Child Labour Campaign

1
Child Labour Campaign

• CRY-Kolkata Volunteer Campaign update

2
Initiation

• A group of volunteers visited an area in the
  northern fringes of the city (Kamarhati).
• Appalled by the extent of child labour in the
  area they were determined to bring about positive
  change
• The group realized that to bring about
  sustainable change, sensitization of people at
  large and policy makers is essential
• They made a film Siraaj depicting the condition
  of child labourers and the violation of human
  rights. Resources for the film were raised by
  volunteers

3
Campaigning begins

• The volunteers organized film screenings along
  with debates and discussions on the effectiveness
  of the existing legislative and administrative
  measures to abolish child labour.
• Venues and forums (screening and discussion)
  Seagull Art and Media Resource Centre, Rotary
  Club, TTIS, UN Conference in Brussels, University
  of Ghent, University of Calcutta, Vishwabharati
  University, Vidyasagar University, Kalyani
  University and Oxford Bookstore
• Television and Film Festival Screenings Siraaj
  was telecast on TARA News, SPACE Bangla, Kolkata
  TV. To be screened at the Kolkata Short Film
  Festival at NANDAN on the 28th of Nov.

4
Core issues of the Campaign

• Phase I Demands made to the state by volunteers
• Complete abolition and not regulation of Child
  Labour
• 2. Employing children in non hazardous work
  should also be deemed as a criminal offence
• 3. Mere rescue is not enough children rescued
  need to be rehabilitated.

5
Core issues of the Campaign

• A review of the demands revealed certain gaps.
  They did not focus on the socio economic factors
  that forced children to work.
• The SECOND PHASE of the campaign began as a
  reaction to the Labour Ministrys Notification
  regarding banning child labour from the domestic
  and hospitality sector.

6
Core Issues (Phase II)

• Demand from the State
• Rehabilitation of children to be thrown out of
  work
• Other legal lacunae in the current ACT
• Proper measures to address those causes that
  compel families to send their children to work

7
Campaign Strategies

• Meeting Ministers and Bureaucrats. Minister
  Gautam Deb gave a hearing to the demands of the
  volunteers on the 13th of Nov. 2006
• Chairperson of State Human Rights Commission
  Justice Shyamal Sen met the volunteers on the
  14th of Nov. and heard their demands. (covered by
  regional newspaper AAJKAL, prime moved by
  volunteers)

8
Reaching out and mobilizing volunteers

• Volunteers addressed more than 400 students and
  teachers from Calcutta University, Vishwabharati
  University, Vidyasagar University, Kalyani
  University and the National University of
  Juridical Sciences (NUJS).
• 200 school students addressed by volunteers and
  kites prepared by school students as a symbol of
  solidarity.
• The Human Rights Centre of Calcutta University,
  NUJS and INCA of IIM Kolkata have officially
  supported the campaign
  

9
Phase III

• Began with the incident on the 22nd in Topshia
  (Kolkata) where a fire broke out in an illegal
  factory that claimed the lives of adult and child
  labourers. The media focused on the sweatshops
  and the children employed in the same.
• CRY volunteers reacted within a short time
  (within 36 hours) by drafting and sending a
  letter of protest with demands to the Chief
  Minister, Mayor and other Ministers. (attached)
• Posters prepared and displayed by volunteers
  within 48 hours from the time the fire broke out.
  (attached)

10
Protestand demands

• Open letter of protest to Chief Minister sent to
  media (AAJKAL and Times of India coverage
  facilitated by volunteer group)
• Tuesday and Wednesday the 28th and 29th of Nov.
  commemorated by students in colleges and
  institutes as a day of protest. Presidency
  college, IIM Kolkata, Scottish Church college,
  Vidyasagar School of Social Work and Army
  Institute of Management and the like protested
  against state inaction by sporting a black arm
  band. (Pre event coverage in Times of India and
  AAJKAL)
• Series of seminars on Child Labour in the
  Unorganized Sector, Whos Accountable? to be
  organized and facilitated by volunteers lined up
  in the week beginning the 3rd of December in IIM
  Kolkata, NUJS (5th Dec.) and Vidyasagar School of
  Social Work.

11
Volunteer Core Groupits role

• A core group of volunteers comprising Oishika,
  Harsh, Soumi, Amit, Oishik, Praveen, Abhishek,
  Sanjeev, Sahana, Karubakee, Priyanka, Paulomi
  (Kolkata) Pinaki and Sreemoyee (Bangalore)
  Purnima and Sobins (Mumbai) steered the course of
  the campaign.
• From conceptualizing to providing content and
  designing to media advocacy was done by
  volunteers. They ensured media coverage of the
  campaign activities.

12
Volunteers thrilled

• When the State Human Rights Chairperson Justice
  Shyamal Sen (whom the volunteers approached for
  an appointment) gave the group a patient hearing
  and expressed interest and eagerness to attend
  volunteer programmes.

13
Volunteers thrilled

• As they are experiencing a shift in their role,
  from assisting with logistics support for CRY
  programmes to being panelists, moderators (Child
  Rights spokespersons) on issue based discussion
  and independent desinging, planning and
  implementation of programmes (CRY-Oxford
  Programme and Childrens Day programme in City
  Centre)

14
Highlights

• 28th Nov. Volunteer film on Child Labour,
  SIRAAJ screened in Kolkata Short Film Festival at
  Nandan
• Meetings of volunteers with Editor of Aajkal
  (Bengali Daily), Times of India (Correspondent)
• Seminar series in IIM Kolkata and NUJS on
  Unorganized Sector, Rights of Workers and child
  Labour

15
The RTI Phase

• Responding to the apathetic attitude of the
  state, the volunteers decided to file a Right to
  Information (RTI) petition. RTI filed in three
  departments (Labour, Home and Industries and
  Commerce)
• As a follow up measure CRY volunteers visited the
  PIOs of the respective departments
• Receiving no response within 48 hours the
  volunteers filed an appeal with the Secretary of
  the West Bengal Information Commission.

16
The RTI Phase

• Meanwhile response has been received from the
  State Police and Commerce and Industries
  Department. However the answers are far from
  being satisfactory.
• In the whole process the volunteers ended up
  familiarizing themselves with the various state
  mechanisms and the bureaucracy.
• Certainly helped volunteers to boost their
  confidence.

17
Key Learning

• Transformation in the attitude of the volunteers
• Initially the volunteers were apprehensive to
  visit the govt.
• dept. and speak to the Bureaucrats. But with
  regular
• interaction that was required to push the letters
  from one
• desk to the other the volunteers gained
  confidence. The
• volunteers being from the middle class typically
  reflected
• And apathy (combined with fear) towards engaging
  with the
• state. The RTI process has offered an opportunity
  for the
• volunteers to initiate a process (however
  nascent) of engaging
• with the state.