NCPCR pulls up Bengal govt for failing to curb child labour

The body has asked the state to set up an anti-human trafficking unit, ensure right to education to children

The NCPCR has pulled up the West Bengal government for allegedly failing to curb child labour in the state and asked it to set up an anti-human trafficking unit and ensure right to education to children.

An National Commission for Protection of Child Rights team led by member Yogesh Dube, which recently visited the state, expressed unhappiness over the state labour department's failure to implement the directives to ensure that minors are not employed in hazardous working conditions as per the law.

"The performance of the labour department is pathetic as it has failed to rescue children working in industries, factories and brick kilns," Dube told PTI.

A large number of children work in brick kilns across the state and the state government does not have proper figures of the children and workers working in those places, he said.

"They do not have a proper action plan to bring child labourers into the mainstream and the labour department has failed to rescue and rehabilitate the children," he said. "Hence, we have asked the state to draw up a proper action plan to monitor and ensure that the rights of the children are protected and establish an anti-human trafficking unit with the support of the police," he said. "We have also asked the state to prepare proper mechanism to ensure the right of education to children." He said the Commission felt the need for holding public hearings in this regard in all the districts.

According to the data provided by the state to the Commission, it has rescued only 23 children since 2011 till date. As per a survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation in 2009-10, the number of working children in India was reported to be 29.84 lakh and in West Bengal the number was estimated at 5,51,584.