CHENNAI: Almost a week ago, A Sangeetha (41), a staff of Child Helpline (CHL), died at a government hospital due to brain fever. But her death is not an isolated case; it exposed the grave realities of staff working as first responders in Tamil Nadu.
The CHL 1098 staff are employed to handle cases directly linked to children, which, more often than not, are highly sensitive and gruesome.
However, the government machinery is apathetic to these workers in terms of finance, mental and physical health. Field experts term it as ‘labour abuse’. Several 1098 staff narrated an ordeal of poor pay, lack of basic financial entitlements and work overload that’s detrimental to both mental and physical health, like in the case of Sangeetha. They also alleged that they were not given Provident Fund (PF) and medical insurance.
The salary of CHL staff is as follows: Rs 21,000 for a supervisor, Rs 23,000 for a counsellor, Rs 28,000 for a coordinator and Rs 18,000 for a case worker. It’s also important to note that none of them get paid on time, and even if so, they are not paid in full. “We were paid only 40% in May, and haven’t been paid for June yet. In case of conveyance allowance, which we spend from rescuing the child to rehabilitation, we’re often not paid the amount on time,”said a CHL staff. “There wasn’t enough money for Sangeetha’s funeral as most of it was spent on her treatment. This has forced us to ponder about insurance and PF.”
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Women and Child Development announced that the funds will be released to states through the Public Financial Management System (PFMS). But the TN government has not allocated the amount for CHL staff after the State took over in 2023. It’s also argued that the Ministry does not release enough funds to ensure all expenditure.
A Devanayan, a child rights activist, said, “This is no doubt but a labour exploitation. Comprising the welfare and safety of staff working with children is like comprising the safety and welfare of children themselves. Hence, it is high time the government considers this as a priority.”
Sangeetha, a native of Chennai, had been working at CHL for nearly seven years. As a supervisor, she had at least covered 500 cases, mostly related to the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO), rape and other cases related to children.
Her colleagues claimed that her expertise was on repatriation. She also played a crucial role in ensuring that children from Bihar, Orissa and Nepal return safely to their homes after being rescued from the city. But, according to her colleagues, work pressure and depression led to her death. Sangeetha is survived by her husband and a 17-year-old son Class 12. More importantly, her financial situation is also something that calls for attention, as per her colleagues, who are reeling from a similar situation.