case of Himachal Pradesh, which has shown

significant increases in school attendance and in literacy levels.2 However,

there is a dramatic increase in the percentage of children in the age-group 5-14

years who are classified as workers, both main and marginal

CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR

Child labour persists even though laws and standards to eliminate it exist.

Current causes of global child labour are similar to its causes in the U.S. 100

years ago, including poverty, limited access to education, repression of workers’

rights, and limited prohibitions on child labour.

Poverty and unemployment levels are high.

Poor children and their families may rely upon child labour in order to

improve their chances of attaining basic necessities. More than one-fourth of the

world's people live in extreme poverty, according to 2005 U.N. statistics. The

intensified poverty in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America causes many

children there to become child labourers.

Access to compulsory, free education is limited.

In 2006, approximately 75 million children were not in school, limiting future

opportunities for the children and their communities. A 2009 report by the

United Nations estimated that achieving universal education for the world's

children would cost $10-30 billion -- about 0.7% - 2.0% of the annual cost of

global military spending.

Existing laws or codes of conduct are often violated.

Even when laws or codes of conduct exist, they are often violated. For

example, the manufacture and export of products often involves multiple layers

of production and outsourcing, which can make it difficult to monitor who is

performing labour at each step of the process. Extensive subcontracting can

intentionally or unintentionally hide the use of child labour.

Constitutional provisions for children in India

Several provisions in the Constitution of India impose on the State the primary

responsibility of ensuring that all the needs of children are met and that their

basic human rights are fully protected. Children enjoy equal rights as adults as

per Article 14 of the Constitution. Article 15(3) empowers the State to make

special provisions for children. Article 21 A of the Constitution of India directs

the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children within the

ages of 6 and 14 in such manner as the State may by law determine. Article 23

prohibits trafficking of Human beings and forced labour. Article 24 on

prohibition of the employment of children in factories etc, explicitly prevents

children below the age of 14 years from being employed to work in any factory,

mine or any other hazardous form of employment. Article 39(f) directs the State

to ensure that children are given equal opportunities and facilities to develop in

a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and guaranteed

protection of childhood and youth against moral and material abandonment.

Article 45 of the Constitution specifies that the State shall endeavour to provide

early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age

of 6 years. Article 51A clause (k) lays down a duty that parents or guardians

provide opportunities for education to their child/ward between the age of 6 and

14 years. Article 243 G read with schedule-11 provides for institutionalizing

child care to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living, as well as to

improve public health and monitor the development and well being of children

in the Country.

Union laws guaranteeing Rights and entitlement to Children

A fairly comprehensive legal regime exists in India to protect the rights of

Children as encompassed in the Country’s Constitution. The age at which a

person ceases to be a child varies under different laws in India. Under the Child

Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986, a child is a person who has not

completed 14 years of age. For the purposes of criminal responsibility, the age

limit is 7 (not punishable) and above 7 years to 12 years punishable on the proof

that the child understands the consequences of the act, under the Indian Penal

Code. For purposes of protection against kidnapping, abduction and related

offences, it’s 16 years for boys and 18 for girls. For special treatment under the

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2011, the age is 18 for

both boys and girls. And the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act

2005 defines a child as any person below the age of 18, and includes an adopted

step- or foster child.

Important Union laws Guaranteeing Rights and Entitlement to Children

1. The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890

2. The Reformatory Schools Act,1897

3. The prohibition of Child Marriage Act,2006

4. The Apprentices Act, 1961

5. The Children (Pledging of Laour) Act, 1933.

6. The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956

7. The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Ac, 1956

8. The Immoral Traffic prevention Act, 1956

9. The Women’s and Children’s Institutions (Licensing) Act, 1956

10. The Young Person’s harmful Publication’s Act, 1956

11. The Probation of Offender’s Act, 1958

12. Orphanages and Other Charitable Homes (Supervision and Control) Act,

1960

13. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

14. The Juvenile Justice ( Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, repealed

the Juvenile

Justice Act 1986. The 2000 act also has been amended in 2006 and 2010.

15. The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation

of Production, Supply Distribution) Act, 1992 and its amendment of 2003

Important Schemes for Well- being of Children

1. Integrated Child Development Service Scheme

2. Integrated Child Protection Scheme

3. National awards for child Welfare.

4. National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievements.

5. Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards for Service to Children.

