It’s a general understanding that children (usually under 14 years of age) should not be made to work in any of the economic sectors, which fortunately is also backed by our constitution. I do not know whether it’s the administration’s fault, or because of the ignorant general public that we still witness children working in all sorts of sectors. I mean, who would want to report something like this only to get involved in legal complications and perhaps get nothing out of it? All of us have our own matters to look into. Even the most sensitive and aware citizen would hesitate to save a child’s life and rather accuse the way our system works, and try to move on with his/her life.
But if the law clearly states that it is illegal to hire children below 14 years of age, what makes this so complicated? As it is obvious with all other crimes and related laws, it is the loopholes that people devise to fool the lawmakers and the judiciary. One such loophole associated with child labor is, making children work in return of favors. Yes, human trafficking by parents of these children themselves is the prime method. But there are other ways as well the culprits have come up with.
Last year I used to go for coaching at a well reputed institution of my town, the results being 100% every year and the students being selected in top colleges across the nation. The HoD of the institution was a young and very bright minded teacher. It’s almost impossible to find a flaw in that man. One day during the classes he called the class off for a break. He made a call upstairs in the office and asked to send a bottle of water. To my surprise, a 10-12 year old girl entered the classroom carrying the water bottle for him.
It wasn’t surprising to see a child working as a domestic servant because I’ve seen many. But the actual horror lay in the part that a man as successful and brilliant in his field employed an underage servant in his house. Who can understand the value of education more than a teacher himself? But if professionals and highly educated citizens like him are defying the law in such a shameless manner, what else can we expect from the underprivileged parents who sell their own children.
I felt an urge to confront my teacher after class that day. But the respect we’re told to have towards our elders and especially our “gurus” made me stop and ponder upon the various other possibilities. I asked my batchmates to confirm whether the girl worked there or not. She told me that she was a domestic servant in their house. I murmured to myself “This is wrong”. My batchmates overheard this and replied “Oh, don’t worry! He teaches her in the evening.”
I was stupefied for a moment. All the knowledge I had about this law wasn’t enough for me to judge whether this could be acceptable or not. Is employing a child as a household maid and trying to cover it up by teaching him/her for an hour or two justified? Isn’t this a mockery of the law by moulding it in whatever way it suits you? But then again, what can you and I do about this, except for being mere spectators? Even if somebody decides to take a legal action against such employees, they are aware about all the existing loopholes in the system. The only loss is of the innocent little lives that are not even aware about what changes education can make in their lives.
Making laws is not enough in a country as large as ours. Even proper implementation is not possible as long as the privileged lot breaches the law. No amount of education or laws can ensure implementation unless there are no morals and awareness in the society.
Note: Image is only for representational purpose.
This post is a part of our #SaveTheKids Campaign. To check out more posts from this campaign, click here.
