No progress in child labour despite Act

Last Updated: 05:00 AM NST Kathmandu - December 15, 2004 - Mangsir 30, 2061

By our Corespondent,

LALITPUR, Dec.14: Nearly 2.6 million children across the country continue to be the victims of child labour as the successive governments failed to implement the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act 2057 BS, which had received the Royal assent four years back.

"The Act could not be enforced due to various social and economic reasons," Minister for Labour and Transport Management Raghuji Panta told a programme organised by Child Workers in Nepal Concern Center (CWIN).

He said that the enforcement of the Act would help to address the problems related with child labour.
The government recently announced that the Act had been put into effect from November 16, 2004.
Minister Panta said that the government was ready to face any obstacles that might come on its way after the implementation of the Act.

CWIN organised a discussion programme on the possible measure that could be taken to effectively
enforce the "Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act 2057 BS.
Officials from Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare and institutions
working for the welfare of children had participated in the programme.

The Act forbids children below the age of 14 from being involved in any type of child labour.

Similarly, it allows children between 14 to 16 to take up light jobs.

Panta said the government would bear the responsibility of ensuring the effective implementation of the Act by seeking the support of the private parties.

The government has also introduced a master plan to ensure the effective implementation of the Act, Panta said.

Pratap Kumar Upadhyay, joint-secretary at the labour ministry said the implementation of the Act was delayed due to various hurdles such as budget crunch and legal difficulties. He said that ability, willingness and a congenial environment were necessary to implement the Act.

A new approach to child labour auditing, records showing the change of jobs related with child labour by children, empowerment of children and labour management are the key aspects needed to ensure the effective implementation of the Act, he said.

He added that strategy, formation of policy; performance and infrastructure are other important areas to focus on for its implementation.

Joint-secretary at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare Shyam Sundar Sharma said that the problems of unemployment could be solved if steps were initiated to abolish child labour.

He said that it is better to form an enabling environment than to punish the people for exploiting children.

Sharma said that there was a need to have good governance to curb child labour. Child labour could be controlled through preventive, curative and promotional activities, he said.
Sharma disclosed that no improvements in the existing situation of child labour were evident in the

past one month despite the implementation of the Act.

President of CWIN Gauri Pradhan said the abolishment of child labour was only possible if the general people mounted pressure on the concerned authorities to implement the Act more earnestly.
Pradhan said that the confusion that prevailed in the policy-making bodies had been a major stumbling block for controlling child labour.
"We need to develop a transparent mechanism to deal against child labour, people must be informed about where they ought to file their complaints on child labour and should have the awareness that child labour is a crime that could be punished by law.

Source: http://www.gorkhapatra.org.np/pageloader.php?file=2004/12/15/topstories/main10

Films made by children to be screened at festival in capital

December 15, 2004

Bollywood India > New Delhi, Dec 14 : Around 15 films made by underprivileged children from various parts of the country on issues affecting their life such as child labour, substance abuse and HIV/AIDS, will be screened as part of a film festival here.

Titled 'Children Have Something To Say', the three-day festival beginning on December 17 will feature films made by children in the age-group of 12-18 years.

The event is part of a project by Plan India, an NGO working with 'children in difficult circumstances'.

"The project aims at providing opportunities to young people to make short films and animations on issues that concern them", Executive Director of Plan India, Bhaghyashri Dengle said at a press conference here today.

"Initiated in 1999, the project, involving over 300 children has gone a long way in developing children's capabilities and creativity", she said adding that "this is an initiative not just to promote film-making in children but to catalyse a larger debate among them and strengthen their participation in the development process".

The children, hailing from states including Delhi, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Haryana and Orissa, were trained by Shonu Chandra, who organised 20-day workshops for them.

"It was easy to teach them the technical aspect. The most difficult part was probably helping them articulate their thoughts", Chandra said.

"The children chose the topic, wrote scripts, shot and edited the film, worked on the music, etc. We just helped in the fine-tuning", he said. PTI

Source: http://www.123bharath.com/news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=44126

Davao City: next stop for trafficked children?

Monday, Dec 13, 2004

`Relevant education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided.'

With the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002, free and compulsory education for all children between the age group of six and 14 has become a Fundamental Right. In a country as diverse as ours, addressing this need for 192 million children could be a daunting task. Especially, when this is a time-bound target to be achieved by 2010 under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). The SSA is a Government of India project for Universal Elementary Education in partnership with the States under the Tenth Five Year Plan.

K.R.Chandrasekaran, Assistant Educational Advisor, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Elementary Education and Literacy, Government of India, was in the city recently to participate in a programme to train teachers under the project. He spoke to Puja S Navin about how local resources need to be tapped to implement the goals of SSA.

"TAMIL NADU was one of the first States in the country to take up the programme in 2001-02. Providing quality elementary education with life skills within the total budget of Rs. 1,800 crores is a challenging goal. To achieve this we require innovative models. Cost effective approaches need to be adopted to build capabilities of teachers. Relevant and productive education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided too," Chandrasekaran says.

Citing the innovative model at work in the city, he says, "The Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan is one of the oldest institutions in the country. It provides need-based and skill oriented training to tribals, women, Dalits and neo-literates to make them economically independent. The target audience for this centre are adults and for us the target group is children. However the expertise available here can be used to train teachers under the SSA."