6. Balika Samriddhi Yojna.

7. Nutrition Programme For Adolescent Girls

8. Early Childhood education for 3-6 age group children.

9. Welfare of working children in need of Care and Protection

10. Childline services

11. Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers.

12. UJJAWALA : A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and

Resue,

Rehabilitation and Re-integration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial

Sexual

Exploitation

13. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

14. National Rural Health Mission

15. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for empowerment of Adolescent Girls – SABLA.

16. DhanaLakshami – Conditional Cash Transfer for Girl Child with insurance

cover

17. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

What needs to be done?

Given the magnitude and complexity of the problem and the relative

ineffectiveness of the government, many non-government organizations and

collabourative efforts by the government and non-government agencies are

becoming more prevalent in recent years. Though many organizations are

focusing on eradicating child labour by mobilizing community participation for

universal primary education, there is a common attitude prevailing in our

country to accept child labour as an unavoidable consequence of poverty. There

is a need to formulate a holistic, multi-pronged and concerted effort to tackle

this problem. An integrated approach involving various strategies like poverty

eradication programmes, campaigns, budget advocacy, community action,

engaging institutions of governance for the ultimate attainment of the desired

goal.

1. Poverty Eradication Programmes: Poverty has an obvious relationship with

child labour, and studies have "revealed a positive correlation - in some

instances a strong one 11 - between child labour and such factors as poverty"

(Mehra-Kerpelman 1996, 8). With the growing gap between haves and have-

nots, poverty eradication programmes occupy a central position. The poor and

needy should get their share in the development process. There is need to create

and implement pro-poor, inclusive policies with strong political will. Caste is

also an important determinant on child labour. When analyzing the caste

composition of child labourers Nangia (1987) observes that, "if these figures are

compared with the caste structure of the country, it would be realised that a

comparatively higher proportion of scheduled caste children work at a younger

age for their own and their families’ economic support" (p. 116). Scheduled

caste (lower caste) children tend to be pushed into child labour because of their

family’s poverty. Nangia (1987) goes on to state that in his study 63.74% of

child labourers said that poverty was the reason they worked (p. 174). The

combination of poverty and the lack of a social security network form the basis

of the even harsher type of child labour. For the poor, there are few sources of

bank loans, governmental loans or other credit sources, and even if there are

sources available, few Indians living in poverty qualify. Here enters the local

moneylender, for an average of two thousand rupees, parents exchange their

child’s labour to local moneylenders (Human Rights Watch 1996, 17). Since the

earnings of bonded child labourers are less than the interest on the loans, these

bonded children are forced to work, while interest on their loans accumulates. A

bonded child can only be released after his/her parents make a lump sum

payment, which is extremely difficult for the poor (Human Rights Watch 1996,

17). Even if bonded child labourers are released, "the same conditions of

poverty that abused the initial debt can cause people to slip back into bondage"

(International Labour Organization 1993, 12). Even though poverty is cited as

the major cause of child labour, it is not the only determinant. Inadequate

schools, lack of schools, or even the expense of schooling leaves some children

with little else to do but work. The attitudes of parents also contribute to child

labour; some parents feel that children should work in order to develop skills

useful in the job market, instead of taking advantage of a formal education. This

abhorred practice is accepted as being necessary for poor families to earn an

income. Thus, an 12 extensive reform process is necessary to eliminate the

proliferation of child labour in India which strives to end the desperate poverty

in the nation. Changing the structure of the workforce and hiring the high

number of currently unemployed adults in greatly improved work conditions is

only the first step in this lengthy process. Emergency relief should give

attention to the rehabilitation of agriculture, live stock and fisheries. New labour

standards and wages must be adopted and medical examinations and minimum

nutrition requirements must be established in India.

2. Campaign for strict implementation of Legislations: NGOs and voluntary

organisations can do an intensive campaign to spread across the civil society

organisations through networking to draw the attention of the policy makers,

implementators and the community. The organisations working on any issues

should involve in the campaign by putting the problem of child labour on the

prime agenda. The campaign should focus on the effective implementation of

the various legislations. The strategies should be aimed at change at the local,

provincial, national and/or international levels. NGOs can play a pivotal role in

the process of universalisation of education by adopting innovative approaches

to quality education. Effective implementation of National Rural Employment

Guarantee Act (NREGA) would translate the Right to Workas envisaged in the

Article 41 of Indian Constitution to a statutory legal right. The NREGA heralds

a promising era in poverty alleviation. Poverty is not just income deficiency; the

need for enabling environment both physical and psychological needs to be

addressed. The works are necessary for the rural agriculture economy that has

the potential to get this poor deprived community out of poverty. Hence there is

a need to get active during the implementation of the various legislations.

