INTRODUCTION OF NGO

Organization profile

Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO), more commonly known as BOSCO is a project of the Salesians of Don BOSCO (SDB). BOSCO is a registered Non Profitable Charitable Organization under the Society's registration Act of 1960 (No.184/86-87). Constituted in 1980, we offer service to the Young at Risk like - children living on the streets, child labourers, abandoned / orphaned children, victims of drug abuse, victims of child abuse, begging children, rag pickers etc. Now, BOSCO has spread its wings across the city of Bangalore through 7 rehabilitation centres & 6 street presence locations. History & Origins

Bangalore Oniyavara Seva Coota (BOSCO) is a voluntary organization working with street and working children in Bangalore city for the last thirty years, we derive our inspiration from BOSCO the priest Don Bosco of Turin (1815 - 1888), an educationalist who worked tirelessly for the betterment of destitute and needy youth who lived on the streets during his lifetime.

Bosco Mane
This centre acts as a halfway home to street children below 15 years who are persuaded to come away from the streets. At this centre, boys enjoy maternal/paternal care, affection, concern and true fellowship. Some of the them are referred to other institutions for formal education while others attend training in carpentry, welding, two wheeler repairs, tailoring, electrical and bookbinding. At present there are about 80 boys residing in the centre. Besides, Mane serves as a convalescing centre from 1986 for the sick boys from the areas that require special care.

The major services of the centre

Child & Family Counselling Enrolment into Formal Education

mparting Programs

Working Strategies of BOSCO 1. At the level of young at risk 2. At the level of community and Society Target Groups of BOSCO 1. Unaccompanied Children living on streets 2.Children who do labour 3. Abandoned / Orphaned Children 4. Runaway / Missing children 5. Victims of Substance Abuse 6. Victims of Child Abuse / Violence / exploitation 7. Children who do begging 8. Children who do Rag Picking 9. Children whose Rights are violated

Services
Counseling Every child who enters BOSCO would undergo Counseling. They provide two types of counselling: Initial counseling and Intensive counseling. The intensive counselling will take a week long. The details of the child are revealed through the initial counseling. Their professional counsellors, who would in the process identify the real problems of the child and help him to transform his attitudes towards life. The intensive counselling includes recreational and motivational therapy as well. At the end of the counselling the child is either reinstated into his family or placed in one of its centres for rehabilitation. In some exceptional cases the child is referred to other care institutions.

Home Placement Home placement finds its core importance among all our activities. BOSCO believes that the Child belongs to his/her home and that is where the children can grow up best. Reinstating the children back in their homes at the earliest after rehabilitation is the goal that BOSCO pursues with intent. During the intervention time BOSCO absorbs them in the interim for a period that may be necessary and which depends on the specific needs of the individual. The counseling services in this direction and the formative measures undertaken are focused on enabling and empowering the individual child to reintegrate them back into their families or societies. Tracing Missing Children BOSCO is the nodal agency for the state for the missing child bureau as per the proceeding of Government of Karnataka. This decision has come with the efforts of BOSCO in ensuring the implementation of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act 2000 and the corresponding Amendment Act (2006). The Act envisages that the State Government shall set up a Missing Childrens Bureau to document and publicize information relating to Missing Children with the co-operation and collabouration of a child welfare voluntary organization and District Police Station. Education Most of the children stop their education after their initial schooling. The reason behind this scenario is that economic instability. BOSCO intends to support these children for their higher education in different trades with the help of well wishers and like minded people who could support these children to puruse the education further. Vocational Training

Vocational training coupled with Non-Formal Education is provided to those children above 14 years of age, who show too much resistance towards formal education. This is because many children from poor families find earning money as a better alternative compared to going to schools. Therefore we try to provide them with this option at least to help them lead a better and more responsible life. The vocational training includes welding, carpentry, twowheeler mechanism, computer training, tailoring etc. However, in the process whenever we discover that a child has developed interest in formal education, we help him to make a switch. Job Placement After completing the vocational training, we place these children in different job setting according to their qualification. This will help them to construct their future, by making them to find out their bread from their sweat. Room Placement Room placement for older boys nearing the age of 18 years is an activity to help them become independent. The job placed boys are assisted in procuring a separate rented room outside BOSCOs residential facility. Around 3 -4 boys live together in a room, they pay the rent jointly and stay together as a family with bonding. Advocacy Legal intervention on behalf of victimized children is one of our chief activity. We intervene in cases where children are abused / unjustly treated by employers or exploited by traffickers and send petitions on behalf of the children to Child Welfare Committee (CWC).

Health Care Giving better medical service to the children is one of our major concerns. It is our primary responsibility to look after the children until they are reintegrated with their families. We facilitate proper treatment for sick children and also conduct medical camps from time to time. Personality Enhancement Personality Enhancement has a vital aspect among our services. Such measures help to develop positive attitudes in life, facilitate growth in resilience, recognize and understand the personalities and bring awareness of hazards that adversely affect the physical health. Child Labour Eradication Child labour is a serious and extensive problem, with many children under the age of fourteen working in hazardous situation. Child labour has been identified as harmful and hazardous to the childs development needs, both mental and physical. BOSCO through its Child Labour project aims at the termination of child labour gradually and to ensure the change in mindset of these innocent kids to get in to normal and dignified life. HIV/AIDS Awareness HIV/AIDS is considered as the dreadful disease of this century. It is also spreading at an alarming rate. Being ranked second in case of HIV/AIDs patients, India is on the path to reach the top spot. This is mainly due to the unawareness among the people. As a remedy to this, we organize plenty of awareness programs in order to make young people on the streets to be aware about HIV/AIDS and its transmission.

