Activists oppose proposed amendments to child labour act

Opposing the proposed amendments to the existing child labour act, child rights activists and civil society groups on Thursday urged the government to do away with the provision to legitimise child labour in family enterprises.

Strongly objecting to the proposal, they said that it would lead to the dilution of the objective of the child labour legislation to ban child labour up to 14 years of age and align it with the right of children to free and compulsory education.

Their opposition comes on the eve of the World Day Against Child Labour.

They also said that the "proposed amendment legitimises the economic exploitation of children and rob them of their childhood and their rights".

The proposed amendment will allow employment of children below the age of 14 in family enterprises.

It also allows children to work in the audio-visual and entertainment industry, except in a circus, provided that the school education of the child is not affected.

"These changes are against all our efforts in the past 20 years to ban all forms of child labour up to 18 years, and not in the best interest of children," said P. Joseph Victor Raj, national convener of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL).

Social activist Swami Agnivesh, who chaired the consultation meet told IANS: "Our main contention is that this is a retrograde step being taken by the government."

He added that the with an amendment like this, the country was being taken back by decades.

The meet was attended by various parliamentarians who lent their support. Former union minister Oscar Fernandes was among them.

Ossie Fernandes, director of Human Rights Advocacy Foundation, said that that all forms of work or labour is hazardous because it affects a child's health, affects their education and takes away their childhood

"All of us are of the view that allowing children to work after school would be detrimental to their health as they won't get time for rest and recreation which is important for their physical and mental development in the formative years. It would also adversely affect their studies," Fernandes added.

The government on May 13 approved amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Bill which prohibits employment of children under 14 years in all occupations.