Child labour continues 20 years after UN meet

To mark the 20th anniversary of UNCRC, a programme was organised by Bhima Sangha along with Concerned for Working Children (CWC) on Sunday. More than 100 working children participated in the event.

In spite of working children having their own union ‘Bhima Sangha’ established in 1990, which advocates for their basic rights and holds ‘Makkala Panchayats’ to discuss their problems, the picture is much larger than it looks.

For instance, 21-year-old Ima, who was exploited as a child, was unaware about her rights when she was studying in government school. “I was asked to clean my teacher's cracked legs and wash her lunch boxes during school hours. Then eight years ago, I joined Bhima Sangha and learnt about my rights,” she said, adding, “Though I came to know about my rights, there are millions like me who get exploited day in and day out even today.”

The CWC has been involved with working children to empower them so that they themselves become the first line of defence against any kind of victimisation. "To make young children understand that they are the ‘holders of rights’ is difficult. It is only after they reach a certain age that they understand the need to exercise their basic rights," said Kavita Ratna, one of the Director of CWC.  SOS Children’s Village celebrated Children’s Day and 20th anniversary of UNCRC.  The Village supports 231 families with 450 children through Family Strengthening Program.