3. Budget Advocacy: The organisations need to take up the issue of budget

analysis and advocacy for budget allocation for the implementation of the

policies. Most of the time the policies are formulated without proper budget

allocation which affect the process of implementation. Budget analysis is an

advocacy tool for developing public understanding on policy priorities of the

Government which will have a greater impact on those who have little political

influence (poor and marginalized). It is important to scrutinize the Government

Budgets from the perspective of child development. Mere analysis of the 13

Budgets alone cannot influence the policy making unless it is supported by

proper public action or advocacy to promote the findings in public forums so as

to influence the common mindset. This would eventually empower the people to

seek Governments’ accountability. It will give widespread information about

the performance of the Government and can also become a ground for creating

public pressure on the issues that affect the children. There is a need to establish

a strong lobby body or platform to work with Government to increase allocation

of budget for children. Coordinated and collective effort from the NGOs and

Civil Society Organizations strengthen the budget allocation for children. This

process would provide a large operative space and public support to the child

labour campaign. 93rd constitutional amendment to the constitution made the

right to education as a fundamental right is an opportunity to strengthen the

campaign. The main motto of the campaign should be to change political

attitudes by socializing the issues of children at the community level.

4. Community Action towards Child Education: There is need to bring about

wide spread public awareness towards initiating community action in promoting

school enrolment. Education helps a child to develop cognitively, emotionally

and socially, and needless to say, education is often gravely reduced by child

labour. We need to create a conducive climate in which community people at

large would not tolerate the child labour in any form any more. There is need to

bring about awareness among the poor parents so that they will develop a

willingness to make any sacrifice to get their children educated. It is possible

only when they are convinced about the significance of education. Once the

child is released from labour, the child should be admitted either to formal

education or to informal education depending upon various factors like age,

level of understanding. This should be accompanied with vocational training

depending upon their own choice. Preparation should also be made for

sustaining education outside of formal school buildings, using community

facilities and strengthening alternative education through a variety of

community channels. Influence and sensitize the political parties to include

child education and eradication of child labour in their election manifesto.

Through training and capacity building of central care givers, including 14

parents, teachers, and community health workers, a diversity of programmes

can enhance the community’s ability to provide education to children.

5. Engaging Institutions of Governance: The institutions of governance at

grass root can monitor the policies, programmes and laws to ensure protection

of children’s interests and rights. Gram Panchayat can play a responsible role in

identification of the projects in the Gram Panchayat areas and allocate

employment opportunities to the needy. It can also ensure child participation

and choice in matters and decisions affecting their lives. There is need to create

community monitoring system through their effective participation in the Gram

Sabha. Strengthening community participation in the whole process by way of

conducting regular social audits of all the programmes is a prerequisite. In

doing so they seek authorities accountable and transparent towards effective

implementation of various government programmes meant for child education

and eradication of child labour.

REVISED NATIONAL CHILD LABOUR PROGRAMME (NCLP)

.1. Transitional Education Centres

The current National Child Labour Programme (NCLP) needs to be revamped.

NCLP schools must be converted into Transitional Education Centres (TECs)

which are both non-residential and residential. It is very important that the

guidelines for TECs are very flexible, adapting to the local situation.Every child

rescued from work would have to be brought to a local TEC and the TEC would

have to accept all children who are rescued from work. These TECs must act as

bridges and the children are to be handed over to the SSA programme. This will

have to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Each TEC should have facilities to

accommodate at least 50 children at any given point of time. It is proposed to

have 30 TECs (non-residential) in each of the 600 districts in the country. These

TECs’s would be equipped for at least 50 children at any given point of time.

However, it is expected that there would be even more number of children due

to the intensive campaign, awareness building as well as enforcement of law.

The NCLP scheme must be flexible enough to take all such children and if

necessary merge a couple of TECs in one place. It is envisaged that 45 lakh

children would be benefited by this arrangement. Some children who are

rescued from work have no security in terms of their family or community and

are, therefore, in a highly vulnerable position of exploitation. The residential

TEC’s would be the first post where such rescued children would be sent. It is

proposed to have 2 residential TECs in each district with 50 children in each.