"For instance, 576 teachers have been trained in art education. Skills such as doll making, gift article making, pot painting and glass painting have been imparted. These teachers now become our resource persons to train students in their schools, especially girl children. This type of training is Coimbatore-specific. It is productive and cost effective and helps teachers to create "joyful learning in their classrooms, apart from teaching skills that can be used later."

One of the major goals of SSA is to mainstream school dropouts and Chandrasekaran sees this model as an effective solution. "This model should be replicated in other States too and already Karnataka is showing interest in learning from this experience."

The survey of child labour in Coimbatore District in 2003 has identified 2,573 child labourers. Of these 1,272 are boys and 1,301 are girls. How does the programme bring such children under the SSA purview?

"Under the scheme there are various options for flexible education. One such scheme is the Educational Guarantee Scheme, which provides local teachers for every ten students in areas where child labour is prevalent.

With flexible timings, such schools are operational in Dharamapuri district and Valparai town. Under the Labour Commission of Tamil Nadu, special schools have also been set up in Sivakasi and Pudukottai districts," he adds.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/12/13/stories/2004121302650200.htm

Over 1 Billion Children Affected By Poverty, Aids And Conflict-Unicef

Monday, Dec 13, 2004

`Relevant education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided.'

With the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002, free and compulsory education for all children between the age group of six and 14 has become a Fundamental Right. In a country as diverse as ours, addressing this need for 192 million children could be a daunting task. Especially, when this is a time-bound target to be achieved by 2010 under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). The SSA is a Government of India project for Universal Elementary Education in partnership with the States under the Tenth Five Year Plan.

K.R.Chandrasekaran, Assistant Educational Advisor, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Elementary Education and Literacy, Government of India, was in the city recently to participate in a programme to train teachers under the project. He spoke to Puja S Navin about how local resources need to be tapped to implement the goals of SSA.

"TAMIL NADU was one of the first States in the country to take up the programme in 2001-02. Providing quality elementary education with life skills within the total budget of Rs. 1,800 crores is a challenging goal. To achieve this we require innovative models. Cost effective approaches need to be adopted to build capabilities of teachers. Relevant and productive education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided too," Chandrasekaran says.

Citing the innovative model at work in the city, he says, "The Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan is one of the oldest institutions in the country. It provides need-based and skill oriented training to tribals, women, Dalits and neo-literates to make them economically independent. The target audience for this centre are adults and for us the target group is children. However the expertise available here can be used to train teachers under the SSA."

"For instance, 576 teachers have been trained in art education. Skills such as doll making, gift article making, pot painting and glass painting have been imparted. These teachers now become our resource persons to train students in their schools, especially girl children. This type of training is Coimbatore-specific. It is productive and cost effective and helps teachers to create "joyful learning in their classrooms, apart from teaching skills that can be used later."

One of the major goals of SSA is to mainstream school dropouts and Chandrasekaran sees this model as an effective solution. "This model should be replicated in other States too and already Karnataka is showing interest in learning from this experience."

The survey of child labour in Coimbatore District in 2003 has identified 2,573 child labourers. Of these 1,272 are boys and 1,301 are girls. How does the programme bring such children under the SSA purview?

"Under the scheme there are various options for flexible education. One such scheme is the Educational Guarantee Scheme, which provides local teachers for every ten students in areas where child labour is prevalent.

With flexible timings, such schools are operational in Dharamapuri district and Valparai town. Under the Labour Commission of Tamil Nadu, special schools have also been set up in Sivakasi and Pudukottai districts," he adds.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/12/13/stories/2004121302650200.htm

Lack of legislation fuels child trafficking

Monday, Dec 13, 2004

`Relevant education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided.'

With the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002, free and compulsory education for all children between the age group of six and 14 has become a Fundamental Right. In a country as diverse as ours, addressing this need for 192 million children could be a daunting task. Especially, when this is a time-bound target to be achieved by 2010 under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). The SSA is a Government of India project for Universal Elementary Education in partnership with the States under the Tenth Five Year Plan.

K.R.Chandrasekaran, Assistant Educational Advisor, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Elementary Education and Literacy, Government of India, was in the city recently to participate in a programme to train teachers under the project. He spoke to Puja S Navin about how local resources need to be tapped to implement the goals of SSA.

"TAMIL NADU was one of the first States in the country to take up the programme in 2001-02. Providing quality elementary education with life skills within the total budget of Rs. 1,800 crores is a challenging goal. To achieve this we require innovative models. Cost effective approaches need to be adopted to build capabilities of teachers. Relevant and productive education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided too," Chandrasekaran says.

Citing the innovative model at work in the city, he says, "The Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan is one of the oldest institutions in the country. It provides need-based and skill oriented training to tribals, women, Dalits and neo-literates to make them economically independent. The target audience for this centre are adults and for us the target group is children. However the expertise available here can be used to train teachers under the SSA."

"For instance, 576 teachers have been trained in art education. Skills such as doll making, gift article making, pot painting and glass painting have been imparted. These teachers now become our resource persons to train students in their schools, especially girl children. This type of training is Coimbatore-specific. It is productive and cost effective and helps teachers to create "joyful learning in their classrooms, apart from teaching skills that can be used later."

One of the major goals of SSA is to mainstream school dropouts and Chandrasekaran sees this model as an effective solution. "This model should be replicated in other States too and already Karnataka is showing interest in learning from this experience."

