Action Against Child Labour Could Be Undone

The amendment when made law would allow children under the age of 14 to work in family run enterprises and the entertainment industry. Harpreet Bhullar, a programme officer with Save the Children, told Sky News: "There are no rules or ways to determine whether a particular work is a family enterprise or not, or is it hazardous or not. The law and rules do not clearly mention this. So it is very difficult and in that way it is promoting child labour." Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi, who gave up his job as an electrical engineer to dedicate himself to protecting and advancing children's rights, described the amendment as "regressive and counter productive". He said thousands of the children rescued by his organisation are from residential areas which under the new law would not be able to be set free. Gudiya, 11, spends all day embellishing clothes with her mother and sisters. In the whole day the family manage to complete three pieces that will fetch them around 100 rupees - that's about £1. Her mother Kanti said: "It's very difficult, my husband gets work off and on, sometimes he's unemployed for weeks... money is our biggest problem. So should I spend money on paying rent or send these children to school?" So, Gudiya and her siblings chip in to earn the extra cash. They are part of an invisible workforce that is unaccounted for.Though the numbers of children working in the formal sector has decreased, manufacturers have found ways of getting around the law. Clothes and other products are outsourced through layers of middle men and finally reach families like Gudiya's where it is finally finished for a pittance. Save the Children runs a study centre in Gudiya's neighbourhood to reach out to this invisible workforce. It's a place where children are familiarised with education. It's been an uphill task for the staff of the charity to convince parents of the children to spare two hours from work. Shamila, 14, told Sky News she fights with her parents to attend a study centre. She said: "I work from 6am till 2pm. I then rush here to study as I really like it. I get back to work at 4pm. The work is back-breaking and my eyes hurt. I will not learn anything from it. I want to study and become a teacher." India is home to the largest number of child labourers in the world - an estimated 13 million, according to government data, but campaigners say the real number is far higher. Years of relentless campaigns by activists and intermittent crackdowns by law enforcing agencies on factories employing children has turned the spotlight on child labour. According to government figures, this number has reduced over the years. But campaigners fear that with the new legislation the gains made might just well be undone. Source : news.sky.com/story/1609287/action-against-child-labour-could-be-undone