Excalibur Stevens Biswas
Kolkata (HASTAKSHEP) Government does say lot of things about laws but still it takes no action against child labour as the picture of a child burning his innocence in a petrol pump shows. It is daylight violation of law as well as civic sense!
Let us fight against poverty!
Let us fight against bonded labour!
Let us fight against apartheid and discrimination in any form!
Let us fight against communalism!
Let us fight against terror!
Let us fight against inequality!
Let us fight against gender bias!
Let us fight against injustice!
We all know the reality of this jingled slogan and on the same line it is quite a hollow sound-let us fight against child labour. We cry to save the children but that child should belong to our caste, our class our community. We have nothing to do with the children belong to underclasses! Thus, Child labour is the practice of having children engages in economic activity, on part- or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are considered as the important causes of child labour in India. The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 4–15, to be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in 5–14 age group.
In India, The 2011 national census of India found the total number of child labour, aged 5–14, to be at 4.35 million, and the total child population to be 259.64 million in that age group. The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children work, many full-time.
We are not ashamed to debate on child care and child welfare in these circumstances!
These photos from Kolkata should be very disturbing for any sensitive Indian as the child is misused as a worker in a petrol pump which is not safe for any child. Rather he or she should be engaged in his or her studies.
Any comment from the Nobel laureate? Let us hear from me about the latest status of child labour since he has not spoken in public to Indian people for long!
We are habitual to see innocent child workers earning their bread and butter in our daily live in every segment of unorganised sector.
Set ahead the law of the land, on ground zero, Children are being engaged in catering, shops, begging, and crimes and even in illegal mining at large scale.
But then the petrol pumps should be protected area under continuous surveillance. And we do not react while seeking fuel when we see a child pumping oil.
It is a shame that we have a Nobel laureate who got the peace prize for his achievement to liberate bonded labour but India is not liberated from bonded labour at all. The Nobel laureate seems to be absconding as far as Indian scenario is concerned. India is torn within in intolerance inflicted by unprecedented caste communal clash and it is almost a civil war like situation but we have not heard anything from the Nobel laureate latest.

Hastakshep