Special teams have already rescued 42 child workers from industrial units
‘Eradication of child labour essential to develop overall character of the individuals concerned'
Tirupur: Despite repeated claims by authorities concerned of the stringent measures being implemented to abolish child labour over the last decade, the ill practice is still prevalent in the ‘textile production chain' in Tirupur knitwear cluster.
The statistics compiled by the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) pointed out that special teams constituted by the District Collector had already rescued 42 child workers from industrial units and commercial establishments situated in Tirupur city and its hinterland in the first five months of this year when compared to 29 rescued in the entire 2009.
What it should make the government worry is that the majority of the children rescued were from some units in the garment manufacturing chain especially at a time when the foreign buyers had been vigorously insisting on purchasing garments produced out of processes free from child labour.
“Over 70 per cent of the child workers rescued during 2009 and 2010 are from the textile units,” NCLP Project Director D. Vijayakumar told ‘The Hindu'.
But the figures of children rescued, according to industrial experts, are only a tip of an iceberg as many more young workers exist since the raids had been carried out only occasionally.
Mr. Vijayakumar said the main reason for the tendency existing among the employers to deploy children below 14 years was that the tots would be neither murmur over the pay given even if it was a little less or make any hue and cry if bonus or other perks not disbursed.
The experts feel that steps to increase the wages of adults, ensuring compulsory primary education for children and greater awareness on the ill-effects of child workers among the society alone could stop the menace.
Indian Medical Association (Tirupur branch) president P. Ravichandran said that eradication of child labour was essential to develop the overall character of the individuals concerned.
“A child growing up mingling with others in a school and acquiring knowledge will be a better individual than the one who is deprived of primary education,” he pointed out.
05 June, 2010 by admin