KOCHI: On June 12, the World Day Against Child Labour, a help desk was started as an awareness tool by the Childline Ernakulam and District Child Protection Unit at Aluva Railway Station. Started as a temporary endeavour for a week, the desk could successfully rescue over 30 cases in three days.
As per the current status, they could trace around 37 children, of which seven have been proved minors. According to Childline director Fr Jensen Variyath, child labour is still thriving in the district, especially in Aluva and Perumbavoor.
“We set up the desk for a week to spread awareness against this anti-social practice. The response we got has been awesome. The Childline has been receiving more calls for the past five days. The helpdesk will function at the Station till Sunday,” said Fr Jensen.
He added that of the children rescued, many had produced identification cards, suspected to be fake. “Many came here equipped with fake Aadhar cards with year of birth registered as 2000 and 2001. We know they are minors and the process to check the credibility of the cards is going on. Those who are proven
minors will be sent to shelter homes,” he said.
Child labour still thrives
According to him, despite campaigns and awareness drives, the city still registers cases of child labour.
“People do not inform every time. Adolescent labour is not a punishable offence, so many cases go unnoticed. Yet, there are certain rules to be followed while employing adolescents. Usually, most of them are violated,” he said.
Due to its proximity to Perumbavoor, an industrial area, Aluva Railway Station is a major transit point for child labourers. According to the director, children from other states, especially from the North and North Eastern states, are taken to factories, hotels and quarries. “This is what we inferred from setting up the desk. Of this, four were Malayali children who had run away from home in search of work. We called up their relatives and sent them back. Others have been shifted to temporary shelter homes. Further decisions with regard to rehabilitation will be taken after official talks,” he added.
Agents on the prowl
The children reach the station as instructed by the agents. Though they travel alone, all information, including route details, are conveyed to them in advance. The agents will wait outside the station.
“That way, the children won't tell who brought them here as they do not know. There will be people to pick them up from outside the station. Besides, there are children who travel in groups but get down at different stations,” he said.
An alarming factor noticed during the drive is that only boys are identified. “There might be girls. But, we get no information,” Fr Jensen added.
Sharana Balyam
Sharana Balyam, a venture of District Child Protection Unit, has been functioning in the city from February. Though they trace and curb issues related to child abuse, child marriage and their state of living, the venture is also active in rescuing child labourers. So far, Sharana Balyam has rescued two girls from Tamil Nadu and a Malayali boy from Kochi. “The girls were sent back to their native place after contacting the Child Welfare Committee of Tamil Nadu and the boy to the school,” said Saina K B, District Child Protection Officer. She said the rate of child labourers are not as high as before but there are chances that children are still working as domestic help. “There are practical difficulties when they are working at households. But, we will rescue them if we are informed,” she added.