Kundapur: Officials' action against poor 'child labourer' evokes anger, sorrow


Silvester D’Souza
Daijiworld Media Network – Kundapur (SP)

Kundapur, Apr 25: The action of the officials of the department of labour in branding a student, who has been doing his best to support his poor family, as a child labourer, and whisking him away for violating labour laws, has come in for all-round criticism.

The boy’s mother is faced with the responsibility of running the family, as her husband is no more. Determined to bring her children up in life, she had given her nod for the continuance of education of her two daughters beyond SSLC, although she earns only a little by working on daily wage basis, and has the responsibility of looking after her aged father. The boy, who sincerely wanted to be of some help to his mother and mitigate her hardships to some extent, has now been robbed of the opportunity of providing some succor to his mother.

The boy in question, Vikram (name changed), lost his father when studying in third standard. When his father, who also was a coolie, was alive, he and his elder sisters did not have much of a problem. Because of the determination of his father to educate his children, the three children got admitted into schools. Vikram, who is about to complete 14 years of age, had appeared for the ninth standard examination recently. As he has already crossed the stage at which facilities under compulsory education scheme are extended, he does not have money even for daily needs. As he did not want to put stress on his mother by placing demand for money, he joined an ice cream shop in the town for two months, to work during summer holidays.

A lady, who observed the boy working in the shop, conveyed this information to a voluntary organization. The organization, which conducted a raid on the shop along with officials of the labour department, took the boy into custody. The boy’s requests and pleadings fell on deaf ears. As the mother of the boy was in Manipal on some work, his aunt produced his birth certificate and other documents to the officials. The officials, who remained adamant, took the boy away from the shop and admitted him into rehabilitation centre.

A voluntary organization with presence at international level, which came to know of the incident, took the issue in all seriousness and took the officials to task, and demanded his release. The officials of the labour department, under immense pressure, agreed at last to give a letter to the rehabilitation centre to release the boy. The family brought the boy from the centre the next day.

This behavior of the labour department, which was witnessed by the people in the town on Tuesday, gave rise to lot of anger and resentment among the general public. Some are preparing to approach the courts to teach the officials a lesson.

‘I know how much my mother is struggling to make both ends meet. She has to look after the family and educate me and my two elder sisters. The two pairs of uniforms the school provides do not last even for the full year. As I found it unjust to approach my mother for money for my expenses, I voluntarily went to the ice cream shop to work and earn. It was not at all a difficult job. But I was forcibly whisked away from there, and I suffered mental torture at the hands of the concerned,’ said Vikram, recalling his ordeal.

‘How can one term the initiative undertaken by the boy to continue to study, and at the same time, lessen the burden of his mother by doing jobs that do not pose any hazard to him as wrong? Will the officials and the department do something to improve the financial condition of the poor family? In what way this violates human rights?’ asks Amir Pasha, a social worker from Kandlur near here.

The mother of the boy, who hails from Herikere village in the taluk, insisted that her son remains a student, and wanted to work during summer holidays. ‘He was working happily at the shop. The government never supports me or my family during the times of crisis. Who gave the officials the right to rob our mental peace?’ she asked angrily.

Tilakraj, a social activist from Balkur village, questions what is wrong in acquiring professional skills, and whether it is crime for the students to get some vocational training during their spare time. Observing that the government, which did not take any responsibility to mitigate the problems of the family or attend to their personal problems, is using laws to unnecessarily harass the citizens, he expressed the opinion that amendments need to be brought to the act to give it a humane touch.

  

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Comment on this article

  • Ana, Mangalore

    Sat, Apr 26 2014

    I feel Daijidubai should provide the details of this family, and I am sure many among us could help this boy's family in small or big way possible.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [14] Reply Report Abuse

  • Pradeep, Mangalore

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    I salute the brave boy. God Bless you Dear.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [9] Reply Report Abuse

  • Dr Kusuma Kumari G, Nellore/Kodyadka

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    A very difficult situation and very hard to find a solution. May be there must be a discussion on this issue and let govt help the family who are poor

    DisAgree Agree [4] Reply Report Abuse

  • YATHISH KUMAR, ATTAVAR/ DUBAI

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    Every middle class and lower class families have lot of financial problems which lead them to earn some money for the daily bread. Children going to work in the school year end vacations and earning their pocket money by hard work is not a crime, besides it is an added experience for the children who will see the outer world in their young ages and learn lot of good things. In this case the labor dept should have studied the families financial conditions and background to why the child went to work or wanted to work and try to provide the family with free education and books and dress for their needs and see them grow.Bringing up 3 children by giving them education and their daily needs for a mother in these days absence of their father is not a easy job.Local Govt Authorities should interfere in such cases where they can provide the family with some loans or education schemes where the children will make use of these facilities and then repay the loan after their education when they start earning some reasonable salary and provide then with some Par-time jobs besides their education like DATA ENTRY or some easy job like RECEPTIONIST IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES in hourly basis for a basic salary as there is a scarcity of staff almost in all GOVT offices where the children will work and be safe and within the assistance of the labor dept authorities.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [7] Reply Report Abuse

  • Andrew L D Cunha, Mangalore

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    There is a difference between "right and fair". The law is right. But in this case Department of Labour is not fair. One cannot enforce the Law without getting connected to the real problem. It's sad to see at the end poor and helpless people suffer because either they are ignorant of the laws or they are not aware of their rights. Please try to understand the problems of the poor people before applying the law to them. Be fair.

    DisAgree [2] Agree [28] Reply Report Abuse

  • R.Bhandarkar, M'lore

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    Inference:
    The so called officials(?) will not allow the poor to make their 'Ends meet'. However they will act to see their 'End'....Sickening !

    DisAgree [1] Agree [24] Reply Report Abuse

  • diva, mangalore

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    These child labour, labour departments are only for name sake and to hurt poor people.
    Do they have any solution to solve these kind of problems ?

    DisAgree [2] Agree [26] Reply Report Abuse

  • essell, Mangalore, India

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    A similar incident happened in Mangalore few years back. The people who traced the parents of the child(14 ), asked to take back the parents not willing, as they were unable to meet the basic requirements, in the process the then child welfare committee harassed the lady to the core who sheltered and supported the child, by the best possible ways. Sometimes rules are for .......

    DisAgree [2] Agree [12] Reply Report Abuse

  • Abhishek Padival Jain, Sullia/Bangalore

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    In European Countries and the USA even the children of very rich families also work during Summer Holidays and make some decent earnings and also acquire skills which will be useful to them life long. There is no Law to restrict them from doing so.
    But in India everything is ulta. Garibi Hatao has just remained a slogan.

    DisAgree [3] Agree [30] Reply Report Abuse

  • Rita, Germany

    Sat, Apr 26 2014

    @Abhishek Sullia,as you say for students no law restricts is wrong.In European country at least in Germany students above 13 years of Age can work in School Holidays only certain hours in year depend on their Age.like News papers or Magazins is distributed with 13 years.few hours in a day.when more earns has to pay tax.

    DisAgree Agree [3] Reply Report Abuse

  • Ravi B Shenava, Mangalore

    Fri, Apr 25 2014

    Law is a Donkey - as someone has rightly said.
    In India Law is applicable to only such poor people. Children of Rich people who spend time in RAVE parties will not be touched by Law.

    DisAgree [1] Agree [42] Reply Report Abuse


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Title: Kundapur: Officials' action against poor 'child labourer' evokes anger, sorrow



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