Int’l Girl Child Day: Why it is urgent to bring girls at risk of dropping out back to the classroom
10 October 2021 | Mumbai Mid-Day | Sarasvati T
Marriage, domestic work, digital gaps and disrupted income regularly push Indian girls away from formal learning. On the occasion of International Girl Child Day, and as schools and colleges reopen across the country, we look at ongoing efforts to bring girls back in touch with education
Stuti Yadav* from Malad Malwani, an underdeveloped area in suburban Mumbai, was made to leave school in 2017 and quickly married off by her father to someone in their village in Uttar Pradesh’s Jaunpur. Her mother, who has a hearing and speaking impairment, had no knowledge of this. “I did not want to drop out. I had just passed my ninth grade and wanted to study further,” says the 21-year-old, who was 17 at the time.
“I resisted initially but my father started crying and was scared I would run away with someone like my elder sister. I was of the view that my father cares about me and would have planned the best for me. My mother was shocked when I returned,” she recalls. Yadav, now separated from her husband, is trying to find work and complete her education in the city.
As offline classes resume in a phased manner across several states in India, bringing children—especially girls—who have lost touch with education back into schools will be a priority for education rights activists, community volunteers and government authorities. Nearly 42 percent of females, from age 3 to 35 years, were currently not attending educational institutions, according to data collected by the National Statistical Office (NSO) between July 2017 and June 2018.
The problem has worsened during the pandemic. The socio-economic impact of lockdown disconnected a large number of learners across India, specifically those who belonged to underprivileged sections of society, from formal education. UNESCO estimates hold that school closures due to Covid-19 have affected 320 million learners in India from pre-primary to secondary levels of education. Girls accounted for 141 million, or 41 percent, of those affected.
In the state of Maharashtra, ever since the pandemic, a total of 2,399 children—including 1,129 boys and 1,270 girls—have dropped out of school, according to data provided by Child Rights and You (CRY). CRY says it has managed to re-enroll a little over half of them — 638 boys and 702 girls.
Mandar Shinde, member of Pune-based child rights network Action for Rights of Children (ARC), says many girl students in their area of jurisdiction are still registered in schools but have stopped attending classes, and hence are not considered ‘dropouts’ yet. He adds that it is too soon to estimate the number of actual dropouts over the year.
With an increasing digital divide and unequal access to resources, gender disparities are widening across all levels of education. Additionally, a surge in child marriages—the National Crime Records Bureau found such cases jumped 50 percent from 523 in 2019 to 785 in 2020—is also contributing to more and more girls dropping out of school and college education.
The burden of child marriage
UNICEF estimates find that at least 1.5 million girls under 18 get married in India each year. Marriage is the major reason why 13.2 percent of enrolled females—12.4 percent in rural areas and 15 percent in urban—do not currently attend any educational institution. This is as per the NSO data cited above.
In Yadav’s case, she was promised that she would be allowed to study further after marriage but what followed within months was pressure to conceive a child, domestic violence and harassment by an alcoholic husband which finally led to the couple’s separation.
For Yadav, the separation meant the end of a tormenting year, making her a little hopeful. She returned to Mumbai last year and despite societal and family pressure to marry again, plans to educate herself and her siblings.
“I have decided to study further with my own money and my father has agreed. I want to earn and take care of my family as well,” she says, adding that she will be applying to take the tenth standard exam privately next year. While her younger siblings are still engaged in formal school education and managing to attend online school classes, Yadav is currently on the lookout for jobs to support them and herself.
ARC’s Shinde says at this point, his organisation’s focus is on bringing such children back to school by tracking them and assisting them with resources. “If we receive cases of a girl child marriage, we try to stop it. But if we cannot, the state Child Welfare Committee takes up the cause of rehabilitation of children who are married off.”
Aspirations vs domestic expectations
According to the NSO data, as of 2018, 32 percent of females in rural areas and 27 percent in urban areas, were not attending education in 2018 because of domestic work.