Even here, depending upon the demand there must be flexibility to increase the

residential TECs and if necessary, modify the non-residential TECs to

residential ones, within the budgets that are provided for. It is envisaged that 3

lakh children would benefit from this over five years.

Migrant children

The NCLP needs to recognize the special situation of migrant child labourers.

These could be children who have runaway from home or children who migrate

seasonally with their families. Given the extent of intra-state migration,

additional TECs must be set up in states/districts from where families migrate

and linkages must be established with local schools so that children have a

residential facility when their parents move out for work. temporary TECs could

also be set up in areas where people migrate for work such as to the brick kilns,

salt pans, sugar cane areas, to name a few. Local NGOs could be supported to

run these temporary TECs so that children get health and education facilities

and are not roped into work.

NCLP Project Society at District level

Each district would continue to have a District Child Labour Project Society

under the NCLP program with the District Collector as its Chairperson and a

committee that assists and advises the staff. It would have to however expand its

operations to going beyond running of special schools. It would add the

component of an intense social mobilisation through the social mobilisers, along

with taking up the TECs.

Social Mobilisation

Given that eradication of child labour is not an easy task, preventive strategies

are more sustainable in the long run. One of the major preventive strategies,

which must feature in any national child labour eradication policy, is the role of

social mobilization and community participation. It is vital to ensure that

children stay at home and go to formal government schools rather than leave

home to work full time. There has to be a national campaign to invoke public

interest and large-scale awareness on this issue, there is a need for an extensive

awareness generation campaign launched over a period of time at the Centre

and State on a sustained basis. Required budgetary provisions for such a mass

campaign must be provided for in 11th Plan.

Social Mobilisers

Child labourers are spread across the country; working in dispersed villages and

slums. The eradication of child labour cannot be done by the labour department

alone, as it is so under-staffed. Labour department needs to have a cadre of

youth volunteers who can be trained as ‘Social Mobilisers’ who will be

responsible for withdrawing children from work as well as monitoring school

dropouts and children with irregularity of attendance. It is understood that if

such children are not tracked they would join the labour force as child labour. It

is proposed to have 5 social mobilisers in each of the 6202 Blocks in the

country. Each of the social mobilisers would be responsible for 200 children

and it is envisaged that through their activity the status of more than 3 crore

children would be monitored.

Survey of child labour

It is necessary that the government commission research and surveys on

different aspects of child labour in the country. This is important since the last

countrywide enumeration 7 of the working children was held in 2001 Census

and the incidence of child labour may have undergone change since then with

population growth and the large-scale migration of workforce.

2. EXISTING PROGRAMMES FOR REHABILITATION OF CHILD

LABOUR

1- National Child Labour Programme

A National Policy on Child Labour was announced in 1987 which emphasised

the need for strict enforcement measures in areas of high child labour

concentration. In order to translate the above policy into action, the Government

of India initiated the National Child Labour Project Scheme in 1988 to

rehabilitate the working children starting with 12 child labour endemic districts

of the country. Under the Scheme, working children are identified through child

labour survey, withdrawn from work and put into the special schools, so as to

provide them with enabling environment to join mainstream education system.

In these Special Schools, besides formal education, they are provided stipend @

Rs.100/- per month, nutrition, vocational training and regular health check ups.

In addition, efforts are also made to target the families of these children so as to

cover them under various developmental and income/employment generation

programmes of the Government. The Scheme also envisages awareness

generation campaigns against the evils of child labour and enforcement of child

labour laws. It is seen that the level of enforcement in the States of Tamil Nadu,

Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra & West Bengal is encouraging, whereas that in

UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh & Orissa it is very low.

However, so far only 3,74,255 children have been mainstreamed under the

Scheme.

The State-wise break up is as follows:

State No. of children mainstreamed

Andhra Pradesh 1,73,297

Bihar 10,704

Jharkhand 10,231

Karnataka 10,467

Madhya Pradesh 2,314

Chhattisgarh 4,171

Maharashtra 8,235

Orissa 63,237

Rajasthan 11,371

Tamilnadu 39,523

Uttar Pradesh 23,251

West Bengal 16,086

Punjab 1,368

Total 3,74,255

3 ILO-International Programme for Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC)

ILO launched IPEC Programme in 1991 to contribute to the effective abolition

of child labour in the world. India was the first country to sign MOU in 1992.

