CHENNAI: More than 32 industrial sectors are still recruiting child labour in North Chennai with textiles and automobiles having about 36 per cent child workers, according to a study done by Karunalaya Social Service Society and The Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands.The Rapid Assessment Study to Identify Child Labour Employing Industries and Establishments in North Chennai was done on an exploratory basis to identify the child labour-employing industries and establishments in various sectors and the number of children employed. The study was also done to sensitise the employers and other stakeholders to prevent employing children as labourers, according to Director of Karunalaya, N Paul Sunder Singh.The study has found that 371 children had been employed in the specific areas of north Chennai out of which, textile stores and godowns employed 18.8 per cent of the children (70 in numbers). The children were engaged for sales, packing, sorting and canvassing customers to their shop.The next type of industry that employed children was the automobile mechanic shops where 17.7 per cent minors were employed as helpers. Departmental stores had 11.3 per cent of the child labourers and tea and cool drinks shops employed 6.4 per cent of the children. Besides, hardware traders, steel and metal industries, plastic and hotel industries too employed children in significant number.The other industries listed may appear insignificant in numbers but the study has found that many of the industries employing children are hazardous, particularly mutton and chicken centres, welding works, TASMAC outlets and bars, electrical sound service and plywood industries that involve dangerous equipment.Interestingly, Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits employment of children below 14 years in hazardous industry, the regulation of other type of industry is not effectively implemented, the study observed.The study also found that the unorganised nature of industries violated the law and rights of children and some of the industries and establishments are hazardous even though they are unorganised in nature. Even the hours of work and regulations of the work place are non-existent as children working in these industries have to work more than 10 hours.Urging the need to strengthen the industry and establishment monitoring, the study recommended defining a child as a person below 18 years and declaring all forms of child labour as hazardous and repealing the present Child Labour Act.Though poverty is cited as the cause of child labour in India, in a city like Chennai, poverty is not the major cause. Rather, the socio-cultural situation in the family plays an important role, which reflects in the lifestyle, habits, myths and misconceptions, the study observed.“Some parents also feel that a formal education is not useful and that children learn skills through working. Children grow up illiterate because they are working and not attending school. There is a need to deal with the underlying causes of child labour and the enforcement of laws,” it stated.
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