“My elder daughter had to drop out of school in seventh class because of my deteriorating relationship with my wife. She had to leave school and take care of younger siblings and other chores at home,” says Suhas Chavan, who works as a housekeeper at a private company in Pune.
Chavan’s daughter Raksha*, who used to study in a municipal school, has since been at home dealing with the family crisis, with no opportunities available to study further or learn new skills. Completing her education and getting a job are uphill challenges for the 15-year-old.
“I want to enroll her again in school but the situation at home does not allow that. How will she study now when she cannot learn the English language quickly or remember anything that she has learnt? And I don’t want her to work. We can manage ourselves financially,” her father says.
Raksha’s three younger sisters have continued to attend online classes on one phone that Chavan bought during the pandemic. He says the three will go to school once offline classes begin for their age groups.
Both Yadav and Chavan’s eldest daughter were forced to put aside aspirations and compromise their independence to shoulder household responsibilities at a tender age.
How digital gaps hurt
For 17-year-old Almas Khan’s younger sister, who is studying in Class 7 at a Municipal school in Malad Malwani, attending online class every day was a task as the family did not have enough money to spend on internet services or mobile data.
“There was only one phone and three people to study. My sister used to visit her friend’s house to study but even that could not last for a long time. My father cannot work since he was grievously injured in an accident. In that case, paying for mobile data is a privilege,” says Khan, who herself is grappling with finances to secure admission in a first year bachelor of commerce (BCom) course in a nearby college.
Khan fears that her younger sister will have to leave school after passing seventh class, the final level of upper primary municipal school. The fear, she says, is valid, given that she was forced to quit school after tenth class, due to financial constraints.
In 2019, she managed to resume Class 11 studies at a night college with financial assistance from teachers, a few debts and small scale jobs at home. Lockdown hit during her first year final exams, and like her younger sister, she too attended online classes with her friends and cleared the 12th class board exams with 76.5 percent.
According to the Centre for Budget and Governance Ability (CBGA), only 33 percent of women in India had access to the internet, in contrast to 67 percent of men. Further, the NSO data reveals that only 24 percent of Indian households have an internet facility.
According to Shinde, most of the children from marginalised communities were attending government schools so education and related entitlements were available for free up to the seventh or eighth standard. The pandemic disrupted this system with online classes and lack of access to digital infrastructure pushed children from marginalised communities, especially girls, out of school.
Ongoing efforts and scope for action
Mumbai’s Zarin Khan, community organiser at Nakshatra Network which works for girls’ education and health, says she and her colleagues have been constantly visiting girls who are willing to get back to school and convincing their parents to re-enroll them. According to Khan, the group has managed to re-admit six girls this year to school or college and is currently in touch with 35 more girls in the Malad Malwani area.
“We have also been gathering groups of girls and allowing them to study together since there are a limited number of phones,” Khan adds.
Education rights volunteers believe there is not much that they can do if the families have shifted to their native places after losing their source of income in cities during the lockdown.
When asked how schools can help bridge the gap between the number of girls enrolled and those attending online or offline classes, Shinde states that schools must first get in touch with local authorities such as Zilla Parishads or Municipal Corporations to identify vulnerable groups of children and ensure that they are attending school.
Second, schools must provide basic necessary facilities such as transport, books and uniforms to such children at the earliest. “Finally, schools must declare out-of-school and dropout cases as an educational emergency as any child left out of school is a potential victim of child marriage or child labour,” Shinde adds.
Organisations have also been conducting classes to help children work on their basic skills and recover from learning losses.
According to Nilendu Kumar, General Manager, Development Support of CRY, volunteers are also conducting bridge classes, where they take language, maths and science lessons, for children from marginalised communities in rural and urban areas, to ensure they are smoothly integrated into the offline system.
Says Kumar: “Children have faced a loss of education for more than one and a half years. This has been the biggest casualty. In the case of girls, if you have to prevent them from getting married underage, you have to ensure that you connect them to education in some or the other way.”
