SHILLONG, JUNE 10: The testimonies of five out of the 700 children engaged as domestic workers shocked the state labour minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, who promised that the government will take punitive action against force labour in the state.
“I am shocked that at a very tender age you have to work and earn,” Lyngdoh told the children during an interaction with them on the occasion of the Anti-Child Labour Day held in the city on Friday.
Before the interaction, five children who were under the age group of 13-14 highlighted the reason – which is poverty -that made them go to work while urging the government to take measures to end child labour in the state.
Taking strong cognizance on the plea of the children, the labour minister said that the state government is ready to step in to ensure the issue is addressed and if necessary even rescue them.
She has also urged Child Rights Movement (CRM) of the North Eastern Regional Domestic Workers Movement (NERDWM), the organizer of the programme, to take up a case study on the history of such children.
“Please take up a case study of these children and we will conduct a follow up,” Lyngdoh said adding “The government wants to ensure that force labour is not allowed at all.”
Stating that parents should be held responsible for this mess, she said, “It is not fair and we will have to take strong actions because this is clear violation of human rights and child rights.”
While appealing to the children to put up courage to say no to child labour, Lyngdoh also suggested that the idea of giving such children to orphanage for better care, but failed to convinced the leaders of the NERDWM.
According to NERDWM, sending children to orphanage is not the solution but the government should rather ensure that they are provided with protection and quality education.-By Our Reporter
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