Legislation on Child Labour is good, but practice is poor: Delhi Archbishop

(11 Oct,2006):- In India, the Union Government’s decision to enact legislation banning children under 14 years to work is good, but the practice is poor”, said Archbishop Vincent M Concessao of Delhi.“The effort to eradicate child labour through legislation is definitely a step in the right direction. But would this Act be successful in alleviating the plight of millions of children who have been exploited for so many years?”, the Archbishop questioned. “As Christians, our contribution should be to sensitize and motivate people to observe these laws, which are basically moral and obligatory from the perspective of social justice and human rights,” he declared. The NGO’s have also expressed their doubts, pointing to the fact that this law was already in force for hazardous industries but little was done about it. According to official estimates, India today has 12.6 million child workers but activists claim that the figure is around 20 million. Government officials have stated that the amended laws will be strictly enforced and the violators punished. The penalty could range from a jail term of three months to two years, or a fine of Rs.10,000 to Rs.20,000. Executive Secretary of CBCI Commission for Justice, Peace and Development, Fr. Nithya, responding to the issue stated, “ Mere enactment of the law was not sufficient to curb this menace, as there are many big companies which break the law with impunity and yet manage to get away with it.” He said “The need of the hour was to set up monitoring cells in every city to supervise the situation, and the Government, Catholic Church and other organizations should come to the forefront to provide suitable alternatives to these displaced children, such as good education and nutrition, so that they become worthy citizens of this country”, he stated.
iIs Poorsays Delhi Archbishop
In India the Union Government’s decision to enact legislation banning children under 14 years to work is good, but the practice is poor”, said Archbishop Vincent M Concessao of Delhi.“The effort to eradicate child labour through legislation is definitely a step in the right direction. But would this Act be successful in alleviating the plight of millions of children who have been exploited for so many years?”, the Archbishop questioned. “As Christians, our contribution should be to sensitize and motivate people to observe these laws, which are basically moral and obligatory from the perspective of social justice and human rights,” he declared. The NGO’s have also expressed their doubts, pointing to the fact that this law was already in force for hazardous industries but little was done about it. According to official estimates, India today has 12.6 million child workers but activists claim that the figure is around 20 million. Government officials have stated that the amended laws will be strictly enforced and the violators punished. The penalty could range from a jail term of three months to two years, or a fine of Rs.10,000 to Rs.20,000. Executive Secretary of CBCI Commission for Justice, Peace and Development, Fr. Nithya, responding to the issue stated, “ Mere enactment of the law was not sufficient to curb this menace, as there are many big companies which break the law with impunity and yet manage to get away with it.” He said “The need of the hour was to set up monitoring cells in every city to supervise the situation, and the Government, Catholic Church and other organizations should come to the forefront to provide suitable alternatives to these displaced children, such as good education and nutrition, so that they become worthy citizens of this country”, he stated.