(*Names of all the girls have been changed to protect their identity)
Action for the Rights of the Child (ARC) is a network of NGOs working in and around Pune city. This network was formed to ensure the necessary ratification to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in India. This network works on the ground level and helps children out from their past. ARC has been doing this work for the past 30 years. I am glad that I’m a part of this organization. This made me aware of so many facts that I wasn’t even aware of.
Recently attended webinar was on child labour. It was a very resourceful session. It made me aware of the basic laws which any layman person should know. It also broadened my view about child labour. I earlier thought that child labour is only restricted to working at small retail shops and beggary on roads but I was wrong this is not just it. In the session, different members of the NGO discussed their work and all troubles they face.
Mr. Anand Mahajan who is an advocate shared few points which were mainly on the law. These points were very crisp and were explained in a very simple manner. He spoke about The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 later on which was amended to The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016. He also mentioned that this act came into enforcement in September 2016. He gave us a brief overview of what the act tells which was indeed very helpful as it widened my horizon of knowledge and not only that I came to know the difference between adolescents (14-18) and children (below14) but also what are the types work which are prohibited till the age of 18 for anyone. He also stated the punishments which would have to be served by the person who hires any child below 14. It is mentioned in Sec14. that all hazardous occupations are prohibited for children and also the punishments are laid down in it. He also said that the child artists which are seen on the screen are an exception. He also mentioned some facts about the labour office and the task force. He also explained why filing an FIR or a formal registration of a complaint is necessary. It is necessary because the court works on evidence and to prove your point you will need proof. He also mentioned some acts and laws which work in hand with The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 and those are NALSA and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
As mentioned earlier, I came across things where child labour is not restricted to working at small retail shops and beggary on roads. The members of the NGO who shared their work spoke and their words were -
That the no. of kids working in activities like picking up garbage has increased and it was also mentioned that picking up garbage comes under hazardous activities. Mr. Aditya Vyas from Kagad Kach Patra Kashtkari Panchayat mentioned that he also spoke to the people and they responded that their kid's school is closed so they just take the kids with them so that in that way they will at least get more wage. The other point mentioned was also that there is no one to take care of the kid at home so they bring them to work with them.
Mr. Harish Phadke from Society for Door Step Schools that works for the upliftment of kids of parents who work in factories that make bricks. He raised points about the education of the kids and how these factory people exploit these tribal people and if they try to raise a point, they won’t allow them to work the next day.
Mr. Dnyaneshwar Jadhawar, a writer and social activist, raised a point about the kids working in the sugarcane factories and in the process of cutting sugarcane. He said that the people from many different places migrate mainly from the area of Latur, Nagpur, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, etc. with their family and then, later on, all the people working in the factory-raised a point about their kids’ education. Then the government came up with a solution that they will be given a card which would assist them to get education for their kids in the nearest government schools. This wasn’t that effective as the teachers mainly used to neglect these kids.
Mr. Rohit Yaligar’s NGO NYAAS works for the upliftment of the kids from the slums. He mentioned that these kids mainly try to work from an early age so that they can earn more money for their families and themselves. He also mentioned that this is to be seen less in settled slums. He and his team are providing education and providing basic needs to them.
Mr. Param Anand, District Child Protection Officer (DCPO) set some general points that there is no general awareness among the people about child labour and how sensitive this topic is. He also mentioned that there is no proper data on child labour.
Mr. Sushant Asha, ARC Coordinator, presented a demo of using the PENCIL portal for reporting child labour cases. Using this simple platform, any citizen can report a working child found anywhere in the city. The concerned government department has to take an action on the cases reported by citizens through the PENCIL portal.
I learned that child labour is a very big issue and has to been taken seriously by both the parties the citizens and as well as the government. All the points mentioned by the panellists didn’t just encourage us to work forward with this work but also gave me a clear picture as to where we have to put in more effort. Through all the discussion what I could gather is that there is a lack of communication between NGOs and the government. I feel that the NGOs are trying their best from their side and so is the government. The government is bringing in new policies but they aren’t that effective or the case is that it isn’t being used. The NGOs are doing their best in all ways possible but if there isn’t mass awareness it is of no use. I feel that being a citizen of a country doesn’t just mean that we should only follow the rules for ourselves. Yes, the citizens must abide by the rules, but the citizens also have to help others in need so that the country progresses and reaches new heights.