National Research and Documentation (NRD) It is one of the important elements of BOSCOs activities aimed at providing for building a strong intellectual base essential for the kind of work it is involved in. NRD plays an indispensable role of adding intellectual and critical substance to the programs and activities of BOSCO and discerning its mission in the context of changing circumstances, emerging realities and policy environment that affect and influence its target groups and areas. NRD highlights BOSCOs experience as an inspiration to others to serve

Who is a Child? Defining what age a person is or ceases to be a child is a constant debate in the India. The Census of India considers children to be any person below the age of 14, as do most government programmes. Biologically childhood is the stage between infancy and adulthood. According to the UNCRC'a child means every human being below the age of eighteen years unless, under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier'. This definition of child allows for individual countries to determine according to the own discretion the age limits of a child in their own laws. But in India various laws related to children define children in different age limits.

The Indian Penal Code (IPC) 1860 finds that no child below the age of seven may be held criminally responsible for an action (Sec 82 IPC). In case of mental disability or inability to understand the consequences of one's actions the criminal responsibility age is raised to twelve years (Sec 83 IPC). A girl must be of at least sixteen years in order to give sexual consent, unless she is married, in which case the prescribed age is no less that fifteen. With regard to protection against kidnapping, abduction and related offenses the given age is sixteen for boys and eighteen for girls.

According to Article 21 (a) of the Indian Constitution all children between the ages of six to fourteen should be provided with free and compulsory education. Article 45 states that the state should provide early childhood care and education to all children below the age of six. Lastly Article 51(k) states the parents/guardians of the children between the ages of six and fourteen should provide them with opportunities for education.

Child labour was employed to varying extents through most of history. Before 1940, numerous children aged 514 worked in Europe, the United States and various colonies of European powers. These children worked in agriculture, home-based assembly operations, factories, mining and in services such as newsies. Some worked night shifts lasting 12 hours. With the rise of household income, availability of schools and passage of child labour laws, the incidence rates of child labour fell. In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, child labour is still prevalent. In 2010, sub-saharan Africa had the highest incidence rates of child labour, with several African nations witnessing over 50 percent of children aged 514 working. Worldwide agriculture is the largest employer of child labour. Vast majority of child labour is found in rural settings and informal urban economy; children are predominantly employed by their parents, rather than factories. Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the primary cause of child labour. Across the world, millions of children do extremely hazardous work in harmful conditions, that prevents them from getting an education or is harmful to their health or to their physical, mental, or social development. Every day, an estimated 215 million boys and girls work as child labourers, in the farms,

fields, factories, homes, streets and battlefields. They face hunger, hard work , ill-health and poverty.

According to International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 182, the worst forms of child labour include:

All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom, and forced or compulsory labour, including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict;

The use, procuring, or offering of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography, or for pornographic performances;

The use, procuring, or offering of a child for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties;

Work which, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

At least 2 million children are trafficked annually for child labour and sexual exploitation. Most child labourers are in the informal economic sector, where they are not protected by laws and regulations. The worst forms of child labour are illegal and must be eradicated immediately. Child labour involves at least one of the following characteristics:

Violates a nations minimum age laws Threatens childrens physical, mental, or emotional well -being Involves intolerable abuse, such as child slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labour, or illicit activities

Prevents children from going to school

Uses children to undermine labour standards

Where does most child labour occur? Of an estimated 215 child labourers around the globe: approximately 114 million (53%) are in Asia and the Pacific; 14 million (7%) live in Latin America; and 65 million (30%) live in sub-Saharan Africa.

CHILDREN IN INDIA Assuming that a child is any person below the age of eighteen let us exam the demographic state of children in India. The total Population of India as recorded by UNICEF in 2008 is 1181412000 (1.18 Billion). Indicator Total 446960000 Child population (446.96 Million) 129618400 317341600 (317.3416 Million) Urban Rural

37.83% of the (129.6184 total population Million)

126642000 (126.642 Child population Million) below 5 years old

36726180

89915820 (89.92 Million)

10.72% of the (36.73 Million) total population

92892220 Child population 5-18 320318000 years old (320.318 (92.89 Million)

227425780 (227.43 Million)

Million)

Population below international poverty 187723200 line of US $ 1.25 per (187.7232 day Million) (42% in 2008) CIF estimates 40% of Children are marginalized due to poverty, labour, abuse, disability, 178784000 malnutrition,conflicts, disasters , (178.784 Million) displacement, illiteracy, abandoned, etc (2006)

Child Labour in India

India continues to host the largest number of child labourers in the world today. According to the Census 2001, there were 12.7 million economically active children in the age-group of 5-14 years. The number was 11. 3 million during 1991 (Population Census) thus showing an increase in the number of child labourers. Workers in general are classified into main and marginal workers1 by the population census. Census data shows that there is a decline in the absolute number as well the percentage of children (5-14) to total population in that age group, classified as main workers from 4.3 percent in 1991 to 2.3 percent in

2001. But there was a substantial increase in marginal workers in every category of worker irrespective of sex and residence. As a result, despite the number of main workers declining from 9.08 million in 1991 to 5.78 million in 2001, the total number of children in the work force increased. A large part of the increase was accounted for by the increase in marginal workers, which increased from 2.2 million in 1991 to 6.89 million in 2001. The trends between 1991 and 2001 of declining main child workers along with increasing marginal workers may indicate the changing nature of work done by children. This is also to be seen in the context of decelerating employment growth in general in the economy during the last decade. Poverty and lack of social security are the main causes of child labour. The increasing gap between the rich and the poor, privatization of basic services and the neo-liberal economic policies are causes major sections of the population out of employment and without basic needs. This adversely affects children more than any other group. Entry of multi-national corporations into industry without proper mechanisms to hold them accountable has lead to the use of child labour. Lack of quality universal education has also contributed to children dropping out of school and entering the labour force. A major concern is that the actual number of child labourers goes un-detected. Laws that are meant to protect children from hazardous labour are ineffective and not implemented correctly. A growing phenomenon is using children as domestic workers in urban areas. The conditions in which children work is completely unregulated and they are often made to work without food, and very low wages, resembling situations of slavery. There are cases of physical, sexual and emotional abuse of child domestic workers. The argument for domestic work is often that families have placed their children in these homes for care and employment. There has been a recent notification by the Ministry of Labour making child domestic work as

well as employment of children in dhabas, tea stalls and restaurants "hazardous" occupations. The following are some of the situations in which children are engaged in work: - Children working long hours and under severe hardships on the fields. They are also exposed to the hazards of working with modern machinery and chemicals. - Like glass making, mining , construction , carpet weaving, zari making, fireworks and others as listed under the Child Labour Act. ce establishments. - Rag pickers , porters ,vendors etc. - Largely invisible and silent and hence face higher degree of exploitation and abuse in the home