The survey of child labour in Coimbatore District in 2003 has identified 2,573 child labourers. Of these 1,272 are boys and 1,301 are girls. How does the programme bring such children under the SSA purview?

"Under the scheme there are various options for flexible education. One such scheme is the Educational Guarantee Scheme, which provides local teachers for every ten students in areas where child labour is prevalent.

With flexible timings, such schools are operational in Dharamapuri district and Valparai town. Under the Labour Commission of Tamil Nadu, special schools have also been set up in Sivakasi and Pudukottai districts," he adds.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/12/13/stories/2004121302650200.htm

Making learning joyful and productive

Monday, Dec 13, 2004

`Relevant education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided.'

With the 86th Constitutional Amendment Act 2002, free and compulsory education for all children between the age group of six and 14 has become a Fundamental Right. In a country as diverse as ours, addressing this need for 192 million children could be a daunting task. Especially, when this is a time-bound target to be achieved by 2010 under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA). The SSA is a Government of India project for Universal Elementary Education in partnership with the States under the Tenth Five Year Plan.

K.R.Chandrasekaran, Assistant Educational Advisor, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Elementary Education and Literacy, Government of India, was in the city recently to participate in a programme to train teachers under the project. He spoke to Puja S Navin about how local resources need to be tapped to implement the goals of SSA.

"TAMIL NADU was one of the first States in the country to take up the programme in 2001-02. Providing quality elementary education with life skills within the total budget of Rs. 1,800 crores is a challenging goal. To achieve this we require innovative models. Cost effective approaches need to be adopted to build capabilities of teachers. Relevant and productive education, especially for the girl child who is the first to drop out of school, has to be provided too," Chandrasekaran says.

Citing the innovative model at work in the city, he says, "The Avinashilingam Jan Shikshan Sansthan is one of the oldest institutions in the country. It provides need-based and skill oriented training to tribals, women, Dalits and neo-literates to make them economically independent. The target audience for this centre are adults and for us the target group is children. However the expertise available here can be used to train teachers under the SSA."

"For instance, 576 teachers have been trained in art education. Skills such as doll making, gift article making, pot painting and glass painting have been imparted. These teachers now become our resource persons to train students in their schools, especially girl children. This type of training is Coimbatore-specific. It is productive and cost effective and helps teachers to create "joyful learning in their classrooms, apart from teaching skills that can be used later."

One of the major goals of SSA is to mainstream school dropouts and Chandrasekaran sees this model as an effective solution. "This model should be replicated in other States too and already Karnataka is showing interest in learning from this experience."

The survey of child labour in Coimbatore District in 2003 has identified 2,573 child labourers. Of these 1,272 are boys and 1,301 are girls. How does the programme bring such children under the SSA purview?

"Under the scheme there are various options for flexible education. One such scheme is the Educational Guarantee Scheme, which provides local teachers for every ten students in areas where child labour is prevalent.

With flexible timings, such schools are operational in Dharamapuri district and Valparai town. Under the Labour Commission of Tamil Nadu, special schools have also been set up in Sivakasi and Pudukottai districts," he adds.

Source: http://www.hindu.com/lf/2004/12/13/stories/2004121302650200.htm

Diamond industry plays down child labour charges

Summit Khanna in Ahmedabad | December 13, 2004 11:42 IST

Though the International Labour Organisation had recently reported the prevalence of child labour in the diamond industry, sector players in Gujarat have condemned the allegations.

The ILO report claims that child labour is highly prevalent in the Indian diamond industry, as child labourers constitute nearly three per cent of the total workforce.

It also states that the percentage of child labourers is as high as 25 per cent in the diamond industry of Surat.

"Child labour has never been prevalent in the diamond industry of Surat. The percentage of child labourers, if any, is negligible. Diamonds are costly and if one employs a child labourer, it would mean risking lakhs of rupees, as they could easily be lost or broken while cutting or polishing," said Pravin Nanavati, a Surat-based diamond businessman.

"Around 8-10 years back, some western countries deliberately created the impression that child labour is prevalent in the Indian diamond industry, and called for it's boycott. The only aim of these nations was to monopolise in the sector," he said.

"Nonetheless, in the wake of these allegations, the Central government and the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council conducted a survey. While western countries claimed that child labourers constitute 40-50 per cent of the total work-force, the survey puts the figure at less than two per cent. This figure has further reduced and is almost zero today due to strict implementation of labour laws," Nanavati said.

He, however, refused to be drawn into a controversy over the ILO report. "I do not want to make any allegations against the ILO, but I would like to say that such reports should be based on actual facts," he said.

The diamond industry also found support from the South Gujarat Diamond Workers Association.

"While child labour is highly prevalent in the construction and hotel industries, there are few child labourers in the diamond industry of Surat. Our surveys have put the figure at less than one per cent. We believe this is mainly because of stern punishments and penalties for violation of child labour laws," the association secretary Mohan Dhabuwala said.

Source: http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2004/dec/13ilo.htm

Children found working in Chinese toy factory

CTV.ca News Staff

Updated: Sun. Dec. 12 2004 8:21 AM ET

Labour activists have long complained about underage workers and poor conditions in Chinese toy factories. Now, there are reports of children as young as 12 working 14 hour days.

A British news crew posing as prospective buyers secretly took video footage of one factory in Dongguang, Southern China.