I urge people to attend the sessions held by ARC. It will not only raise awareness about child labour and child marriage but will also give you a platform to raise your point of view. It will also help you to be a part of the change which has to be brought in society.
Lastly, I would like to quote that if you want to bring change, be the change yourself and everything will follow.
प्रिय सहकारी,
सप्रेम नमस्ते !!!
आपण गेल्या महिन्यामध्ये
"बालविवाह" या विषयावर कार्यशाळा घेतली होती. आपण सर्वांचा या कार्यशाळेला
उत्स्फूर्त प्रतिसाद होता. याच धर्तीवर आपण "बालमजुरी" या विषयावर
कार्यशाळा आयोजित करत आहोत.
आपण सगळे जाणता लॉकडाऊन परिस्थितीमध्ये
शाळा बंद आहे. त्यामुळे मुले बालमजुरीच्या विळख्यात अडकण्याची दाट शक्यता
आहे. एखाद्या ठिकाणी लहान मुल काम करत असेल तर सामाजिक संस्था वा सामाजिक
कार्यकर्ता म्हणून आपण काय भूमिका घेतली पाहिजे ?
मुलांबरोबर काम
करणाऱ्या संस्था व कार्यकर्त्यांसाठी आर्कच्या माध्यमातून "बालमजुरीतून
बालकांची मुक्तता व पुनर्वसन" या विषयावर कार्यशाळेचे आयोजन करत
आहोत. बुधवार, १८ ऑगस्ट २०२१ रोजी सकाळी ११.०० ते १.०० वा. ऑनलाईन
कार्यशाळेचे आयोजन करण्यात आले आहे.
सदर कार्यशाळेमध्ये किशोरवयीन
मुलांसोबत काम करणारे अनुभवी कार्यकर्ते आपला अनुभव मांडतील. तसेच पेन्सिल
पोर्टलचे सादरीकरण करण्यात येईल.
कार्यशाळा - बालमजुरीतून बालकांची मुक्तता व पुनर्वसन
August 18, 2021, 11:00pm - 1:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/gen-rrbp-hsn
धन्यवाद,
सुशांत आशा
9011029110 / 7066138138
प्रिय सहकारी,
सप्रेम नमस्ते !!!
आपण सगळे जाणता कि
सध्याच्या लॉकडाऊन परिस्थितीमध्ये शाळा बंद आहेत आणि अनेक पालक बेरोजगार
झाले असल्याने बालविवाहाचे प्रमाण वाढण्याची शक्यता निर्माण झाली आहे. अशा
परिस्थितीमध्ये आपण बालविवाह होऊ नये यासाठी जनजागृती करतच आहोत.
मात्र
बऱ्याच वेळा आपल्याला बालविवाहाच्या घटना समजतात आणि त्या रिपोर्ट केल्या
जात नाही असेही दिसून येते. एखाद्या ठिकाणी बालविवाह होत असेल अथवा
बालविवाहाची शक्यता असेल तर सामाजिक संस्था वा सामाजिक कार्यकर्ता म्हणून
आपली काय भूमिका असायला पाहिजे ? या विषयावर आपण चर्चासत्र घेत आहोत.
सदर
चर्चासत्रामध्ये बालविवाह थांबविण्यासाठी काम करणारे कार्यकर्ते
मार्गदर्शन करतीलच तसेच कार्यकर्ता / सामाजिक संस्था म्हणून बालविवाह होत
असतांना आपली काय भूमिका असली पाहिजे ? हे निश्चित केले जाईल. आर्क (
बालहक्क कृती समितीच्या ) सर्व सदस्यांना विशेषतः ग्राउंड लेवलला काम
करणाऱ्या कार्यकर्त्यांना आम्ही आवाहन करत आहोत कि या चर्चासत्रामध्ये
सहभाग घ्यावा.