The INDUS Project envisages direct interventions in the identified 21 districts

spread across five states for identification and rehabilitation of child labour. The

strategy under the project is to complement and build up on the existing

government initiatives.

SYNERGY BETWEEN ALL CONCERNED DEPARTMENTS

Ministries and departments have different roles to play in order to ensure that

children removed from work are properly rehabilitated and do not go back into

the work force.

1. Department of Labour

The department of Labour’s function is to identify and rescue child labour and

ensure that all the children who are out of school in an area are covered;

Enforce

law- and action against employers of children; Counsel rescued children and

mainstream them into formal schools; Coordinate all the concerned departments

of education, police, youth, welfare panchayat raj, and women and child

development and establish protocols for collabourative action; Establish TECs

for children rescued from labour.

2. Department of Education

The department of education has the task of integrating all out of school

children which includes child labour and school dropouts into the school system

and ensure that children enjoy their right to education. Their function is to

prevent children from joining the labour force the education department must

ensure that all children in the 5-8 years age group are enrolled and retained in

schools; through SSA pay attention to children in the 9-14 age groups like child

labour, migrating children, street children, domestic child workers and school

dropouts and never enrolled children and provide for residential and non-

residential bridge courses, seasonal hostels, mobile schools and work-site

schools for children who migrate with their families must from the very

beginning be linked to a formal government school

3. Department of Home/Police

The role of the police is, booking the right cases under the Child Labour Act

and all other relevant Acts; take complaints all missing children and track them

and follow up in the best interest of the child and their right to education.

4. Department of Youth Affairs

The Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangatanas (NYKS) under the Ministry of Youth

Affairs and Sports has a huge network of youth clubs across the country. They

must spearhead a campaign against child labour and for children’s right to

education in the entire country.

5. Department of Panchayat Raj

The Ministry for Panchayat Raj /Rural Development is to ensure that all gram

panchayats fully monitor the status of children in their area. It must also provide

training for the gram panchayats to track children and protect their rights

6. Department of Women and Child Development

The Ministry must strengthen Child line and expanded to every district of the

country. A Juvenile Justice Board and a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) must

be set up in every district as required in the JJ Act of 2000. There is a need for

the Labour department to coordinate its activities with the CWC.

7. Involvement of Judiciary

There has to be an orientation for the judiciary and establishment of procedures

for making the courts child friendly. Children must not be allowed to make

forays to the Court till they turn hostile. There is a need to also establish mobile

courts for quick and timely action to rescue children and book cases.

8. Role of Gram Panchayats

At the level of gram panchayats, children would not be statistics but will have

specific names. If children are not found in the village or with their family, there

must be an immediate enquiry into their whereabouts. As a first step they must

lodge a police complaint and pursue the matter till children are found and

rescued from whatever location they might be in. A list of all such children who

are not in the families must be drawn up and consolidated at the mandal/block/

and district level. It must be monitored at the State level and reviewed

systematically.

9. Vocational Training for children in 15-18 years age group

The Labour Department should assist children who have completed Class X to

get vocational training by linking them up to local ITIs, NGO run vocational

training programmes and private sector initiatives. They should not run

vocational training centers as the track record of vocational training centers set

up by the labour departments is extremely poor. The labour department should

instead help older children to get placements in the job market.

TRAININGS

Youth volunteers, gram panchayats, school teachers, officers of labour

department and so on must all be given training about child labour and their

respective roles in abolition of child labour. Training modules are to be

prepared on the issue of child labour and education. All the participants must

have a legal literacy and have a full knowledge of children’s rights and their

entitlements, the role of various departments, and awareness of the schemes and

programs meant for children.

EDUCATION AS AN INTERVENTION STRATEGY TO ELIMINATE AND PREVENT CHILD LABOUR

Consolidated Good Practices of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC )

Education is pivotal to eliminating and preventing child labour, to establishing a

skilled workforce and to promoting development based on the principles of

social justice and human rights. There has been progress in recent years in

raising public consciousness of the problem of child labour, of its pervasive and

tenacious nature and of the awful prospect that it is growing in some areas of

the world, for example, in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, key UN and

other international agencies are now working together more effectively, which

is critical to sustaining the growing global movement to eliminate child labour.

The basis of action to combat the problem is the political will and commitment

of individual governments and civil society to address it. It has been shown that

a phased and multi-sectoral strategy which motivates a broad alliance of

partners to acknowledge and act against child labour is most effective in

bringing about tangible and sustainable results.

