Child labour is prohibited by law. United Nations Human Rights Commission has impressed upon all member countries to have proper legislation on banning child labour. The children who should be in schools cannot be put to manual labour just because they work in factories and farms to earn money for the proprietors. Our State has Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act 1986, and by virtue of this act the Labour Department is enjoined upon to send its workers and staff to field for physical verification if children are put to labour in factories and establishments. It is reported that according to Child Line — a project sponsored by Ministry of Women and Child Development– there are nearly 700 child labourers in Srinagar city at present. The project coordinator told our correspondent that though they are working since 2011 in Srinagar only but the highest number of child labours are in Budgam district of Valley. The question arises why does not the Labour Department go by the law and take action to stop child labour when brought to its notice. The Labour Department is excusing itself under the pretext that it is not provided with adequate manpower to conduct physical verification all over the State whether child labour exists anywhere and tow hat extent. We do not have the figures indicating the strength of the Labour Department in each district and the number of supervisory or field staff required to conduct survey. Therefore, it is of importance that the State Government opens the case of verification of child labour in the State and takes necessary steps to stop it before any NGO files a PIL in a court of law. We are outright against child labour and we impress upon the government to give tools to the Labour Department so that it is able to perform its duty efficiently failing which we ill be caught on the wrong foot.
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