Govt’s statewide action plan to check child labour, trafficking

The Rajasthan government will prepare a state-wide action plan and a standard operating procedure to stem the increasing number of child labour and human trafficking, a top official said on Friday.

Addressing an orientation programme on child labour, human trafficking and interstate repatriation, organized by PRAYAS, an NGO, additional chief secretary of social justice and empowerment department JC Mohanty said, a large number of children are employed in a number labour-intensive industries in the state, are rescued and rehabilitated every year, especially from Bihar.

The child resource centre of the state institute of public administration will be used as a forum by converging different departments, including police, labour, child welfare commission, different committees and NGOs for taking effective action on child labour and human trafficking, he said.

“At present, the conviction rate is less than 1% and to strengthen it, the state will be developing a model standard procedure, so that conviction rate increases.

“In addition, a state action plan will be developed to specify the role of different agencies, which will strengthen coordination,” Mohanty said

“We have to identify the push and pull factor in child labour and human trafficking, and take measures to curb it.”

Figures shared at the workshop by the NGO revealed that according to the 2011 Census, more than 2.5 lakh children working in Rajasthan hailed from other states.

Jaipur alone had approximately 25,000 child labour.

“Large numbers of children working in Rajasthan are brought from Bihar. In western Rajasthan, most of the children are forced to work in the salt industry, while in the southern part of the state they are engaged in farming genetically-modified varieties of cotton or Bt cotton,” said Amod K Kanth of PRAYAS.

The worst situation is in Alwar and Bharatpur districts where children work in firecracker industry,” he said.

A study conducted by the NGO in Jaipur, has revealed that between 2014 and 2016, more than 1,582 child labour were rescued, out of them 1,200 or 75% were traced back to Bihar.

“Child labour and human trafficking is on rise and the reasons can be attributed to the lack of standard follow-up mechanism to monitor the rehabilitation of the rescued children and low conviction rate of people involved in trafficking,” he said.