विषय : बालविवाह होत असल्याचे / झाल्याचे समजल्यास सामाजिक कार्यकर्त्यांची / सामाजिक संस्थांची भूमिका
दिनांक: २१ जुलै २०२१
वेळ: सकाळी ११.०० ते दु . १.००
गुगल मिट लिंक: Workshop on child marriage
Wednesday, July 21 · 11:00am – 1:00pm
Google Meet joining info
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/ezc-qgyw-vbu
धन्यवाद,
सुशांत आशा ( समन्वयक - आर्क )
मंदार शिंदे ( संयोजक - आर्क )
9011029110 / 7066138138
मुलांच्या गोपनीयतेचा भंग करू नका आणि त्यांचा आत्मसन्मान हिरावून घेऊ नका!
- एलिन मार्कवीस, स्वतंत्र कायदेशीर सल्लागार
कोविड मदत कार्य पहिल्या लाटेकडून दुसऱ्या लाटेकडे जात असताना आणि आता तिसऱ्या लाटेची भीती जाणवत असताना, काही गोष्टींची काळजी घेणे गरजेचे आहे.
मी माझ्या अनेक मित्र-मैत्रिणींना आणि संस्थांना, ते मदत करत असलेल्या मुलांची ओळख उघड न करण्याबद्दल सांगत आले आहे. त्यांचे फोटो काढून सोशल मीडियावर पोस्ट करणे बेकायदेशीर आहे. माझ्या माहितीनुसार, मदत कार्याचा भाग म्हणून देखील मुलांची ओळख फोटोमधून उघड करणे या मूलभूत तत्त्वांच्या विरोधात जाते :- (ii) आत्मसन्मान आणि स्वयंमूल्य तत्व; (viii) निंदा न करणाऱ्या शब्दप्रयोगाचे तत्व; (xi) खाजगीपणा व गोपनीयता जपण्याच्या हक्काचे तत्व; (xiv) नव्याने सुरुवात करण्याचे तत्त्व, इत्यादी.
बाल न्याय (मुलांची काळजी व संरक्षण) अधिनियम २०१५ मधील कलम ७४ नुसार मुलांची ओळख उघड करण्यास प्रतिबंध केला गेला आहे. कोणत्याही वर्तमानपत्र, नियतकालिक, बातमीपत्र, किंवा ऑडिओ-व्हिज्युअल माध्यम, अथवा संवादाच्या इतर कोणत्याही स्वरूपातील कोणत्याही अहवालामध्ये, एखाद्या बालकाची ओळख उघड होईल अशा प्रकारे नाव, पत्ता, अथवा शाळा किंवा इतर कोणताही तपशील, अथवा अशा कोणत्याही बालकाचे छायाचित्र प्रसिद्ध केले जाऊ नये. या तरतुदींचा भंग करणारी कोणतीही व्यक्ती, सहा महिन्यांपर्यंतच्या तुरुंगवासाच्या अथवा दोन लाख रुपयांपर्यंत दंडाच्या किंवा दोन्ही शिक्षेस पात्र राहील.
मुलांच्या कल्याणासाठी काम करत असताना, मुलांच्या संरक्षणासाठी आणि सर्वोत्तम हितासाठी केलेल्या कायदेशीर तरतुदींकडे दुर्लक्ष किंवा त्यांचे उल्लंघन होणार नाही याची काळजी घेऊया.
लक्षात घ्या, जेव्हा तुम्ही एखाद्या बालकाचा, तुम्ही त्याला किंवा तिला देत असलेल्या वस्तूसोबत सेल्फी काढून पोस्ट करता, किंवा तुम्ही ज्यांना मदत केली आहे अशा अनेक मुलांचे फोटो पोस्ट करता, तेव्हा तुम्ही त्यांचा आत्मसन्मान हिरावून घेता, त्यांच्या गोपनीयतेचा भंग करता, आणि त्यांना आयुष्यभरासाठी कलंकित करता.
