Visakhapatnam District Collector Launches Drive Against Child Labour

Child labour is a matter of shame for the nation, with many being lucidly aware still encouraging and turning a blind eye to the hiring of children. With NGOs like CARE India, Talaash, Child Rights and You, RIDE India and many more striving hard to put an end to the issue, in support of the Child Labour Prohibition Act-1986, this transgression still sees no end. Even the internet generation pulled countless attempts to display this horrible crime, but still it brought no permanent change.

Children are always targeted by commercial businesses as they don’t demand, complain or fight back. Shopkeepers play with their innocence for selfish benefits. Things get even deplorable to find parents send their child to work while it’s a common responsibility to have them educated instead. Not many heed to how these little ones are treated. An uneducated child is one lost gem for the country, yet it is something we never take into serious account.

It is not unusual to find children working in restaurants, fruit juice outlets and many other places. In the process Visakhapatnam has also witnessed this misdeed, until the following happened. The city District Collector Pravin Kumar drove the labour department to inspect stores and commercial outlets. The team split in two managed to successfully emancipate 8 children.

Post receiving the news, an NGO that works against child labour helped conduct raids in various other places of the city. Some well known areas like Akkayapalem, Dondaparthy, Seethampeta, Dwarakanagar, Dabagardens, Police Barracks, Allipuram, 1-Town area, Kurupam Market and Poorna market were reportedly raided. The personals stated on severe measures to be taken against shopkeepers if they were found hiring children; as per several sections against protection of children rights. The Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has taken custody of the rescued children.