May 27, 2006, Hindustan Times Live
Jaipur
The Chairman of the State Human Rights Commission has suggested adequate provisions in the child labour Act to protect the rights of child domestic workers.
There are law to protect other forms of child labour but not of child domestic workers, said the chairperson of the SHRC, N.K. Jain. He was addressing a state level advocacy seminar organised by CUTS on Child Domestic Workers under the project ‘Hum Bhi Bachche Hain’ on Friday.
He said that unless the common man wakes up to the need of these children and changes the attitude, the efforts made fr these children will not be fruitful.
To implement the existing law on Right to Equality for children needs political will and the support of public parents.
Law should also have to ensure that the parents of these children fulfill their responsibilities and don’t send their children for meager benefits.
There will have to be a check on the greediness of the employer.
Project Director, National Child Labour Project, Jivraj Singh said that there is a dire need to develop and follow a common code of conduct to get rid of the issue. Media plays a vital role in propagating such issues. There has to be a focussed approach towards these problems along with a positive outlook, only then some concrete output would be seen, he added.
Programe Coordinator, Save the Children, Neetu Sahi emphasised the need to locate child domestic workers and sensitise each and every person on the issue.
CUTS plans to formulate a strategy for future on the basis of the suggestions come across in this workshop and submit the recommendations to the State Government.