From the looks of things on the production floor, those making toys for kids looked liked children themselves. When pressed for answers, the factory's manager said all his employees were over the age of 18.

But outside the factory gates, the workers tell a different story. They say children as young as 12 use fake identification to get hired on. Their wages amount to less than two Canadian dollars a day. Their shifts usually last 14 hours.

The factory's website says it makes products for Marks and Spencer and Toys R Us. When contacted, Toys R Us executives launched their own investigation.

In a statement the company said the products are "supplied through an intermediary" and they won't place orders with the company directly "until we are satisfied they conform to our strict code of practice." Marks and Spencer promised to do the same.

Labour activists say thousands of Chinese factories employ children on a regular basis. They not only blame Western companies, but consumers as well.

"Parents should think about the lives of workers behind the toys they buy," labour activist Dr. Liu Kaiming said.

Director of the Shenzhen Contemporary China Research Centre, Kaiming says consumers "should think about whether the factory is responsible and whether the workers are being treated well."

Activists say the underlying issue here is actually poverty. It's only when Chinese families have enough money to survive that the use of child labour will end, they say.

With a report from CTV's Steve Chao in Beijing

Source: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1102783488392_85/
?hub=CTVNewsAt11

"Kerala will be the first child labour-free state"

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec11, 2004

Kerala Labour Minister Babu Divakaran said that Kerala will be declared the first child labour-free state in the country.

Talking to newspersons here, he said steps in this regard were being taken and a survey by the Statistics Department had been completed.

Divakaran said a legislation aimed at rehabilitating child labourers had been drafted and it would be presented in the next session of the State Assembly.

He said the government, in association with local bodies, would construct houses for the plantation labourers. The housing complexes would have all facilities like water, electricity, road and other amenities. As a pilot project, two such complexes would be constructed in Idukki district.

Divakaran said five industrial training institutes (ITIs) would be modernised at a cost of Rs ten crore as part of upgrading them to centres of excellence.

The loan limit of Rs 50,000 for the unemployed to start ventures, had been enhanced to Rs one lakh, he added.

[Agency]

Source: http://www.keralaonline.com/keralanews.asp?folder=Keralanews&file=7_4758.xml

Lebanon reveals all for children

Report details hardships of life, education By Leila Hatoum

Friday, December 10, 2004

Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Lebanon is the first Arab country to open up to the international community regarding the hardships of children through a detailed report, according to Social Affairs Minister Ghazi Zeaiter, on Thursday.

While attending the release of the report at the ministry's Development and Services Center in Bourj Hammoud, Zeaiter added that this was the third report released on the status of the country's children.

This latest report was prepared in collaboration between the Social Affairs Ministry and the Higher Council for Children (HCC), and distributed to various ministries, specialized nongovernmental organizations, MPs and universities.

Elie Mikhael, HCC's general secretary, identified "dropping out of school, child labour, a lack of adequate legislation, violence and quality of education" as some of the aspects which were discussed by the report, and which "hinder our children."

He also said that with respect to social services "there is no equality between children in the health sector, as not all of them are covered."

Mikhael provided an example of such disparities as that in Akkar, a northern Lebanese district, where the childbirth mortality rate sits at 50 per 1,000 children, while in Mount Lebanon that number is only 15 per 1,000.

There are many steps to be taken in order to help the children, Mikhael said.

He listed one such step as "collaborative and coordinated work between NGOs and the public sector."

Mikhael added that "we should collaborate because without it we cannot realize the children's rights."

He also stressed the importance of the role of municipalities in creating decentralized units to reach a larger number of children through such collaboration.

"The municipalities of Bourj Hammoud, Sin el-Fil, and Nabaa have used this kind of approach, which I appreciate. They have developed decentralized units and collaborated with the Social Affairs Ministry and other NGOs."

Zeaiter also attended Thursday the opening of a three-day seminar entitled "Education for All," organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco), at the Crown Plaza Hotel in Beirut.

The minister considered illiteracy to be "a plague that everyone mush fiercely fight to eradicate."

According to a study prepared by the ministry in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund, Lebanon's illiteracy rate in 1996 was "13.6 percent," for those aged 10 and over."This percentage is still high," said Zeaiter.

"That's why the Social Affairs Ministry has formed the national committee to eradicate illiteracy and educate the elderly."

According to Zeaiter, "Some reports showed that illiteracy rates among adults in the Arab world decreased in 1980, from around 60 percent to around 43 percent by the mid-1990's."

He lamented such facts and figures, saying, "The illiteracy rates in the Arab world are still higher than the average percentage in developed countries."

Thus, "The Arab world has entered the 21st century with over 60 million illiterate persons, most of whom are women," Zeaiter added.

"We should work hard to eliminate illiteracy because it leads to poverty and failure."

Source: http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=10860#

ONE BILLION CHILDREN AT RISK

10.12.2004. 08:16:36

One billion children - half the world's population of children - suffer from poverty, conflict, HIV and AIDS, according to the United Nations child rights organisation.

In its annual report “The State of the World's Children”, UNICEF accused political leaders across the world of failing to protect children, with the richest nations as much to blame for the neglect as the poorest.

UNICEF chief Carol Bellamy said "It is the failure of leadership. It has become clearer year after year that it is the failure not just in the poorest countries but some of the richest countries too.”

“Whether it is development assistance or debt or aid, these are also challenges for the developed world."