Magnitude of Child Labour across States

There is across the board decline in the incidence of child labour in the Southern and Western Indian States and UTs between 1991 and 2001. However, there has been an increasing trend in the Eastern and North Indian States and UTs. While the Kerala and Tamil Nadu stories are well known, it is heartening to see that the state of Andhra Pradesh, that had a dubious distinction of having the largest child labour force in the country, shows very remarkable reduction in workforce participation, along with a dramatic increase in the enrolment of children in school. Surprising is the case of Himachal Pradesh, which has shown significant increases in school attendance and in literacy levels.2 However,

there is a dramatic increase in the percentage of children in the age-group 5-14 years who are classified as workers, both main and marginal CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR Child labour persists even though laws and standards to eliminate it exist. Current causes of global child labour are similar to its causes in the U.S. 100 years ago, including poverty, limited access to education, repression of workers rights, and limited prohibitions on child labour. Poverty and unemployment levels are high. Poor children and their families may rely upon child labour in order to improve their chances of attaining basic necessities. More than one-fourth of the world's people live in extreme poverty, according to 2005 U.N. statistics. The intensified poverty in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America causes many children there to become child labourers. Access to compulsory, free education is limited. In 2006, approximately 75 million children were not in school, limiting future opportunities for the children and their communities. A 2009 report by the United Nations estimated that achieving universal education for the world's children would cost $10-30 billion -- about 0.7% - 2.0% of the annual cost of global military spending. Existing laws or codes of conduct are often violated. Even when laws or codes of conduct exist, they are often violated. For example, the manufacture and export of products often involves multiple layers of production and outsourcing, which can make it difficult to monitor who is performing labour at each step of the process. Extensive subcontracting can intentionally or unintentionally hide the use of child labour.

Constitutional provisions for children in India Several provisions in the Constitution of India impose on the State the primary responsibility of ensuring that all the needs of children are met and that their basic human rights are fully protected. Children enjoy equal rights as adults as per Article 14 of the Constitution. Article 15(3) empowers the State to make special provisions for children. Article 21 A of the Constitution of India directs the State to provide free and compulsory education to all children within the ages of 6 and 14 in such manner as the State may by law determine. Article 23 prohibits trafficking of Human beings and forced labour. Article 24 on prohibition of the employment of children in factories etc, explicitly prevents children below the age of 14 years from being employed to work in any factory, mine or any other hazardous form of employment. Article 39(f) directs the State to ensure that children are given equal opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and guaranteed protection of childhood and youth against moral and material abandonment. Article 45 of the Constitution specifies that the State shall endeavour to provide early childhood care and education for all children until they complete the age of 6 years. Article 51A clause (k) lays down a duty that parents or guardians provide opportunities for education to their child/ward between the age of 6 and 14 years. Article 243 G read with schedule-11 provides for institutionalizing child care to raise the level of nutrition and the standard of living, as well as to improve public health and monitor the development and well being of children in the Country.

Union laws guaranteeing Rights and entitlement to Children A fairly comprehensive legal regime exists in India to protect the rights of Children as encompassed in the Countrys Constitution. The age at which a

person ceases to be a child varies under different laws in India. Under the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986, a child is a person who has not completed 14 years of age. For the purposes of criminal responsibility, the age limit is 7 (not punishable) and above 7 years to 12 years punishable on the proof that the child understands the consequences of the act, under the Indian Penal Code. For purposes of protection against kidnapping, abduction and related offences, its 16 years for boys and 18 for girls. For special treatment under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2011, the age is 18 for both boys and girls. And the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act 2005 defines a child as any person below the age of 18, and includes an adopted step- or foster child. Important Union laws Guaranteeing Rights and Entitlement to Children 1. The Guardian and Wards Act, 1890 2. The Reformatory Schools Act,1897 3. The prohibition of Child Marriage Act,2006 4. The Apprentices Act, 1961 5. The Children (Pledging of Laour) Act, 1933. 6. The Hindu Minority and Guardianship Act, 1956 7. The Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Ac, 1956 8. The Immoral Traffic prevention Act, 1956 9. The Womens and Childrens Institutions (Licensing) Act, 1956 10. The Young Persons harmful Publications Act, 1956 11. The Probation of Offenders Act, 1958 12. Orphanages and Other Charitable Homes (Supervision and Control) Act, 1960 13. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 14. The Juvenile Justice ( Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000, repealed the Juvenile Justice Act 1986. The 2000 act also has been amended in 2006 and 2010.

15. The Infant Milk Substitutes, Feeding bottles and Infant Foods (Regulation of Production, Supply Distribution) Act, 1992 and its amendment of 2003

Important Schemes for Well- being of Children

1. Integrated Child Development Service Scheme 2. Integrated Child Protection Scheme 3. National awards for child Welfare. 4. National Child Awards for Exceptional Achievements. 5. Rajiv Gandhi Manav Seva Awards for Service to Children. 6. Balika Samriddhi Yojna. 7. Nutrition Programme For Adolescent Girls 8. Early Childhood education for 3-6 age group children. 9. Welfare of working children in need of Care and Protection 10. Childline services 11. Rajiv Gandhi National Creche Scheme for children of working mothers. 12. UJJAWALA : A Comprehensive Scheme for Prevention of trafficking and Resue, Rehabilitation and Re-integration of Victims of Trafficking and Commercial Sexual Exploitation 13. Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan 14. National Rural Health Mission 15. Rajiv Gandhi Scheme for empowerment of Adolescent Girls SABLA. 16. DhanaLakshami Conditional Cash Transfer for Girl Child with insurance cover 17. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights

What needs to be done?

