Children in peril
A country aspiring to become ‘Viksit’ (developed) by 2047 has a job to do right now — protect its children from traffickers and middlemen. Otherwise, these kids — the nation’s future — would be left psychologically scarred for life. A horrifying case has been reported from Punjab’s Kapurthala district. Eleven children, now rescued by the police, were made to work on a potato farm as enslaved labourers. Two agents who allegedly trafficked the children from Bihar are also accused of sexually abusing one of them and pushing her into prostitution.
The incident has come to light days after a businessman running a packaging company in Maharashtra’s Thane district was booked for allegedly making children work as labourers. Unfortunately, kids remain vulnerable to exploitation even though there are myriad laws aimed at ensuring deterrence. The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, prohibits the employment of children below 14 years in any occupation; those in the age group of 14 to 18 years cannot be forced to work in hazardous occupations where their health and safety are at risk. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act have strict provisions as well, but enforcement leaves a lot to be desired.
Timely response to complaints about child labour holds the key to curbing this scourge. Synergy between Central and state governments — and among the states too — is another prerequisite. In many cases, it’s poverty that drives parents to take desperate measures. They force their kids into labour to support the family; this not only disrupts the children’s studies but also exposes them to the big, bad world. Targeted welfare schemes must go hand in hand with efforts to strengthen the justice delivery system. Let no one’s childhood be ruined, for that would be a great loss to the entire nation