Inspections held in Chennai, across TN to child labour

CHENNAI: To curb child labour across Tamil Nadu, the Labour department has ordered a joint inspection this month, coinciding with World Day Against Child Labour in June.

Following this, department officials, with the help of other stakeholders, have been conducting intensive inspections across all sectors in the state, especially in Chennai.

The joint inspection has so far been proven beneficial in Chennai, as officials have made multiple rescues. A joint team of the Labour Department, Child Welfare Committee (CWC) and the Chennai district task force had recently rescued two teenage boys from two outlets in Chennai.

As per sources from the department, two boys (15 and 17 years), from Nepal and Bihar respectively, were rescued from a catering establishment and an export unit located in T Nagar and Kilpauk. “They were produced before the CWC for further care and protection. The Labour department has initiated legal action against the employers,”said an official.

A source at the department said, “The child labour cases are thriving in the city at present, prompting officials to conduct inspections every single day. But the problem is much deeper than just rescuing children and ensuring repatriation.”

Calling high child labour cases in the city a legislative gap, a child rights activist said, “Officials view child labour cases from only one lens. They check if the child is below or above 14 years and if the condition of work is hazardous or not. But that is not even scratching the surface of the problem. The child could have been trafficked or forced into bonded labour by middlemen. So, during such inspection, officials should must also invoke the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act and the Bonded Labour Abolition Act wherever necessary.”