Given the magnitude and complexity of the problem and the relative ineffectiveness of the government, many non-government organizations and collabourative efforts by the government and non-government agencies are becoming more prevalent in recent years. Though many organizations are focusing on eradicating child labour by mobilizing community participation for universal primary education, there is a common attitude prevailing in our country to accept child labour as an unavoidable consequence of poverty. There is a need to formulate a holistic, multi-pronged and concerted effort to tackle this problem. An integrated approach involving various strategies like poverty eradication programmes, campaigns, budget advocacy, community action, engaging institutions of governance for the ultimate attainment of the desired goal.

1. Poverty Eradication Programmes: Poverty has an obvious relationship with child labour, and studies have "revealed a positive correlation - in some instances a strong one 11 - between child labour and such factors as poverty" (Mehra-Kerpelman 1996, 8). With the growing gap between haves and havenots, poverty eradication programmes occupy a central position. The poor and needy should get their share in the development process. There is need to create and implement pro-poor, inclusive policies with strong political will. Caste is also an important determinant on child labour. When analyzing the caste composition of child labourers Nangia (1987) observes that, "if these figures are compared with the caste structure of the country, it would be realised that a comparatively higher proportion of scheduled caste children work at a younger age for their own and their families economic support" (p. 116). Scheduled caste (lower caste) children tend to be pushed into child labour because of their familys poverty. Nangia (1987) goes on to state that in his study 63.74% of child labourers said that poverty was the reason they worked (p. 174). The

combination of poverty and the lack of a social security network form the basis of the even harsher type of child labour. For the poor, there are few sources of bank loans, governmental loans or other credit sources, and even if there are sources available, few Indians living in poverty qualify. Here enters the local moneylender, for an average of two thousand rupees, parents exchange their childs labour to local moneylenders (Human Rights Watch 1996, 17). Since the earnings of bonded child labourers are less than the interest on the loans, these bonded children are forced to work, while interest on their loans accumulates. A bonded child can only be released after his/her parents make a lump sum payment, which is extremely difficult for the poor (Human Rights Watch 1996, 17). Even if bonded child labourers are released, "the same conditions of poverty that abused the initial debt can cause people to slip back into bondage" (International Labour Organization 1993, 12). Even though poverty is cited as the major cause of child labour, it is not the only determinant. Inadequate schools, lack of schools, or even the expense of schooling leaves some children with little else to do but work. The attitudes of parents also contribute to child labour; some parents feel that children should work in order to develop skills useful in the job market, instead of taking advantage of a formal education. This abhorred practice is accepted as being necessary for poor families to earn an income. Thus, an 12 extensive reform process is necessary to eliminate the proliferation of child labour in India which strives to end the desperate poverty in the nation. Changing the structure of the workforce and hiring the high number of currently unemployed adults in greatly improved work conditions is only the first step in this lengthy process. Emergency relief should give

attention to the rehabilitation of agriculture, live stock and fisheries. New labour standards and wages must be adopted and medical examinations and minimum nutrition requirements must be established in India. 2. Campaign for strict implementation of Legislations: NGOs and voluntary organisations can do an intensive campaign to spread across the civil society

organisations through networking to draw the attention of the policy makers, implementators and the community. The organisations working on any issues should involve in the campaign by putting the problem of child labour on the prime agenda. The campaign should focus on the effective implementation of the various legislations. The strategies should be aimed at change at the local, provincial, national and/or international levels. NGOs can play a pivotal role in the process of universalisation of education by adopting innovative approaches to quality education. Effective implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) would translate the Right to Workas envisaged in the Article 41 of Indian Constitution to a statutory legal right. The NREGA heralds a promising era in poverty alleviation. Poverty is not just income deficiency; the need for enabling environment both physical and psychological needs to be addressed. The works are necessary for the rural agriculture economy that has the potential to get this poor deprived community out of poverty. Hence there is a need to get active during the implementation of the various legislations.

3. Budget Advocacy: The organisations need to take up the issue of budget analysis and advocacy for budget allocation for the implementation of the policies. Most of the time the policies are formulated without proper budget allocation which affect the process of implementation. Budget analysis is an advocacy tool for developing public understanding on policy priorities of the Government which will have a greater impact on those who have little political influence (poor and marginalized). It is important to scrutinize the Government Budgets from the perspective of child development. Mere analysis of the 13 Budgets alone cannot influence the policy making unless it is supported by proper public action or advocacy to promote the findings in public forums so as to influence the common mindset. This would eventually empower the people to seek Governments accountability. It will give widespread information about the performance of the Government and can also become a ground for creating

public pressure on the issues that affect the children. There is a need to establish a strong lobby body or platform to work with Government to increase allocation of budget for children. Coordinated and collective effort from the NGOs and Civil Society Organizations strengthen the budget allocation for children. This process would provide a large operative space and public support to the child labour campaign. 93rd constitutional amendment to the constitution made the right to education as a fundamental right is an opportunity to strengthen the campaign. The main motto of the campaign should be to change political attitudes by socializing the issues of children at the community level.