Primary education in most countries is not completely free and in most

developing countries

schooling is not accessible to all children. Parents who send their children to

primary school must shoulder numerous indirect costs, such as uniforms and

textbooks. Furthermore, they incur the opportunity cost, which is the wage that

the child would earn if she or he was working instead of going to school. Still,

while poverty is an important “pull” factor, dragging children prematurely into

the labour market, there are important “push” factors, particularly social

exclusion, within the education system itself, or within the local communities in

which schools are situated. Investments in primary education should be spread

more evenly, focusing more on children at risk. Not taking these children into

special consideration will jeopardize the goal of achieving universal primary

education by 2015, one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The

lack of mechanisms to offset the opportunity cost for very poor families is

particularly important.

Good practices in education to eliminate and/or prevent child labour In India

ILO-IPEC, therefore, has acquired experience and expertise in a number of

strategic areas regarding education-related activities to eliminate or prevent

child labour and reach out-of-school children. On the basis of this experience, it

has been possible to highlight some key underlying principles that characterize

some of the good practices that have been emerging, for example:

• Multi-sectoral approaches have a much more effective and sustained impact in

the elimination and prevention of child labour, combining the involvement of

relevant government line ministries, social partners and civil society.

• Education is a necessary, but not sufficient, intervention in the case of children

working in hazardous and exploitative labour. In addition to receiving education

of good quality and relevance, working children also need to benefit from a

protective rights-based environment and access to legal, health and other

services.

• Child labour must be mainstreamed into Poverty Reducation Strategy Papers

(PRSP), EFA, national plans of action and other resource allocation

frameworks.

• Partnerships within the broader framework of the UN system and other

international and national organizations must be actively pursued and

implemented.

• Particular attention should be paid to the situation of girls’ work and education

through gender specific strategies, and to the situation of particularly vulnerable

groups of children, for example, the very young.

• Formal education strategies are vital to the long-term success of interventions.

• Practices should be grounded in country-specific realities when dealing with

the issue of child labour, while recognizing broader issues that may go beyond

any one specific country. There are a variety of approaches being undertaken

using education as a means of combating child labour. The identification of

good practices in this area will help in the creation of a knowledge base that can

assist field practitioners, policy makers, agencies, organizations and other

partners and may be able to support work in mainstreaming child labour in EFA

and poverty reduction strategies and in other development approaches.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE IN INDIA

India

This aims to eliminate child labour through the universalisation of quality

formal education and works towards the creation of awareness and demand for

education among the poor. It started working in the Ranga Reddy district of

Andhra Pradesh in 1991 and universalisation of formal primary education has

been one of its key objectives. MVF maintains that children are not meant to be

workers and each child out of school is a potential worker. Their programmes

therefore target all children, believing that every child going to school means

keeping the child away from working. Moreover, providing schooling to child

workers is only not a matter of building a child-friendly environment within the

schools, but also promoting a broader, more political environment in which

‘going to school’ is part of the fundamental rights framework for children. The

geographical location of the action programme supported by ILO-IPEC,

Kulkacherla Mandal, is a very underdeveloped area and there is also a high

concentration of girls working in the production of hybrid cotton seeds in cotton

farms. Many of these girls are from the Lambadi tribes who are known to be

migratory in nature. Supported by an approach using social mobilization

techniques, MFV 11 established residential “bridge camps” to facilitate the

transition of former child labourers into formal education and social

mobilisation.

Impact of the practice

Effectiveness

In India, in spite of limited financial support from ILO-IPEC, MVF’s bridge

course was particularly effective and, over the last decade or so, has been

implemented in more than 6,000 villages, covering 137 mandals

(municipalities) in 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh. It is estimated that around

45,000 child labourers have benefited from the MVF bridge camps. MVF has

been an ardent advocate for the universalisation of primary education and the

total elimination of child labour. Its research and activities have indicated that

these two goals are inextricably linked and must be pursued together. An ILO-

IPEC report subsequently revealed that there had been a considerable reduction

in the incidence of child labour in the area following the MVF programme. It

also successfully created a consensus at the community-level that school is the

only alternative to prevent children from working and, through this consensus,

established a social norm against child labour.

