GUWAHATI: The Kamrup (Metro) district administration in collaboration with UTSAH - a city-based child rights NGO, the National Child Labour Project and UNICEF Assam kicked off a ward-level anti-child labour campaign on the occasion of World Day against Child Labour on June 12.
Officials informed that under the project, a crucial aspect will be the certification of apartment blocks in the city, which is a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country.
The most crucial aspect of the project is the certification of the government which will give out the certificate.
“In Guwahati, domestic child labour is hidden. In our attempt to reach out to households, to gauge and rescue children and provide people with the adequate awareness against domestic child labour, we are reaching out to apartment blocks which are rife with child labourers in the city,” informed Miguel Das Queah, founder of UTSAH.
Under this project, in the next 11 months, 31 apartment enclaves will be covered - one in each ward across Guwahati.
Officials also informed that they will conduct child labour workshops and also get apartment blocks to register in a process through which the district administration, after due diligence by the child labour task force Kamrup (M), will give certification of an apartment block being anti-child labour or child labour free. The deputy commissioner will give out the certificates.
“Today we have started the process and the first apartment is Krishna Apartments under Ward No 12,” said Queah.
The campaign was attended by Palash Pratim Bora, additional deputy commissioner, Kamrup (M), Ajanta Sharma, assistant labour commissioner of Kamrup (M), Naresh Chandra Das, labour officer, Kamrup (M) and Pahari Konwar, ACP(Crime) among others.
The project has been funded by UNICEF and is being conducted by UTSAH with support from the district administration.
The authorities will also rescue child labourers if found in these apartment blocks. Explaining the process of obtaining certification, officials informed that the apartments will first have to write to the deputy commissioner regarding the same. It will then be followed up with due diligence by the child labour task force (Kamrup-M). The residents will have to give a declaration, and then affidavits will be filed, after which the DC will provide the certification.
Speaking during the launch of the project, the assistant labour commissioner and labour officer administered an anti-child labour pledge prepared by the labour department.
Further, Pahari Konwar, ACP (Crime) assured police support in cases of child labour especially during rescue missions, lodging of FIRs and timely preparation of charge sheet.
The officials will pilot the project in these 11 months in order to make it standardised and it will eventually be implemented across the state.
Through this campaign, residents of the apartment block were made aware of child labour law, ways to respond to child labour and the district level child protection system.
Bora spoke about the adverse impact of child labour on innocent children and the importance of public response to cases of child labour.
This campaign will cover 1,240 households and will conclude on March 31, 2019.
Additionally, on the occasion of world day against child labour, the Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR) appealed to all sections of the society to refrain from employing children at offices, business establishments and for domestic purposes.
A mass oath-taking programme was also held against child labour by the officials of Kamrup (Metro) DC’s office.
The ASCPCR chairperson, Dr Sunita Changkakati, said that despite all efforts, child labour is still prevailing in the state.
She also appealed to the parents of vulnerable sections not to let their children work and stressed that the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, ensures free education for children up to the age of 14 years.