4. Community Action towards Child Education: There is need to bring about wide spread public awareness towards initiating community action in promoting school enrolment. Education helps a child to develop cognitively, emotionally and socially, and needless to say, education is often gravely reduced by child labour. We need to create a conducive climate in which community people at large would not tolerate the child labour in any form any more. There is need to bring about awareness among the poor parents so that they will develop a willingness to make any sacrifice to get their children educated. It is possible only when they are convinced about the significance of education. Once the child is released from labour, the child should be admitted either to formal education or to informal education depending upon various factors like age, level of understanding. This should be accompanied with vocational training depending upon their own choice. Preparation should also be made for sustaining education outside of formal school buildings, using community facilities and strengthening alternative education through a variety of community channels. Influence and sensitize the political parties to include child education and eradication of child labour in their election manifesto. Through training and capacity building of central care givers, including 14

parents, teachers, and community health workers, a diversity of programmes can enhance the communitys ability to provide education to children.

5. Engaging Institutions of Governance: The institutions of governance at grass root can monitor the policies, programmes and laws to ensure protection of childrens interests and rights. Gram Panchayat can play a responsible role in identification of the projects in the Gram Panchayat areas and allocate employment opportunities to the needy. It can also ensure child participation and choice in matters and decisions affecting their lives. There is need to create community monitoring system through their effective participation in the Gram Sabha. Strengthening community participation in the whole process by way of conducting regular social audits of all the programmes is a prerequisite. In doing so they seek authorities accountable and transparent towards effective implementation of various government programmes meant for child education and eradication of child labour.

REVISED NATIONAL CHILD LABOUR PROGRAMME (NCLP) .1. Transitional Education Centres The current National Child Labour Programme (NCLP) needs to be revamped. NCLP schools must be converted into Transitional Education Centres (TECs) which are both non-residential and residential. It is very important that the guidelines for TECs are very flexible, adapting to the local situation.Every child rescued from work would have to be brought to a local TEC and the TEC would have to accept all children who are rescued from work. These TECs must act as bridges and the children are to be handed over to the SSA programme. This will have to be decided on a case-by-case basis. Each TEC should have facilities to accommodate at least 50 children at any given point of time. It is proposed to have 30 TECs (non-residential) in each of the 600 districts in the country. These TECss would be equipped for at least 50 children at any given point of time. However, it is expected that there would be even more number of children due to the intensive campaign, awareness building as well as enforcement of law. The NCLP scheme must be flexible enough to take all such children and if necessary merge a couple of TECs in one place. It is envisaged that 45 lakh children would be benefited by this arrangement. Some children who are rescued from work have no security in terms of their family or community and are, therefore, in a highly vulnerable position of exploitation. The residential TECs would be the first post where such rescued children would be sent. It is proposed to have 2 residential TECs in each district with 50 children in each. Even here, depending upon the demand there must be flexibility to increase the residential TECs and if necessary, modify the non-residential TECs to residential ones, within the budgets that are provided for. It is envisaged that 3 lakh children would benefit from this over five years.

Migrant children The NCLP needs to recognize the special situation of migrant child labourers. These could be children who have runaway from home or children who migrate seasonally with their families. Given the extent of intra-state migration, additional TECs must be set up in states/districts from where families migrate and linkages must be established with local schools so that children have a residential facility when their parents move out for work. temporary TECs could also be set up in areas where people migrate for work such as to the brick kilns, salt pans, sugar cane areas, to name a few. Local NGOs could be supported to run these temporary TECs so that children get health and education facilities and are not roped into work. NCLP Project Society at District level Each district would continue to have a District Child Labour Project Society under the NCLP program with the District Collector as its Chairperson and a committee that assists and advises the staff. It would have to however expand its operations to going beyond running of special schools. It would add the component of an intense social mobilisation through the social mobilisers, along with taking up the TECs. Social Mobilisation Given that eradication of child labour is not an easy task, preventive strategies are more sustainable in the long run. One of the major preventive strategies, which must feature in any national child labour eradication policy, is the role of social mobilization and community participation. It is vital to ensure that children stay at home and go to formal government schools rather than leave home to work full time. There has to be a national campaign to invoke public interest and large-scale awareness on this issue, there is a need for an extensive awareness generation campaign launched over a period of time at the Centre and State on a sustained basis. Required budgetary provisions for such a mass campaign must be provided for in 11th Plan.

Social Mobilisers Child labourers are spread across the country; working in dispersed villages and slums. The eradication of child labour cannot be done by the labour department alone, as it is so under-staffed. Labour department needs to have a cadre of youth volunteers who can be trained as Social Mobilisers who will be responsible for withdrawing children from work as well as monitoring school dropouts and children with irregularity of attendance. It is understood that if such children are not tracked they would join the labour force as child labour. It is proposed to have 5 social mobilisers in each of the 6202 Blocks in the country. Each of the social mobilisers would be responsible for 200 children and it is envisaged that through their activity the status of more than 3 crore children would be monitored. Survey of child labour It is necessary that the government commission research and surveys on different aspects of child labour in the country. This is important since the last countrywide enumeration 7 of the working children was held in 2001 Census and the incidence of child labour may have undergone change since then with population growth and the large-scale migration of workforce.

2. EXISTING PROGRAMMES FOR REHABILITATION OF CHILD LABOUR 1- National Child Labour Programme A National Policy on Child Labour was announced in 1987 which emphasised the need for strict enforcement measures in areas of high child labour concentration. In order to translate the above policy into action, the Government of India initiated the National Child Labour Project Scheme in 1988 to rehabilitate the working children starting with 12 child labour endemic districts of the country. Under the Scheme, working children are identified through child labour survey, withdrawn from work and put into the special schools, so as to

provide them with enabling environment to join mainstream education system. In these Special Schools, besides formal education, they are provided stipend @ Rs.100/- per month, nutrition, vocational training and regular health check ups. In addition, efforts are also made to target the families of these children so as to cover them under various developmental and income/employment generation programmes of the Government. The Scheme also envisages awareness generation campaigns against the evils of child labour and enforcement of child labour laws. It is seen that the level of enforcement in the States of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra & West Bengal is encouraging, whereas that in UP, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh & Orissa it is very low.