It claims a billion youngsters are being denied access to one or more basic services such as adequate sanitation, shelter, education or access to safe water.

The report says that in growing up hungry, unhealthy and unsafe, the world is “denying a childhood” to more than half of its under-18s.

An estimated 29,000 children under five die every day, largely from preventable diseases, and sub-Saharan Africa and the former Soviet republics will probably not reach the millennium goals, the UN body warns.

UNICEF also highlights Africa as a continent in crisis.

In sub-Saharan Africa, mortality rates for under-fives are 175 per 1000 compared with a world average of 80.

The region is also home to 12.3 million of the world's 15 million AIDS orphans. The report adds that despite some progress in fighting violence against children, hundreds of thousands of minors are still recruited as child soldiers.

The document also expresses concern about war crimes against children, including rape. In a separate report, the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation warned hunger and malnutrition were killing more than five million children a year, mostly in Africa. The FAO said it was regrettable so little was being done to fight hunger even though the resources needed to tackle the social disaster were "minuscule" compared with the potential benefits.

"Every dollar invested in reducing hunger according to our estimates yields a return of 5 to 20 times in terms of benefits," said FAO assistant director Hartwig de Haen.

Across the globe, around 852 million people suffer from malnutrition. 815 million live in developing countries, 28 million in transition countries and nine million even in so-called first world countries.

The report listed hunger hotspots around the globe, where 35 countries faced food emergencies in 2004.

The worst hit were Eritrea, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Zambia, Haiti and North Korea.

Source: http://www9.sbs.com.au/theworldnews/region.php?id=100761&region=5

Generating awareness of child rights

Children Drama Festival

Cultural Correspondent

Fri. December 10, 2004

A children's drama festival was held recently at the Rabindra Sharabor stage, beside Dhanmondi lake. The festival was organised by Ichchey Children's Media Centre and sponsored by Save the Children Sweden-Denmark. With the slogan 'No more discrimination, all children are equal', the event was the first of its kind in the country. About 17 children's group from Dhaka and other parts of the country, including a children's group from Nepal and Butterflies from India. performed popular music and dance at the festival.

The festival was aimed at depicting the discrimination between children from all walks of life. Besides this, the function aimed to generate awareness on how children are using cultural events to achieve their rights.

The festival was organised with children from all spheres of our society. The organisations that participated in the festival were Bangladesh National Women Law Association (BNWLA), Underprivileged Children Education Programme (UCEP), Centre for Services and Information on Disability (CSID), Association for Community Development) (ACD), Community Participation and Development Jhinukmala (CPD), Incidin Bangladesh, Nari Mayitri, Child Brigade, Society for Underprivileged Families (Suf), Socio-Economic Enhancement Programme (Sip), Development Initiative for Social Advancement (Disa) and Paribartan Theatre.

The subsequent two days of the festival featured plays, dances, songs, recitation, comic-skits and many more items by the children. Most of the performers, who also come from the underprivileged and marginalised sections of the society, developed the productions themselves based on the experiences from their own lives. Asif Munir, the Programme Manager Advocacy and Communication of Save the Children, believes that the function revealed the immense potential of the children.

Source: http://www.thedailystar.net/2004/12/10/d41210140396.htm

Five district assemblies get WACAP support

Regional News of Wednesday, 8 December 2004

Srebuoso (Ash), Dec. 8, GNA - The West Africa Cocoa and Commercial Agriculture Programme (WACAP) has provided about 50,000 dollars to five district assemblies and some organizations to withdraw children engaged in child labour and provide them with alternatives like attending school and learning a trade.

Mrs Rita Owusu-Amankwaah, Country Programme Co-ordinator of WACAP, who announced this, named the district assemblies as Atwima-Mponua, Amansie West, Sefwi-Wiawso, Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar and Kassena-Nankana. She also named the General Agriculture Workers Union (GAWU), Centre for the Development of People (CEDEP) and the Environmental Protection Agency of Ghana (EPAG) as the other beneficiaries.

Speaking at the celebration of the International Day for the Reduction of Child Labour at Srebuoso in the Atwima-Mponua District, Mrs Owusu-Amankwaah said the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Programme for the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) with funding from the United States Department of Labour and the Cocoa Global Issues Group had so far withdrawn 656 children out of the targeted figure in the cocoa and commercial agriculture sectors.

She said the project would also assist parents of the children to acquire skills in alternative income generation to be able to support the children when the project ends.

Mrs Owusu-Amankwaah said the five district assemblies had been given money to establish a monitoring system dubbed "Child Labour Monitoring System" to monitor the activities of children workers to help them initiate actions to combat the menace.

Awareness, she said, was also being created in all these districts and communities to highlight the effects of hazardous child labour on children, parents and the nation as a whole.

Mr Charles Yeboah, Atwima District Chief Executive, advised parents to invest in their children's education and said the assembly would build school in the area to eliminate child labour.

Mr John Long, Vice-President of Hershey Foods and Chairman of World Cocoa Foundation (WCF) in the United States of America, cautioned cocoa farmers against engaging children on their farms.

He said the WCF encouraged education rather than the purchasing of cocoa for beverages.

Source: http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=71356

Court frames charges against UK national in child abuse case

December 09, 2004

Maharashtra, India > Mumbai, Dec 8 : A local court today framed charges against UK national Allan John Water and city resident William D'Souza for abusing children of orphanage here during October 2000 to October 2001.