आंतरराष्ट्रीय बालमजुरी विरोधी दिनाच्या निमित्ताने
राज्यस्तरीय वेबिनार आणि चर्चासत्र
१० जून २०२१
आंतरराष्ट्रीय बालमजुरी विरोधी दिनाच्या निमित्ताने बालमजुरी विरोधी अभियान (CACL) या सर्व प्रकारच्या बालमजुरीचे उच्चाटन आणि बालहक्कांच्या अंमलबजावणीसाठी काम करणाऱ्या स्वयंसेवी संस्थांच्या राष्ट्रीय नेटवर्कच्या महाराष्ट्र शाखेतर्फे गुरुवार, दि. १० जून २०२१ रोजी एका राज्यस्तरीय वेबिनार आणि चर्चासत्राचे आयोजन करण्यात आले. यामध्ये प्रशासन, उद्योगक्षेत्र, स्वयंसेवी संस्था, तसेच बालकांच्या प्रतिनिधींनी आपले अनुभव आणि विचार मांडले व बालमजुरीच्या समस्येवर ठोस उपाययोजना करण्यासाठी विविध घटकांच्या एकत्रित प्रयत्नांची गरज असल्याचे मत व्यक्त केले.
राज्य बालहक्क संरक्षण आयोगाचे माजी सदस्य श्री. संतोष शिंदे यांनी बालमजुरीची सद्यस्थिती, विशेषतः महाराष्ट्र राज्यातील परिस्थिती, आणि बालमजुरी प्रतिबंधक कायदेशीर तरतुदींच्या अंमलबजावणीची सद्यस्थिती स्पष्ट करून वेबिनारची सुरुवात केली. त्यानंतर बाल मजुरांच्या समस्या, बालमजुरीची कारणे व परिणाम, सध्याच्या शासकीय योजना व उपक्रम, आणि बालमजुरी संदर्भात कायदेशीर तरतुदींच्या अंमलबजावणीतील आव्हाने यावर चर्चासत्र पार पडले. सदर चर्चासत्रामध्ये बालकांच्या दोन प्रतिनिधींसोबत महाराष्ट्र शासनाच्या शिक्षण आणि कामगार विभागातील अधिकारी, माजी सनदी अधिकारी, तसेच उद्योगक्षेत्र, स्वयंसेवी संस्था आणि सीएसीएल नेटवर्क यांच्या प्रतिनिधींनी सहभाग घेतला. सहभागी वक्त्यांनी खालील प्रमाणे मुद्दे मांडले -
बालक प्रतिनिधी (ओम आणि तिरुमला)
डॉ. कमलादेवी आवटे, उपसंचालक, राज्य शिक्षण संशोधन आणि प्रशिक्षण परिषद – SCERT : मुलांचे निवेदन ऐकून प्रभावित झाल्या आणि बालमजुरीचे उच्चाटन करून आपल्या सर्व मुलांना एक उज्वल भविष्य मिळवून देण्यासाठी एकत्र येण्याचे उपस्थित मान्यवर आणि प्रौढ व्यक्तींना आवाहन केले.