However, so far only 3,74,255 children have been mainstreamed under the Scheme. The State-wise break up is as follows: State No. of children mainstreamed Andhra Pradesh 1,73,297 Bihar 10,704 Jharkhand 10,231 Karnataka 10,467 Madhya Pradesh 2,314 Chhattisgarh 4,171 Maharashtra 8,235 Orissa 63,237 Rajasthan 11,371 Tamilnadu 39,523 Uttar Pradesh 23,251 West Bengal 16,086 Punjab 1,368 Total 3,74,255

3 ILO-International Programme for Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) ILO launched IPEC Programme in 1991 to contribute to the effective abolition of child labour in the world. India was the first country to sign MOU in 1992. The INDUS Project envisages direct interventions in the identified 21 districts spread across five states for identification and rehabilitation of child labour. The strategy under the project is to complement and build up on the existing government initiatives.

SYNERGY BETWEEN ALL CONCERNED DEPARTMENTS Ministries and departments have different roles to play in order to ensure that children removed from work are properly rehabilitated and do not go back into the work force. 1. Department of Labour The department of Labours function is to identify and rescue child labour and ensure that all the children who are out of school in an area are covered; Enforce law- and action against employers of children; Counsel rescued children and mainstream them into formal schools; Coordinate all the concerned departments of education, police, youth, welfare panchayat raj, and women and child development and establish protocols for collabourative action; Establish TECs for children rescued from labour.

2. Department of Education The department of education has the task of integrating all out of school children which includes child labour and school dropouts into the school system and ensure that children enjoy their right to education. Their function is to prevent children from joining the labour force the education department must ensure that all children in the 5-8 years age group are enrolled and retained in schools; through SSA pay attention to children in the 9-14 age groups like child labour, migrating children, street children, domestic child workers and school

dropouts and never enrolled children and provide for residential and nonresidential bridge courses, seasonal hostels, mobile schools and work-site schools for children who migrate with their families must from the very beginning be linked to a formal government school

3. Department of Home/Police The role of the police is, booking the right cases under the Child Labour Act and all other relevant Acts; take complaints all missing children and track them and follow up in the best interest of the child and their right to education.

4. Department of Youth Affairs The Nehru Yuvak Kendra Sangatanas (NYKS) under the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports has a huge network of youth clubs across the country. They must spearhead a campaign against child labour and for childrens right to education in the entire country.

5. Department of Panchayat Raj The Ministry for Panchayat Raj /Rural Development is to ensure that all gram panchayats fully monitor the status of children in their area. It must also provide training for the gram panchayats to track children and protect their rights

6. Department of Women and Child Development The Ministry must strengthen Child line and expanded to every district of the country. A Juvenile Justice Board and a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) must be set up in every district as required in the JJ Act of 2000. There is a need for the Labour department to coordinate its activities with the CWC.

7. Involvement of Judiciary There has to be an orientation for the judiciary and establishment of procedures for making the courts child friendly. Children must not be allowed to make forays to the Court till they turn hostile. There is a need to also establish mobile courts for quick and timely action to rescue children and book cases.

8. Role of Gram Panchayats At the level of gram panchayats, children would not be statistics but will have specific names. If children are not found in the village or with their family, there must be an immediate enquiry into their whereabouts. As a first step they must lodge a police complaint and pursue the matter till children are found and rescued from whatever location they might be in. A list of all such children who are not in the families must be drawn up and consolidated at the mandal/block/ and district level. It must be monitored at the State level and reviewed systematically.

9. Vocational Training for children in 15-18 years age group The Labour Department should assist children who have completed Class X to get vocational training by linking them up to local ITIs, NGO run vocational training programmes and private sector initiatives. They should not run vocational training centers as the track record of vocational training centers set up by the labour departments is extremely poor. The labour department should instead help older children to get placements in the job market.

TRAININGS Youth volunteers, gram panchayats, school teachers, officers of labour department and so on must all be given training about child labour and their respective roles in abolition of child labour. Training modules are to be

prepared on the issue of child labour and education. All the participants must have a legal literacy and have a full knowledge of childrens rights and their entitlements, the role of various departments, and awareness of the schemes and programs meant for children.

EDUCATION AS AN INTERVENTION STRATEGY TO ELIMINATE AND PREVENT CHILD LABOUR Consolidated Good Practices of the International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC )
Education is pivotal to eliminating and preventing child labour, to establishing a skilled workforce and to promoting development based on the principles of social justice and human rights. There has been progress in recent years in raising public consciousness of the problem of child labour, of its pervasive and tenacious nature and of the awful prospect that it is growing in some areas of the world, for example, in parts of sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, key UN and other international agencies are now working together more effectively, which is critical to sustaining the growing global movement to eliminate child labour. The basis of action to combat the problem is the political will and commitment of individual governments and civil society to address it. It has been shown that a phased and multi-sectoral strategy which motivates a broad alliance of partners to acknowledge and act against child labour is most effective in bringing about tangible and sustainable results. Primary education in most countries is not completely free and in most developing countries schooling is not accessible to all children. Parents who send their children to primary school must shoulder numerous indirect costs, such as uniforms and

textbooks. Furthermore, they incur the opportunity cost, which is the wage that the child would earn if she or he was working instead of going to school. Still, while poverty is an important pull factor, dragging children prematurely into the labour market, there are important push factors, particularly social exclusion, within the education system itself, or within the local communities in which schools are situated. Investments in primary education should be spread more evenly, focusing more on children at risk. Not taking these children into special consideration will jeopardize the goal of achieving universal primary education by 2015, one of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The lack of mechanisms to offset the opportunity cost for very poor families is particularly important.

