Act against child labour, panel tells labour dept

Also, of the 652, 108 were school-going, but missed their classes as they were working at the dock.

Pulling up the labour department for its inaction in a case involving children who were made to work at Sassoon Dock, the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (MSCPCR) had directed the department to slap necessary provisions of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2013 on the guilty and submit a report within a week.

Stating that young and vulnerable children are being exploited and employed to clean fish at the Sassoon Dock, NGO Pratham had written to the commission and had said that it is a clear violation of the rights of a child.

“Why are you not applying sections of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act? We have already written to the state labour and home departments, but no action has been taken. The law of the land has to be followed. You have the authority to take action and file a case in the court. This is virtually happening under the nose of Mantralaya and it’s not acceptable. We are now directing the labour department to apply appropriate sections of the Act and submit the action-taken report in a week. Let it be an exemplary action. We can’t sit by when small children are being used,” said the commission to the labour department Thursday.

Earlier, MSCPCR had written to the state labour department and home department, asking them to invoke strict sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act on employers, middlemen and parents, who encourage child labour, so that it acts as a deterrent. The letter said it was necessary to apply sections 317 (exposure and abandonment of child under 12 years, by parent or person having care of it) and 374 (unlawful compulsory labour) of the IPC, both including jail term or fine or both. The commission’s letter further said that sections 370 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7), which looks at the issue of trafficking and 370A (1, 2) of Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, which stipulates quantum of punishment, should also be applied.

A Pratham survey, which was conducted in 2012 at the Sassoon Dock, found 652 children who were employed there to clean fish. “There were 54 godowns, and some children were working there. Of this, 175 were boys and 477 were girls. While five were between four to five years of age, 591 were aged 6-14 years and 56 were in the age group of 15-18.

Also, of the 652, 108 were school-going, but missed their classes as they were working at the dock. These figures show clear violation of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act,” Pratham said in their complaint.
mumbai.newsline@expressindia.com

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