To many, the word development is synonymous with material and physical progress. To us, development has to have a human face. Many consider no wrong when the fruits of development reach to only a handful of people. But we get concerned with the course of development, which provides no work guarantee for adults on the one hand and lets child labour to flourish on the other hand, as it’s cheap and easily exploitable. It is to demonstrate our concern towards social discrimination that we decided to translate it into action.
Eradication of Child Labour – we came face to face with the issue of child labour, during our efforts to organize agricultural labourers on issues of their employment and wages. Since children can be employed on low wages and are vulnerable to exploitation, profit-seeking landowners prefer them to their adult counterparts. Poverty, lack of adequate schooling facilities, apathy towards education formed some of the major causes forcing children to work. Moreover the lack of social recognition to and sensitivity towards working children’s reality was more appalling. Since 1988 we initiated sustained campaign to create social awareness against child labour.
Initially we started non-formal education centers in order to give educational inputs to working children, and readmit them to school as far as possible. During 1991-95, PIRD run NFE centers in 80 villages involving over 3000 children. We also initiated public campaigns, especially in religious festivals where thousands of people turn up, to draw attention to the severity of the issue and make an appeal for social intervention. With the same objective, in 1996 and 1998, PIRD organized two rallies in Marathwada region covering 10 districts.
In 1996 we carried out an innovative programme – Bridge Course Camp - that was a two months residential school for working children. Of the initial enrollment of 125 children, 85 actually stayed through camp. The camp was so designed as to develop their educational capabilities to a level of school readmission. Post camp 53 children were admitted to school.
Presently we have initiated ‘Education Awareness Campaign’ in five talukas, to seek villagers’ participation in checking child labour in their villages and ensuring cent percent school enrollment. Through this campaign we interact with major actors in villages, such as Grampanchayt representatives, Gram Shikshan Samittee members and members of Women & Youth Mandals, to sensitize them and motivate them to take a proactive role in checking child labour. By staying with villagers and through various cultural activities and surveys, we create a conducive atmosphere for complete school enrollment. We also run study centers to support school going children.