Good practices in education to eliminate and/or prevent child labour In India

ILO-IPEC, therefore, has acquired experience and expertise in a number of strategic areas regarding education-related activities to eliminate or prevent child labour and reach out-of-school children. On the basis of this experience, it has been possible to highlight some key underlying principles that characterize some of the good practices that have been emerging, for example: Multi-sectoral approaches have a much more effective and sustained impact in the elimination and prevention of child labour, combining the involvement of relevant government line ministries, social partners and civil society. Education is a necessary, but not sufficient, intervention in the case of children working in hazardous and exploitative labour. In addition to receiving education of good quality and relevance, working children also need to benefit from a protective rights-based environment and access to legal, health and other services.

 Child labour must be mainstreamed into Poverty Reducation Strategy Papers (PRSP), EFA, national plans of action and other resource allocation frameworks. Partnerships within the broader framework of the UN system and other international and national organizations must be actively pursued and implemented. Particular attention should be paid to the situation of girls work and education through gender specific strategies, and to the situation of particularly vulnerable groups of children, for example, the very young. Formal education strategies are vital to the long-term success of interventions. Practices should be grounded in country-specific realities when dealing with the issue of child labour, while recognizing broader issues that may go beyond any one specific country. There are a variety of approaches being undertaken using education as a means of combating child labour. The identification of good practices in this area will help in the creation of a knowledge base that can assist field practitioners, policy makers, agencies, organizations and other partners and may be able to support work in mainstreaming child labour in EFA and poverty reduction strategies and in other development approaches. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRACTICE IN INDIA India This aims to eliminate child labour through the universalisation of quality formal education and works towards the creation of awareness and demand for education among the poor. It started working in the Ranga Reddy district of Andhra Pradesh in 1991 and universalisation of formal primary education has been one of its key objectives. MVF maintains that children are not meant to be workers and each child out of school is a potential worker. Their programmes therefore target all children, believing that every child going to school means keeping the child away from working. Moreover, providing schooling to child workers is only not a matter of building a child-friendly environment within the

schools, but also promoting a broader, more political environment in which going to school is part of the fundamental rights framework for children. The geographical location of the action programme supported by ILO-IPEC, Kulkacherla Mandal, is a very underdeveloped area and there is also a high concentration of girls working in the production of hybrid cotton seeds in cotton farms. Many of these girls are from the Lambadi tribes who are known to be migratory in nature. Supported by an approach using social mobilization techniques, MFV 11 established residential bridge camps to facilitate the transition of former child labourers into formal education and social mobilisation.

Impact of the practice

Effectiveness In India, in spite of limited financial support from ILO-IPEC, MVFs bridge course was particularly effective and, over the last decade or so, has been implemented in more than 6,000 villages, covering 137 mandals

(municipalities) in 11 districts of Andhra Pradesh. It is estimated that around 45,000 child labourers have benefited from the MVF bridge camps. MVF has been an ardent advocate for the universalisation of primary education and the total elimination of child labour. Its research and activities have indicated that these two goals are inextricably linked and must be pursued together. An ILOIPEC report subsequently revealed that there had been a considerable reduction in the incidence of child labour in the area following the MVF programme. It also successfully created a consensus at the community-level that school is the only alternative to prevent children from working and, through this consensus, established a social norm against child labour. Sustainability

The MVF model was replicated on a wider scale by the Andhra Pradesh governments Department of Social Welfare through its Back to School Project covering over 10,000 children each summer. MVF plays a significant role in providing technical support to state-led educational programmes. Having the state assume the responsibility has been the best way to ensure the sustainability of the bridge course strategy.

Replicability The MVF has been working in Andhra Pradesh since 1992 and continues to expand its influence. As mentioned above, the state-led Back to School Project essentially replicated the MVF model and the organization played a significant role in providing technical support.

INITIATIVE TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT FOR CHILD EDUCATION Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (Education for All Movement) is a programme by the Government of India aimed at the universalization of elementary

education "in a time bound manner", as mandated by the 86th amendment to the Constitution of India making free education to children aged 614 (estimated to be 205 million in number in 2001) a fundamental right. The programme was pioneered by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. SSA is being implemented in partnership with State Governments to cover the entire country and address the needs of 192 million children in 1.1 million habitations. The programme is looking to open new schools in those habitations without schooling facilities and to strengthen existing school infrastructure through

provision of additional class rooms, toilets, drinking water, maintenance grant and school improvement grants. Existing schools with inadequate teacher strength are provided with additional teachers, and the capacity of existing teachers is being strengthened by extensive training, grants for developing teaching-learning materials and strengthening of the academic support structure at a cluster, block and district level. SSA seeks to provide quality elementary education including life skills. SSA has a special focus on female education and children with special needs. SSA also seeks to provide computer education to bridge the digital divide. Its goals of 2011 were to do the following:

Open new schools in areas without them and to expand existing school infrastructures and maintenance.

Address inadequate teacher numbers and provide training a development for existing teachers.

Provide quality elementary education including life skills with a special focus on the education of girls and of children with special needs, as well as computer education.

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA)

Bachpan Bachao Andolan (BBA) is a pioneering Child Rights and AntiHuman trafficking non-governmental organization in India working to eradicate bonded labour, child labour and trafficking, along with the demand for education for all children since its inception, in 1980. BBA today is known for its effective multi-dimensional approach in dealing with the issue of child labour and trafficking. BBA activists are fighting at all fronts there are some who are working at the grass roots level, some who are working with the victims, yet others who are dealing with the legal aspects and

the introduction of new policies in law and order. The movement is not only rigorously active in domains sustaining child labour, but is also working with equal vigor to prevent the problem at the grassroots level. Its vision is To create a child friendly society, where all children are free from exploitation and receive free and quality education. Its Mission is To identify, liberate, rehabilitate and educate children in servitude through prevention, direct intervention, child and community participation, coalition building, consumer action, promoting ethical trade practices and mass mobilisation.

