Bachpan
Bachao Andolan has organized a black
and white photo exhibition titled Life
in Frames at Travancore House, Kasturba
Gandhi Marg, New Delhi on 15th June
2005. The exhibition inaugurated by
Mr. Subodh Kant Sahay, Hon’ble
Minister for Food Processing and Mr.
Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Bachpan
Bachao Andolan. The exhibition was a
humble effort of 10 students of MCRC,
Jamia Millia Islamia and Wigan and Leigh
institute.
Intellectuals
from different walks of society as well
as students, theatre artists, photographers
visited the photo exhibition. They were
highly influenced by the photographs
and appreciated this effort. Visitors
also interacted with the activists of
BBA and acknownoledged BBA’s struggle
to fight the menace of child labour.
Before
getting down to the brass tack, we must
know what is child labour? Child labour
refers to anywork that is mentally,
physically, socially and morally dangerous
and harmful to the children. In developing
nation, poverty and child labour are
two inspirable things like the time
old question “whether the chicken
came first or the egg”. Today
child labour also has to be understood
not only as a problem faced by individual
children but also as a system engraved
in the society, perpetuating poverty,
social evil, inequity and unfair economic
and social norms.
Children
who are trapped in the web are deprived
of freedom, fun, childhood and forced
to work under inhuman conditions. Their
dreams are snuffed out at the very inception
itself. Do we not observe children toiling
in and out in agriculture, construction,
dhabas (kiosks), lock and bangle industries?
Now a question arises, how came the
humanity of 21st century be called civilized
and cultured, where millions of children
are crippled in labour havoc.
Don’t
you thnk that India is only a pseudo-developing
nation? Where the builders of the nation
have been exploited by the employers.
More or less, National Human Rights
Commission has been making a major effort
to have an impact on the child labour.
Persistent endeavors to generate great
awareness and sensitivity in the labour
departments of the state have begun
to show positive results; particularly
in lock belt. A committee to study all
aspects of the child labour situates
in the lock industries in Aligarh was
constituted by the commission on 2nd
August 2000. As a result, 370 schools
have been sanctioned under the National
Child Labour Project for the 11 child
labour prone districts of UP. At present
346 schools are operational and 19807
children withdrawn from work; are being
provided Non Formal education with benefits
of supplementary nutrition.
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Now
when we talk about child labour, then
Bal Ashram is an immediate answer. It
is a transit home as well as a school
cum vocational training centre at Virat
Nagar, Rajasthan, dedicated to the children
released from the shackles of boundage.
Bal Ashram came into existence in 1998
as an initiative of a great man Mr.
Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Bachpan
Bachao Andolan, a prominent social movement
of the country; working on child servitude.
Education
for All Children, Now! A Key To Ending
Child Labour
Free
and quality basic education for all
children is prime tool for ending child
servitude and addressing the root causes
of this. Basic education includes both
primary and secondary education provided
by the Govt. equally to all children.
Education must be treated as fundamental
rights and not as a privilege or a welfare
measure. Every country must establish
a legal framework to provide education
to all of its children.
It
we want that India should be a developed
country then we want an environment
where the same system works for all
children. We can’t keep talking
about the feelings of these children
in air-conditional rooms. Are we ready
to send our own children for work? Then
who gave these people the right to make
the poor children work. Now its time
to inextricably join hands all together
to fight against this social havoc,
as said by Mr. Kofi Annan, Secretary
General, UN. “Children
in need are children who cannot wait.”
