I AM ASHA JOSEPH.I WOULS LIKE TO GET A PARAGRAPH ON THE TOPIC OF BALAVELA. I NEED HELP

14 വയസില്‍ താഴെയുള്ള കുട്ടികളെക്കൊണ്ട് ജോലി ചെയ്യിക്കുന്നതുമായി ബന്ധപ്പെട്ട നിയമത്തില്‍ കേന്ദ്രസര്‍ക്കാര്‍ ഭേദഗതി വരുത്തി. ഇനിമുതല്‍ കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് കുടുംബത്തിന്റെ ഉടമസ്ഥതയിലുള്ള ബിസിനസ്സുകളില്‍ ജോലി ചെയ്യാന്‍ ഇതുവഴി അവസരമുണ്ടാകും. എന്നാല്‍ അപകടകരമായ തൊഴില്‍ രംഗത്തുനിന്നും കുട്ടികളെ മാറ്റി നിര്‍ത്തണമെന്ന് നിയമം പറയുന്നു.

സ്‌കൂള്‍ വിട്ടശേഷമോ അവധി ദിവസങ്ങളിലോ മാത്രമോ ആണ് കുട്ടികള്‍ക്ക് ജോലിചെയ്യാന്‍ സാധിക്കുക. ജോലി പരിശീലനവും വിദ്യാഭ്യാസവും ഒരുമിച്ചു കൊണ്ടുപോകുന്നതിന്റെ ഭാഗമായിക്കൂടിയാണ് സര്‍ക്കാര്‍ ഇത്തരമൊരു ഭേദഗതിക്ക് അംഗീകാരം നല്‍കിയിരിക്കുന്നത്. എന്നാല്‍, നിയമം തെറ്റിക്കുന്നവര്‍ക്ക് നല്‍കുന്ന ശിക്ഷ കടുത്തതാക്കിയിട്ടുണ്ട്

The amendments to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, passed by Parliament recently, demonstrate a lack of national commitment to abolishing all forms of child labour. Instead of attempting an overhaul of legislation that has proved ineffective in curbing the phenomenon, Parliament has allowed children up to the age of 14 to be employed in ‘family enterprises’, and created a new category of ‘adolescents’ (the 14-18 age group) who can be employed in ‘non-hazardous’ occupations. In the name of acknowledging the socio-economic realities of India, the amendments tweak the law in such a way that children are in some form or other available for employment. The only concession to their educational rights is that they are permitted to work in family enterprises only outside school hours and during vacations. Curiously, the main amendment — to ban children up to the age of 14 in any occupation — is being touted as a progressive leap from the earlier ban limited to some occupations and processes. It should not be forgotten that with the passage of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, a statutory obligation to ensure that every child completes elementary education, is already in place. The exemption to family enterprises effectively retains conditions under which children are made to contribute economically while studying. Working outside of school hours and earning valuable income for the family will surely have a deleterious effect on the children’s health as well as their aptitude for learning.

Regulation is going to be a big challenge, as it will be difficult to determine whether a particular family is running an enterprise, or whether some faceless owner has employed a single family to circumvent the law. The fallout will be a higher dropout rate. They may go to school for some years, concurrently work with their families, and graduate to being full-time adolescent workers, without completing elementary education. The NDA government, like its predecessor that proposed the amendments, seems to be satisfied with mere compliance with International Labour Organisation Conventions 138 and 182. The former mandates compulsory schooling till the age of 15, but permits countries with inadequate education facilities to reduce it to 14, while Convention 182 prohibits employment of children “in the worst forms of labour”. Bare compliance with international norms is not enough. Children from the poor and marginalised sections, especially Dalits, are still in danger of being deprived of both the joys of childhood and their constitutional right to education. It is yet another stark reminder that the country is far from achieving the complete elimination of child labour.