MID DAY MEAL SCHEME The Midday Meal Scheme is the popular name for school meal programme in India which started in the 1960s. It involves provision of lunch free of working days. The key objectives of the programme are: protecting children from classroom hunger, increasing school enrollment and attendance, improved socialization among children belonging to all castes, addressing malnutrition, and social empowerment through provision of employment to women. The scheme has a long history, especially in the state of Tamil Nadu. The scheme was introduced statewide by the then Chief Minister K. Kamaraj in the 1960s and later expanded by the M. G. Ramachandran government in 1982. It has been adopted by most Indian states after a landmark direction by the Supreme Court of India on November 28, 2001. The success of this scheme is illustrated by the tremendous increase in the school participation and completion rates in Tamil Nadu.

National Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education Although the programme in Tamil Nadu was initially termed as an act of "Populism", the success of the scheme made the project hugely popular. The success was so spectacular that in 1995, the then Indian prime

minister P.V.Narsimha Rao hailed the success of the project and suggested that the scheme be implemented all over the country, and thus began the "National Programme for Nutrition Support to Primary Education". According to the programme the Government of India will provide grains free of cost and the States will provide the costs of other ingredients, salaries and infrastructure. Since most State governments were unwilling to commit budgetary resources they just passed on the grains from Government of India to the parents. This system was called provision of dry rations. On November 28, 2001 the Supreme Court of India gave a famous direction that made it mandatory for the state governments to provide cooked meals instead of dry rations. The direction was to be implemented from June 2002, but was violated by most States. But with sustained pressure from the court, media and in particular from the Right to Food Campaign more and more states started providing cooked meals. In May 2004 a new coalition government was formed in the centre, which promised universal provision of cooked meals fully funded by the centre. This promise in its Common Minimum Programme was followed by enhanced financial support to the states for cooking and building sufficient infrastructure. Given this additional support the scheme has expanded its reach to cover most children in primary schools in India. In 2005 it is expected to cover 130 million children.

Finding Solutions to these problems

Eliminate Poverty International financial institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund contributed to the rise in child labour when they called on countries heavily indebted to them to reduce public expenditure on health care and new jobs. These structural adjustment programmes have resulted in

increased poverty and child labour. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund should rethink their loan plans to developing countries in an effort to increase social expenditure rather than reduce it. Government organizations and industries should be pressured to act in a socially responsible manner and to put an end to child labour or to provide children with better working conditions. Boycotting is not the solution because it forces children, who otherwise have no specific training, to quit their jobs and return to the streets or to more dangerous activities. Encourage Education Children need to learn how to read and write. They need social and professional skills that only school and a nurturing environment can provide. Some countries have compulsory schooling and some provide free public schooling. However, in many countries, particularly for those where structural adjustment lending has led to the privatization of schools-the cost of teaching, books, and uniforms makes it impossible for children to get an education. Furthermore, for education to become a solution to child labour, schools must be located close to where these children live. Education must be free and compulsory up until the minimum legal age for employment. Enforce Labour Laws Most countries have laws against child labour; however, some governments support child labour (regardless of existing laws) as a way of gaining a competitive market advantage. Rehabilitate and Protect Working Children

(Encourage NGO participation)

Preventing children from working is not necessarily the best solution; children may end up in worse situations and their families may become even poorer. Some NGOs fight to protect working children by providing them with information on their rights or by guaranteeing them safer working conditions. Other NGOs help children in the transition from work to school by building centres where they are provided with healthcare and a tailored education. The children leave these centres only when they have learnt to be independent.

Abolish Child Trafficking Everywhere in the world, there are adults who earn a living by buying and selling children. The governments of all countries must take harsh measures against child trafficking.

Promote Fair Trade There is a worldwide rise in commercial agreements-which must include norms for guaranteeing basic human rights and respect. Implementing these fair trade norms helps prevent child labour. The new labelling campaigns-like Rugmark or the equitable commerce labelguarantee that the products consumers buy are not manufactured by children and that fair commercial practices have been employed. The label also reminds companies that young consumers should also be aware of commercial practices. Fair trade practices guarantee a fair price to small-scale producers. In 44 developing countries, fair trade helps keep 550 co-operatives in business. These co-operatives consequently provide goods to 5 million people and often reinvest

profits in the community, where the money is used to build schools, medical clinics, wells, etc.

Replace Child Workers by Adult Workers There are 800 million unemployed adults in the world; and yet, the number of working children is estimated to be at over 300 million. Replacing these working children with their mostly unemployed parents would result in higher family incomes (since adults are generally paid better), and the resulting rise in production costs would have little impact on exports sales.

SUGGESSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Prioritise primary education.

Primary education should be free,

compulsory, well-resourced, relevant and nearby. It is much easier to monitor school attendance that to inspect factories and workshops. Sponsoring a child doesn't solve this problem - it might make us feel good, but it only helps educate one child, isolating them from others in their community.

Ban the worst forms of child labour Demand the government support the ILO Convention

Give the jobs of child workers to their adult relatives This way, the family does not suffer, and indeed should be better off, as adult wages are generally much higher than child wages.

Education and training for women All studies show that when women are educated, trained and empowered, the incidence of labour by their children, especially girl children, drops dramatically

Family control of fertility - so that families are not burdened by children

Conclusion
Child labour denies the child of his basic right that is the right to education. No education means unskilled jobs and exploitative wages. This leads to the creation of an unskilled adult labour force which causes early physical decay, economic insecurity, low quality of life and ultimately high poverty. Thus child labour creates a vicious circle of poverty, unemployment, underemployment and low wages. Over the years the Government of India has multiplied its efforts to address the needs and rights of exploited children. Still, the issue remains grave and demanding more rigorous measures. In order to eliminate the social evil of child labour there is a need for more intensive initiatives to tackle poverty and promote education opportunities to all children to help children and families in crisis.