Allan John was extradited from the United States in September and is lodged in a jail here while William was released on bail after his arrest in this case early this year.

Another accused Duncan Grant is absconding and does Indian government in Tanzania initiate facing extradition proceedings against him.

Four children of Anchorage Centre, an orphanage here, had complained that the trio abused them and on the basis of their statements police registered an FIR.

Duncan Grant was running the orphange while William was the manager. Allan John Water was Duncan's friend and used to visit him in Mumbai occasionally.

Magistrate R S Bhargude who kept the matter for trial on December 15 framed the charges. The accused are being defended by defence lawyers Majeed Memon and Parvez Menon.

They were charged with various offences under IPC such as sections 373 (buying minor for the purpose of prostitution), 377 (unnatural offences), 324 (voluntary causing hurt by dangerous means).

They were also charged with Section 23 of Juvenile Justice Act which deals with causing mental and physical torture to children.

Both the accused pleaded not guilty to the charges. PTI

Source:http://www.123bharath.com/maharashtra-india-news/index.php?action=fullnews&id=42357

ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR – BACKGROUNDER

Wednesday, December 08, 2004
12:2 IST

The concern for children and the elimination of child labour in India continues to be an area of great concern and article of faith and commitment for successive governments. The Common Minimum Programme of the present government also speaks about the concern of the Government towards the problem of child labour. It states that the Government will strive for the elimination of child labour.
Child labour is a complex socio-economic problem to be dealt through sustained efforts over a period of time. While there could be many reasons for children not being able to complete even their primary education or the vocational training programmes, studies have revealed that it is poverty of the families, extent of social backwardness and an unsuitable curriculum which have contributed to the children either not going to school or dropping out of school even before they complete their compulsory education.

As per the provisional figures of Census 2001, there are 12.5 million working children in age group of 5-14 years as compared to the child population of 252 million.

Concerted attempts have been made to follow a pro-active policy in the matter of tackling the problem through constitutional, statutory and developmental measures. Article 24, 39 and 45 of the Constitution consciously incorporate provisions to secure labour protection and free and compulsory education for children up to the age of 14 years.

The policy of the Government is to ban employment of children below the age of 14 years in factories, mines and hazardous employment and to regulate the working conditions of children in other employments. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation )Act, 1986 seeks to achieve this basic objective. It prohibits employment of children in 13 occupations and 57 processes.

The Act also regulates the working conditions of children in all other employment, which are not prohibited under the child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. Section 14 of the Act provides for penalties for contravention of the various provisions under the Act.

Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of section 3 of the Act shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months but which may extend to Rs. 20,000 or both. After having been convicted, any one committing a like offence shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years.

The State Governments and Union Territory Administrations furnish information to the Central Government on implementation of the provisions of the Act in the form of periodical reports. During the last five year, 13,32,607 inspections were conducted and 21, 246 violations were identified Prosecutions were launched in 12,348 cases resulting in 6,305 convictions.

Government is committed to the goal of eradication of child labour in all its forms. Considering the nature and magnitude of the problem a gradual and sequential approach has been adopted to withdraw and rehabilitate child labour beginning with the children working in hazardous occupations and processes.

Under the action plan of the policy, National Child Labour Projects (NCLPs) have been set up in child labour endemic areas to rehabilitate children released from work. Under the scheme, Project societies are set up at the district level under the Chairmanship of the Collector/District Magistrate for overseeing implementation of the project.

The major activity under the NCLP is the establishment of special schools to provide non-formal/formal education, vocational training, stipend, health check up, supplementary nutrition etc to children withdrawn from employment.

The number of National Child Labour Projects has been increased from existing 100 to 250 in as many districts in child labour endemic states for mainstreaming of children into formal schooling system during the current Plan. Fifty districts have already been identified and project launched on January 14, 2004 during the visit of Director General, International labour Organisation in India. The process for the identification of rest of 100 districts on the basis of 2001 census data on child labour has also been completed and NCLPs in these districts are likely to be launched very soon.

The children who have been identified as child labourers and who are between the ages of 5-8 would be put directly into the formal schooling system. The child labourers in 9-14 age group would be put through a special schooling mechanism before mainstreaming them into the formal schooling system. It is expected that these steps will lead to mainstreaming into formal schooling system of all children in 5-14 age groups who are found working in hazardous occupations and processes by the end of the 10th Plan. The Budgetary allocation for the Ninth Five-Year Plan was Rs.2496 million. It has been substantially stepped up during the Tenth Plan to Rs.6675 million.

Government has also launched the INDO-US Child Labour Project on February 16, 2004. The INDUS Project would be supportive of Government initiative towards complete elimination of child labour and help to achieve the targets set for the Tenth Plan period. It aims at providing support for elimination of child labour from identified 10 hazardous occupations in 5 states namely Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and National Capital Territory of Delhi. The basic objective of this project is withdrawing, rehabilitating, preventing and progressively eliminating child labour in the 10 hazardous occupations in 21 identified district in 5 states. This project has been developed based on the model of the NCLP scheme already being implemented by the Ministry of Labour since 1988.

Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=5448

GOVERNMENT PLANS TO SET UP A NATIONAL COMMISSION FOR CHILDREN

Wednesday, December 08, 2004
13:29 IST

The Government is planning to set up a National Commission for Children to safeguard and protect rights of children. To give effect to this proposal the Government will introduce the National Commission for Children Bill in the next Budget Session of Parliament. This was disclosed by the Human Resource Development Minister Shri Arjun Singh to the Parliamentary Consultative Committee attached to his Ministry here last night.

The functions of the Commission will include among other things examining and reviewing the safeguard provided by the Constitution for the protection of child rights and recommend measures for their effective implementation. It will examine all factors that inhibit the enjoyment of rights of most vulnerable children affected by terrorism, communal violence, riots, natural disaster, domestic violence, HIV/AIDS, trafficking, mal-treatment, torture and exploitation, pornography and prostitution and recommend appropriate remedial measures.

The proposed commission will have a chairperson and six members, a member secretary and other supporting staff.

Addressing the members, Shri Arjun Singh said that while legal provisions can act as a deterrent to child abuse, the healthy growth of a child mostly depends on the family and societal environment. He also suggested that the committee members should also visit vulnerable areas in the country where child abuse and trafficking is prominent so that they have a feel of the ground realities.

Two other topics namely trafficking of women and children child abuse were discussed at length at the meeting. The Minister of State for Human Resource Development Smt. Kanti Singh outlined the measures taken by the Government to tackle the problems in this regard. She suggested that the State Governments should also constitute Commissions for Children in line with the National Commission for Children to make it more effective.

Taking part in the deliberations some members suggested that there should be structural changes in the education system so that learning becomes enjoyable and the number of children dropping out from schools is brought down.

The Members of Parliament who attended the Consultative Committee Meeting were Shri Shriniwas D. Patil, Shri Bharatsingh M. Solanki, Shri Harisingh Chavda, Dr. Chinta Mohan, Ms. P. Satheedevi, Shri Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, Shri G.M Siddheswara, Shri Kishanbhai V. Patel, Shri C.K Chandrappan and Shri Laxminarayan Sharma.

Source: http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=5453

More Child Soldiers to Be Demobilized

The East African Standard (Nairobi)
NEWS
December 7, 2004
Posted to the web December 7, 2004

By Ken Ramani
Nairobi

A second intensive phase of demobilisation of child soldiers was launched yesterday in Burundi.

A press dispatch from Unicef said over 650 children will be demobilised by December 14.

These are children in the ranks of the six armed movements/political parties that have signed cease-fire agreements with the Government of Burundi.

Since the launch of the demobilisation of child soldiers on January 23 this year, 2,261 children have been demobilised and reintegrated with their families and communities by the National Structure for the Demobilisation and Reintegration of Child Soldiers.

Most of these children were in the ranks of the army and the civil defense force.

The leaders of six armed movements/political parties submitted official engagement letters in which they recognise the guiding principles for the child soldier demobilisation process. They engaged to cease recruitment of children under 18 and to demobilise children in their ranks. Since then, each group is represented in the national structure by a co-ordinator to supervise and plan the demobilisation.

Focal points from the six groups have received appropriate training in order to implement the demobilisation of children in their ranks and to prepare the children for their departure.

The official launch of the Disarmament, Demobilisation, Reintegration and Reinsertion (DDRR) process on December 2nd and the opening of the demobilisation centre in Gitega province, where all the children will be gathered for a short transition phase, boosted the demobilisation of children in the six groups.

It is in this new framework of DDRR that the SNES, in close co-operation with the Executive Secretariat, will continue its activities aiming at the demobilisation and re-integration of all children in Burundi.
The recruitment of children is one of many violations of children's rights committed in armed conflicts.

These children lost an important part of their childhood and need to be successfully re-integrated in the community again.

Source: http://allafrica.com/stories/200412071324.html

Five Nigerians nabbed for child prostitution, drugs

December 07, 2004, 15:45

Five Nigerian men suspected of prostituting children and drug peddling were arrested in a raid at a block of flats in Germiston today, Ekurhuleni metro police said. Wilfred Kgasago, a Metro police spokesperson, said five girls, aged between 14 and 16, were rescued and handed over to the SA Police Service's child protection unit.

He said "an assortment of drugs (including cocaine with an estimated street value of R10 000) and more than a dozen suspected stolen cell phones were confiscated". "The minors are suspected to be operating as prostitutes and drug runners for the five Nigerians apprehended," Kgasago said.

The building, at Knox Street in central Germiston, was raided at 3am. All information obtained by the metro police would be "utilised to the full in tracking down perpetrators of child abuse", said Kgasago also adding the practice was unacceptable. He also said the acts went against the period of "16 Days of Activism" against abuse of women and children. – Sapa

Source: http://www.sabcnews.com/south_africa/crime1justice/0,2172,93619,00.html

Child labour on rise in Jamalpur, Dinajpur

Tuesday December 07 2004 10:25:48 AM BDT

The number of child labour has increased in Jamalpur and Dinajpur over the years indicating deterioration of the overall economic condition of the people.

An estimated 20,000 child workers under 12 years of age are engaged in various odd jobs in Jamalpur to supplement the income of their poor parents.

These child labourers are working in hotels, brick fields, workshops, motor garages and at construction sites.

Besides, many of them serve as domestic aid in the houses of well-to-do people. Destruction of houses and damage of crops by natural calamities like flood and drought compelled many parents to send their minor sons and daughters to work as day labour.