Sustainability

The MVF model was replicated on a wider scale by the Andhra Pradesh

government’s Department of Social Welfare through its “Back to School

Project” covering over 10,000 children each summer. MVF plays a significant

role in providing technical support to state-led educational programmes. Having

the state assume the responsibility has been the best way to ensure the

sustainability of the bridge course strategy.

Replicability

The MVF has been working in Andhra Pradesh since 1992 and continues to

expand its influence. As mentioned above, the state-led “Back to School

Project” essentially replicated the MVF model and the organization played a

significant role in providing technical support.

INITIATIVE TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT FOR CHILD EDUCATION

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan

Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All Movement) is a programme by

the Government of India  aimed at the universalization of elementary

education "in a time bound manner", as mandated by the 86th amendment to

the Constitution of India making free education to children aged 6–14

(estimated to be 205 million in number in 2001) a fundamental right. The

programme was pioneered by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. SSA is being implemented

in partnership with State Governments to cover the entire country and address

the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations.

The programme is looking to open new schools in those habitations without

schooling facilities and to strengthen existing school infrastructure through

provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant

and school improvement grants.

Existing schools with inadequate teacher strength are provided with additional

teachers, and the capacity of existing teachers is being strengthened by

extensive training, grants for developing teaching-learning materials and

strengthening of the academic support structure at a cluster, block and district

level. SSA seeks to provide quality elementary education including life skills.

SSA has a special focus on female education and children with special needs.

SSA also seeks to provide computer education to bridge the digital divide.

Its goals of 2011 were to do the following:

Open new schools in areas without them and to expand existing school

infrastructures and maintenance.

Address inadequate teacher numbers and provide training a development for

existing teachers.

Provide quality elementary education including life skills with a special

focus on the education of girls and of children with special needs, as well as

computer education.

Bachpan Bachao Andolan   ( BBA )

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) is a pioneering Child Rights and Anti-

Human trafficking non-governmental organization in India working to eradicate

bonded labour, child labour and trafficking, along with the demand for

education for all children since its inception, in 1980.

BBA today is known for its effective multi-dimensional approach in dealing

with the issue of child labour and trafficking. BBA activists are fighting at all

fronts – there are some who are working at the grass roots level, some who are

working with the victims, yet others who are dealing with the legal aspects and

the introduction of new policies in law and order. The movement is not only

rigorously active in domains sustaining child labour, but is also working with

equal vigor to prevent the problem at the grassroots level. Its vision is To create

a child friendly society, where all children are free from exploitation and

receive free and quality education. Its Mission is  To identify, liberate,

rehabilitate and educate children in servitude through prevention, direct

intervention, child and community participation, coalition building, consumer

action, promoting ethical trade practices and mass mobilisation.

MID DAY MEAL SCHEME

The Midday Meal Scheme is the popular name for school meal programme

in India which started in the 1960s. It involves provision of lunch free of

working days. The key objectives of the programme are: protecting children

from classroom hunger, increasing school enrollment and attendance, improved

socialization among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition,

and social empowerment through provision of employment to women. The

scheme has a long history, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu. The scheme

was introduced statewide by the then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj in the 1960s

and later expanded by the M. G. Ramachandran government in 1982. It has

been adopted by most Indian states after a landmark direction by the Supreme

Court of India on November 28, 2001. The success of this scheme is illustrated

by the tremendous increase in the school participation and completion rates in

Tamil Nadu.

National Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education

Although the programme in Tamil Nadu was initially termed as an act of

"Populism", the success of the scheme made the project hugely popular. The

success was so spectacular that in 1995, the then Indian prime

minister P.V.Narsimha Rao hailed the success of the project and suggested that

the scheme be implemented all over the country, and thus began the "National

Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education".

According to the programme the Government of India will provide grains free

of cost and the States will provide the costs of other ingredients, salaries and

infrastructure. Since most State governments were unwilling to commit

budgetary resources they just passed on the grains from Government of India to

the parents. This system was called provision of ‘dry rations’. On November 28,

2001 the Supreme Court of India gave a famous direction that made it

mandatory for the state governments to provide cooked meals instead of ‘dry

rations’. The direction was to be implemented from June 2002, but was violated

by most States. But with sustained pressure from the court, media and in

particular from the Right to Food Campaign more and more states started

providing cooked meals.

In May 2004 a new coalition government was formed in the centre, which

promised universal provision of cooked meals fully funded by the centre. This

promise in its Common Minimum Programme was followed by enhanced

financial support to the states for cooking and building sufficient infrastructure.

