Jaipur
Majority of the parents forced children into labour work instead of continuing studies because there was a need for higher income to meet the family needs, says a study by ‘Save the Children’ an independent Non-Government Child Right Organisation. The NGO did the study on ‘Status of Child Labour ad Legal Entitlements of Workers in Major Sectors in Rajasthan’ in six districts of Rajasthan from January to April, 2021.
According to the study, the key factors forcing children into labour work instead were need of higher income to meet family needs (39%) followed by presence of other family members/ relatives at same worksite (37%), better work opportunity compared to native place (31%) and poor financial condition (24%). Parents (80%) (predominantly fathers) force their children into work at younger age due to concerns about his/her livelihood security (56%) and willingness to engage children for additional income (54%).
The survey covered 543 parents/ Caregiver, 317 children in four major sectors (Brick Kilns, Stone Crushing and Sand stone Mining, Agriculture and gems cutting/ Lac bangle making)) across 6 districts (Jaipur, Dausa, Dholpur, Hanumangarh, Baran and Bikaner).
As per Census 2011, 10.13 million Indian children aged 5-14 years (3.9% of total in this age group) are working. Every 11th child is working in the age group of 5 – 18 years, 1 in 5 children in the 15 – 18 years age group are working (CRY analysis, Census 2011). Rajasthan accounts for nearly 10% of the total child labour within the age group of 5-14 years (3rd after Uttar Pradesh and Bihar (Census 2011) and most children are engaged in mining, carpet weaving, brick industry, garment factories and agriculture etc.
Large scale use of child labour has been reported across multiple sectors like gem cutting, carpet weaving, BT cotton fields, brick kilns, quarrying and mining and other agriculture related activities. Child labour in the state is sourced generally from poor tribal families. Child labour also brought from states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha and they largely work in brick kilns in the state from November to May. Besides, children are found to be working in large numbers assisting work in private households, hotels and dhabas.
“Child labour is a stigma that snatches away the childhood from the children. We have to get to the root of this problem and eradicate it.” The state government is trying to make Rajasthan a model state in preventing child labour and rehabilitation of child labourers. High power committee will be formed to prevent child labour in the State in which experts will be included. Efforts should be made to make those families economically capable who are forced to send their children less than 18 years old to work.
Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot
The study further reveals that the average monthly household income is Rs 11,628 for the worker families out of which 1/4th contribution (Rs 2707) comes from children however financial control is exercised by parents (80%). Huge gender disparity in wages (average earning of a boy is almost double (Rs. 241) than that of a girls (Rs. 126). Payment is mostly done on a piece rate basis encouraging children’s involvement for more earnings. Parents are ready to take their children out of work if they could generate an additional income of Rs 6100 per month. The family earnings are highest for brick kiln workers (Rs 17,915) and least for agriculture workers (Rs 4528). The average earning per day for a child is Rs. 208.
Save the Children, Manager (Child Protection) Ramakant Sathpathy said that a majority (57%) of the children are willing to leave work if they get a chance to study further. However their inability to afford school fee (70%) and non-feasibility of leaving work due poor financial condition of family (31%) were cited as key barriers to reconnect with studies
He said that there is a network of agents and middlemen both at source states (Bihar, UP, Jharkhand) and destination state (Rajasthan) who run the trafficking business for child labour where they are traded by parents for allurement of Rs 2000-5000 per month earnings. Some children are also re-trafficked even after repatriation as parents again send them to a new worksite for money.
Save the Children, Deputy Director Sanjay Sharma said that the parents are willing to take their children out of labour work if they can increase their current monthly earnings by Rs. 6100, therefore linkage with any government schemes and/or legal entailments to enhance their incomes should be done. He suggested increasing incomes/ reducing expenses of parents by making them aware of relevant worker benefit schemes (labour card, Bhamashah card/ health card). There is a strong need to change the mindset of parents by imparting job oriented education to these children and supporting their job placement or self-employment by linking them to government entrepreneurial schemes. Quality education with measurable learning outcomes should be imparted to the children so that parents can realise the real value of education and become self-motivated to complete their kids’ education.
He said that age verification documents should be mandated and a mechanism for online verification of workers IDs should be developed by competent authorities (labour department) to stop illegal engagement of children. Also contract letters should be issued to the permanent workers. The employer must engage only those workers who have a valid labour card. Increase incomes/ reducing expenses of parents by making them aware of relevant worker benefit schemes (labour card, Bhamashah card/ health card).
Authorities should ensure insurance coverage of all workers including daily wage workers, anganwadi Centres/crèche /child care centre to be opened at worksites by NGOs, for eradicating the child labor the Government should introduce some schemes for children where poor families can enroll their children for education and health facilities and do some initiative for increasing families’ incomes, Sharma added.
Salient Findings of the Study
Stone quarries/ cutting units are remotely located units having engagement of children in the age group of 8-17 years. Children are largely engaged in polishing (38%), sawing (32%), sanding (24%) and lapping works (23%).
Brick kilns are also far off from habitations where groups of migrant families (including children above 6 years) are engaged periodically at worksite. Children are mostly engaged in preparing wet mud (41%), making bricks (48%) and drying (47%). Children mostly remain deprived of education being migrants and poor accessibility of schools.
Jaipur workshops (gems cutting and Bangle making) are very small home based units which engage family children (mostly female, dominated by girls) from the age group of 10-17 years. In gem cutting, the role of children is primarily in rubbing (80%) and polishing (33%) and in bangle making it is limited to decorating (98%) and making paste (22%).
Agriculture workers belonging to Shahriya tribes are engaged by landlords and work as family units for two crop seasons. Children primarily in the age group of 12-17 years’ work with family as well as individually (mostly male). Most children (especially females) continue their education along with work. Children are primarily engaged in manual operations like harvesting (65%), irrigation (65%), hand weeding (55%), fertilizer (27%) and pesticide (28%) applications.
Children are the worst sufferers of ailments caused by the work they do, there is a high incidence of cough (68%), respiratory diseases (43%), skin diseases (28%), muscle-related problems (29%) and finger malformation (26%).
