Free and Compulsory Education to become a Reality, claims Arjun Singh
Historical announcement on World Day Against Child Labour
12 June 2008, New Delhi: On the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour, 12 June 2008, in New Delhi, Shri. Arjun Singh, Honourable Minister of Human Resource Development made the historic announcement that “The Right to Education Act will be tabled in the next session of the Parliament.” This will impact the lives of millions of children for whom free and compulsory education remains a distant dream. The announcement came during the South Asia Congress on Child Labour and Education organised by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Global March Against Child Labour.
Shri. Singh further elaborated that India’s leading civil society movement for the rights of the children Bachpan Bachao Andolan, and the his ministry’s flagship programme on Education for all, the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan would have to work hand in hand to solve the problem of illiteracy and exploitation of children.
The civil society has been demanding to make education a fundamental right for years. After several campaigns including a 15,000 km long Shiksha Yatra, the 86th Amendment Bill was introduced in Parliament that incorporated Art. 21 A into the Constitution making education a fundamental right. However, this was far from achieving the goal of Education For All as Art. 21 A remained non-enforceable. This announcement is the result of tireless effort by Bachpan Bachao Andolan and Global March Against Child Labour, who have been demanding that Right to Education Act is enforced by the central government.
Suimali from Sri Lanka, Birija from Nepal, Prashant from Pakistan and Om Prakash, winner of the International Children’s Peace Prize shared the inaugural dais with Sheila Dikshit. Smt. Dikshit alleged “It is a matter of shame for all of us that our civilization is 5000 years and we have not been able to eradicate this heinous and inhuman practice of child labour. It is our shame and we must invoke shame in those employers and trafficker and unscrupulous people who benefit from this practice.” She implored all those present in the Congress to come up with ideas and concrete solutions that can be implemented by the Delhi government and reiterated her governments’ readiness to adopt them.
Kailash Satyarthi, Chairperson, Global March Against Child Labour called for focus on the ILO Conventions 138 on Minimum Age of Employment and 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour. He reiterated the need to respond urgently to the cries of children like Naushad, rescued on the eve of World Day Against Child Labour from a zari sweatshop in New Delhi. Naushad, 9 year old boy represents the millions of children trafficked for forced labour from poor regions wasting their childhood ill-lit claustrophobic sweatshops. Abused and beaten when the cry for their mothers, these children need the light of hope, air of liberation and power of education to overcome their traumatic situation, and they can not wait any longer for this.
Anees Jillani, Advocate and civil society leader from Pakistan came up with the slogan of a “Child labour free Delhi”. K Kekulandara, Education Secretary Sri Lanka elaborated on the situation of education in his country and emphasized the need for more inter-country exchanges like this for the benefit of children in South Asia, while Commissioner Gauri Pradhan of the NHRC Nepal brought focus to the need to greater policy coherence and coordination in elimination of child labour and education for all.
A unique communiqué was drafted by the policy makers, media representatives and the children reflecting the demands, aspirations and hope of all to end child labour and ensure education for all. A unanimous call for a complete ban on child labour and exploitation of all children came from all groups, to ensure a child friendly world.
This high profile South Asia Congress was attended by 200 delegates from Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and India, including former child labourers, children affected by conflict, out-of-school children, children of marginalised and disadvantaged communities, country representatives of international organisations, UN bodies and several leading NGO leaders, eminent leaders from the media and academicians. The World Day Against Child Labour brought the most promising commitment for millions of children of South Asia and globally languishing in various forms of child labour and education as a tool.
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