‘We can eradicate child labour’

THREE people from Rajasthan, including a first-generation learner from a nomadic community and two former child labourers, made India proud by representing it at the 5th Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Durban.

The event, organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the South African government, took place this week.

Tara Banjara belongs to the Banjara community in Rajasthan. Until the age of 8, she worked as a helper in a road construction unit.

But defying all odds, she became the first child from her community to pass matric and pursue senior secondary education. Now she is enrolled in college and hopes to become a police officer.

Banjara addressed the conference. “Does being poor mean we will be forced to work as child labourers? Every child has an equal right to education and it is the responsibility of every individual to prevent multiple forms of child exploitation,”

Banjara has been raising awareness in her community against child labour, child trafficking and child marriage. She prevented her younger sister’s marriage and convinced her family to send her to school.

Thanks to her efforts, more than 22 children from the nomadic communities are now in school. At present, there is no case of child labour or child marriage in her community.

Banjara is supported by Bal Mitra Gram (BMG), an initiative of the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation.

Amar Lal, who also belongs to the Banjara community in Rajasthan, said in his address: “Although governments across the globe spend billions on war, pertinent issues such as health and education of children are placed on the backburner. To benefit from the childfriendly laws and regulations, more efforts are required in their implementation. I hope governments across the globe prioritise the voice of children.”

To support his family, Lal started working in a stone quarry along with his father when he was just 6.

During a raid at the quarry, he

was rescued by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a sister organisation of the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation, and was brought to the Bal Ashram.

The Bal Ashram was co-founded by Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi and his wife Sumedha Kailash, in 1998, as a model rehabilitation centre for children rescued from child labour, child slavery and trafficking.

After completing his senior secondary education, Lal pursued legal studies. Today he is a child rights lawyer and activist.

Also addressing the conference was Rajesh Jatav from Rajasthan.

“I have come here to talk about scores of children who are languishing in forced labour and still await a safe and healthy childhood – together we can eradicate child labour.”

Education for Jatav was a distant dream as he worked 18 hours a day at a brick kiln in Jaipur.

Rescued at age 8, Jatav attended school at the Bal Ashram. In 2020, he completed a Bachelor’s degree in electronics from Delhi University and is pursuing an MBA in finance at Udaipur University.

Another participant in the conference was Badaku Marandi from

Jharkhand. A resident of Kanichihar village in Giridih district, Marandi’s father died when he was 5. He and his mother, Rajina Kisku, then started working in the mica mine to eke out a living.

In 2012, the mine collapsed during heavy rain, and Marandi was rescued from the debris by the local people. Two people, including Marandi’s friend, died in the accident.

Marandi’s eye was infected by an injury sustained in the accident, and he lost his vision in the eye. He was shattered by the death of his friend.

In 2013, the Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation selected Kanichihar village as a BMG or child-friendly village. Marandi was enrolled in school the same year and became the first individual from his village to pass the matric exam. He was also elected the head of the bal panchayat and now works as an active member of BMG.

More than 4 000 delegates participated in the conference. According to UN estimates, 160 million children – around one in every 10 globally – work as child labourers. The event was organised at a critical time, with only three years left to achieve the UN’S Sustainable Development Goal of eliminating child labour. |