Given this additional support the scheme has expanded its reach to cover most

children in primary schools in India. In 2005 it is expected to cover 130 million

children.

Finding Solutions to these problems

Eliminate Poverty

 International financial institutions like the World Bank and the International

Monetary Fund contributed to the rise in child labour when they called on

countries heavily indebted to them to reduce public expenditure on health care

and new jobs. These structural adjustment programmes have resulted in

increased poverty and child labour. The World Bank and the International

Monetary Fund should rethink their loan plans to developing countries in an

effort to increase social expenditure rather than reduce it.

Government organizations and industries should be pressured to act in a socially

responsible manner and to put an end to child labour or to provide children with

better working conditions. Boycotting is not the solution because it forces

children, who otherwise have no specific training, to quit their jobs and return to

the streets or to more dangerous activities.

Encourage Education

 Children need to learn how to read and write. They need social and

professional skills that only school and a nurturing environment can provide.

Some countries have compulsory schooling and some provide free public

schooling. However, in many countries, particularly for those where structural

adjustment lending has led to the privatization of schools-the cost of teaching,

books, and uniforms makes it impossible for children to get an education.

Furthermore, for education to become a solution to child labour, schools must

be located close to where these children live.

Education must be free and compulsory up until the minimum legal age for

employment.

Enforce Labour Laws

 Most countries have laws against child labour; however, some governments

support child labour (regardless of existing laws) as a way of gaining a

competitive market advantage.

Rehabilitate and Protect Working Children

(Encourage NGO participation)

Preventing children from working is not necessarily the best solution; children

may end up in worse situations and their families may become even poorer.

Some NGOs fight to protect working children by providing them with

information on their rights or by guaranteeing them safer working conditions.

Other NGOs help children in the transition from work to school by building

centres where they are provided with healthcare and a tailored education. The

children leave these centres only when they have learnt to be independent.

Abolish Child Trafficking

 Everywhere in the world, there are adults who earn a living by buying and

selling children. The governments of all countries must take harsh measures

against child trafficking.

Promote Fair Trade

 There is a worldwide rise in commercial agreements-which must include norms

for guaranteeing basic human rights and respect. Implementing these fair trade

norms helps prevent child labour.

The new labelling campaigns-like Rugmark or the equitable commerce label-

guarantee that the products consumers buy are not manufactured by children

and that fair commercial practices have been employed. The label also reminds

companies that young consumers should also be aware of commercial practices.

Fair trade practices guarantee a fair price to small-scale producers. In 44

developing countries, fair trade helps keep 550 co-operatives in business. These

co-operatives consequently provide goods to 5 million people and often reinvest

profits in the community, where the money is used to build schools, medical

clinics, wells, etc.

Replace Child Workers by Adult Workers

There are 800 million unemployed adults in the world; and yet, the number of

working children is estimated to be at over 300 million.

Replacing these working children with their mostly unemployed parents would

result in higher family incomes (since adults are generally paid better), and the

resulting rise in production costs would have little impact on exports sales.

 

SUGGESSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Prioritise primary education. Primary education should be free,

compulsory, well-resourced, relevant and nearby. It is much easier to

monitor school attendance that to inspect factories and workshops.

Sponsoring a child doesn't solve this problem - it might make us feel

good, but it only helps educate one child, isolating them from others in

their community.

 Ban the worst forms of child labour Demand the government support the

ILO Convention

Give the jobs of child workers to their adult relatives This way, the family

does not suffer, and indeed should be better off, as adult wages are

generally much higher than child wages.

Education and training for women All studies show that when women are

educated, trained and empowered, the incidence of labour by their

children, especially girl children, drops dramatically

Family control of fertility - so that families are not burdened by children

Conclusion

Child labour denies the child of his basic right that is the right to education. ‘No

education’ means unskilled jobs and exploitative wages. This leads to the

creation of an unskilled adult labour force which causes early physical decay,

economic insecurity, low quality of life and ultimately high poverty. Thus child

labour creates a vicious circle of poverty, unemployment, underemployment

and low wages. Over the years the Government of India has multiplied its

efforts to address the needs and rights of exploited children. Still, the issue

remains grave and demanding more rigorous measures. In order to eliminate the

social evil of child labour there is a need for more intensive initiatives to tackle

poverty and promote education opportunities to all children to help children

and families in crisis.