Old age of the parents is another factor for the increase in the number of child labour.

Many of the child workers suffer from malnutrition and various diseases as they are unable to manage nutritious food with their meagre income.

Overwork is also eating into the vitals of the child labour. Many have to put in physical labour for 12 hours a day at different work places. But their earnings are too little compared to their hard work.

Another report from Dinajpur adds: Mired in poverty, many poor parents of Dinajpur have been sending their minor sons to different work places to supplement their income for survival.

More than 30,000 children between 7 and 15 age group are engaged in many risky jobs in different upazilas of the district. They work in crop fields, hotels, brick fields, bidi factories, private houses and at construction sites.

Many child workers pull rickshaws and push carts from morning to night to support themselves and their poverty stricken families.

The owners of establishments prefer child labour to adults because the services of the former can be utilised for more hours with little wages.

A large number of young boys and girls are engaged in bidi and welding factories and workshops in Dinajpur town and other areas in the district. They have to work at these organisations with great risk to their health.

Most of the children working in bidi factories always suffer from cough and lung diseases. Some are even afflicted with tuberculosis. The owners of bidi factories often express their reluctance to bear the medical expenses of their workers.

In many houses, young boys and girls work as domestic help only in exchange for meals and clothes and no wages.

Child workers are also hired by the land owners to tend cattle, till lands, harvest paddy, sow seed and to do many other hard work.

But the wages paid to them after day long hard work are not compatible with the labour they put in from sun rise to dusk.

Source:http://www.bangladesh-web.com/news/view.php?hidDate=2004-12-07&hidType=LOC&hidRecord=0000000000000000028614

Govt Urged To Stop Juvenile Rights Violation

Updated on 2004-12-06 07:53:24

BAHAWALPUR, Pakistan : Dec 06 (SADA) - Office bearers of the children rights committee have demanded of the government to strictly enforce the child labour laws.

The demand was made here by committee coordinator Sheikh Khursheed Ahmed and society for the protection of rights of children (SPARC) incharge Ms Nadia Gul while talking to newsmen in connection with the anti-labour children week being observed here.

They lamented that the children's anti-labour laws were being violated by a number of institutions, including industrial concerns. According to the ILO's report 1990-98, they said around 15 million children were engaged in forced labour in Pakistan. Out of this, they added, some 6.3 million children were doing labour in the Punjab.

They said the situation was unsatisfactory due to the non-implementation of laws. They said under the anti-labour (children) law, the vigilance committees should be constituted in all the districts but no such committee existed in the Bahawalpur district. Presently, they said about 23 million children were engaged in the forced labour out of whom 8.6 per cent were between the age of five and 14 years.

They said around 80 per cent brick kilns were without registration and there was an urgent need that these kilns should also be brought under this law.

Source: http://www.paknews.com/flash.php?id=13&date1=2004-12-06

Child Sexual Exploitation Unabated, Joint Gov't-UNICEF Study Reveals

The Independent (Banjul)
ANALYSIS
December 6, 2004
Posted to the web December 6, 2004

By Ahmed Carayol
Banjul

A joint study by The Gambia Government and UNICEF released last week catalogues the sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the country as a growing phenomenon being blamed on a combination of local and external factors that encourage child prostitution.

The three-chaptered report graphically recounts incidents, which expose the vulnerability of Gambian children to the repercussions of being impressionable and poor. It starts with a general overview of child abuse of children by local Gambians (sugar daddies) and strangers (toubabs) and outlines the government and Unicef's findings and current interventions by them to stem the tide of sexual abuse.

"The smiling Coast" syndrome, main concerns - sexual abuse, prostitution and unreported crimes, pornography and trafficking are themes featuring saliently in the report, which was compiled last year.

The report says although comprehensive research evidence is scanty, anecdotal evidence indicates that sexual abuse and exploitation of children is an observable fact in The Gambia.

The local-based Child Protection Alliance, and the Netherlands organisation, Terre des Hommes are quoted in the study as indicating that the phenomenon of sexual exploitation of children is particularly pronounced in the tourism industry where local bumsters lure teenage girls into sexual liaison with tourists for monetary reward. A girl called Fatou gives a graphic account of how she met a tourist with the help of her school friends. "One of them encouraged me to go out with her and her toubab boyfriend. I went with her to meet him at his hotel and he was there with another white man - that was for me. It was my first time to even talk to a white man. They took us to a Chinese restaurant and I was given 50 pounds when Mike my boyfriend left sometime afterwards he sent me over 300 pounds since that time we have been coming here (the hotel) every weekend" she says.

The study also observes that sexual harassment by teachers and other male students are taking place in schools more frequently that are ever reported. Over the years, there have been occasional reports in the local media of cases of sexual exploitation of children by tourists or adults in positions of trust and authority. A handful of such cases are heard in the courts but fewer still end up in successful prosecution.

The influx of refugees to The Gambia due to political instability in neighbouring countries, the rising levels of poverty, unchecked rural-urban drift, growing tourism and increasing consumerism, all combined to create a conducive atmosphere for the culture of sexual abuse and exploitation to thrive, according to the report, which also gives some indication of the nature and scope of the situation it says.

It outlines the so-called push and pull factors, the perceptions of the stakeholders on issues related to sexual abuse and exploitation of children and the state of laws, policies and programmes. It also offers recommendations for action by the different stakeholders.