KOCHI: The fast pace of development in Ernakulam district, particularly in the construction and allied industries, has generated a lot of job openings. More so in the daily wage section. But, like a coin, development too has two sides. And it is the less palatable side like child labour that gets swept under the carpet discreetly. To rid the district of child labour, the Labour Department on Friday launched a year-long campaign, inaugurated by District Collector K Muhammed Y Safirullah.
According to a senior Labour Department officer, there are over 12 lakh migrants in the district.
“Many more keep arriving on a daily basis. Of these, a large number are children aged between 16 and 17. These kids come along with their parents and end up working in factories, hotels, shops and as domestic help. During a recent inspection at a factory, we found a group of kids working in a cramped area,” he said. Though instances of child labour have come down, it has not been expunged, the officer said.
“Since it has come to our notice that most of them are children of migrant labourers, we are monitoring these groups and are confident we will be able to put an end to this blight through sustained effort,” he said.
The campaign is being carried out in association with the Social Justice Department, Police, Childline and the Child Welfare Committee, besides other organisations. As part of the campaign, a seminar on the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act was held at the Collectorate Conference Hall. The seminar was presided over by P S Markose, assistant labour officer.
The officer said a special inspection squad will be formed to conduct regular inspections from June 12, which is observed as the World Day Against Child Labour. “On Monday, an awareness programme will be held among migrant labourers at Perumbavoor,” he said.
As part of the awareness programme, a magic show will be held at Kandanthara school at Perumbavoor and experts will talk to the labourers. The department also plans to conduct a shop-to-shop inspection to weed out child labour. Stickers with the message ‘Child labour-free’ will be affixed on shopfronts with a clean record. A flash mob will be staged at Marine Drive on June 12.
The Childline alone came across 39 cases during the period from April 2017 to March 2018 as compared to 35 in the previous fiscal. “Children, mostly under the age of 14, were found engaged in hazardous work like in brick kilns and plywood factories. They are often paid very little, around R1,000 to R2,000 per month,” he said.While children below the age of 14 are strictly prohibited from being employed as labourers, those between 14 to 18 years are permitted to be employed subject to strict conditions,” said the Labour Department officer.