डॉ. शोभा खंदारे, प्राचार्य, जिल्हा शिक्षण प्रशिक्षण संस्था - DIET, पुणे
श्री. दत्ता पवार, कामगार अधिकारी, पुणे
श्री. उज्वल उके, माजी सनदी अधिकारी
श्री. समीर दुधगांवकर, माजी उपाध्यक्ष, महाराष्ट्र चेंबर ऑफ कॉमर्स, इंडस्ट्री ऐन्ड ऐग्रिकल्चर
श्री. रमाकांत सतपथी, सेव्ह द चिल्ड्रन
श्री. राधाकृष्ण देशमुख, बालमजुरी विरोधी अभियान (CACL) प्रतिनिधी
चर्चासत्रानंतर CACL महाराष्ट्र प्रतिनिधी श्री. अतुल भालेराव यांनी अभियानाच्या मागण्या सादर केल्या -
स्वयंसेवी संस्था, सामाजिक कार्यकर्ते, पत्रकार, शिक्षक, पालक आणि मुले, अशा वेगवेगळ्या सामाजिक घटकांनी या वेबिनार आणि चर्चासत्रामध्ये झूम मीटिंग तसेच फेसबुक लाईव्हच्या माध्यमातून सहभाग घेतला. बालमजुरी विरोधी अभियानाच्या राज्य संयोजक एलिशिया तौरो यांनी चर्चासत्राचे सूत्रसंचालन केले. अभियानाच्या प्रतिनिधी सोनाली मोरे यांनी आभार प्रदर्शन केले. बालमजुरीच्या संपूर्ण उच्चाटनासाठी बालमजुरी विरोधी अभियानामार्फत घेतल्या जाणाऱ्या सातत्यपूर्ण प्रयत्नांचा भाग म्हणून या कार्यक्रमातील चर्चेमधून पुढे आलेल्या सूचना आणि कृती यांचा पाठपुरावा केला जाईल.
अधिक माहितीसाठी, संपर्क:
बालमजुरी विरोधी अभियान (CACL), महाराष्ट्र
9892459833 / 9226104518
State Level Webinar and Panel Discussion
on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour (10th June 2021)
A State level Webinar and Panel Discussion was organised on Thursday, 10th June 2021, on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour, by the Maharashtra Chapter of Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), a national network of civil society organisations working towards eradication of child labour in all its forms and ensuring realisation of child rights. A panel consisting of representatives from the administration, the industry, civil society organisations, and child representatives agreed upon multi-stakeholder collaborative efforts to address the issue of child labour more effectively.
The Webinar started with Mr. Santosh Shinde, former member of State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (SCPCR) explaining the status of child labour, specifically in the state of Maharashtra, and the status of implementation of legal provisions for prohibition of child labour. This was followed by a panel discussion on the problems faced by child labourers, causes and effects of child labour, existing schemes and initiatives by the government, and challenges in the implementation of legal provisions with respect to child labour. The panelists included two representatives of children, along with officials from the Education and Labour departments of Government of Maharashtra, former IAS officer, representatives of industry, civil society organisations, and CACL network. The panelist spoke on the following points -
Children’s Representatives (Om and Tirumala)
Dr. Kamaladevi Awate, Deputy Director, State Council of Education Research and Training – SCERT : She was deeply touched by the voices of children and urged all adults and important decisions makers at the panel including herself, that we all come together to eradicate child labor and secure a future for all our children
Dr. Shobha Khandare, Principal, District Institute of Education Training - DIET, Pune
Mr. Datta Pawar, Labour Officer, Pune
Mr. Ujjwal Uke, Former IAS Officer
Mr. Samir Dudhgaonkar, Ex Vice President, Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry, and Agriculture
Mr. Ramakant Satapathy, Save The Children
Mr. Radhakrishna Deshmukh, Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL) Representative
After the panel discussion, Mr. Atul Bhalerao from CACL Maharashtra presented the Charter of Demands as below -
Various stakeholders, including civil society organizations, social activists, journalists, teachers, parents, and children attended this webinar and panel discussion through Zoom meeting and Facebook Live. The State Convenor of Campaign Against Child Labour, Ms. Alicia Tauro moderated the panel discussion. Ms. Sonali More presented a vote of thanks. The Campaign Against Child Labour will follow up on the suggestions and actions discussed in the programme as a part of their ongoing efforts to eradicate child labour.
For more details, contact:
CACL Maharashtra - 9892459833 / 9226104518
शासकीय व स्वयंसेवी संस्थांच्या समन्वयातून रस्त्यावरील परिस्थितीमधील मुलांचे पुनर्वसन शक्य – चर्चासत्रामध्ये कृती कार्यक्रमाची आखणी रस्त्यावर...
