T.N. activists write to all newly-elected MPs urging them to enact a new, comprehensive child labour law

Child rights activists in Tamil Nadu have written to all newly-elected MPs, demanding the repeal of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 and its amendments, and the bringing in of a new, comprehensive law banning child labour

Child rights activists in Tamil Nadu have written to all newly-elected MPs, demanding the repeal of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 and its amendments.

Calling for the immediate eradication of child labour in all its forms across the country, the activists, in a letter to the MPs, urged them to put children at the forefront of national policies and prioritise their rights and development. “The Act and its amendments allow children to be employed in family enterprises and to be exploited in the name of art and culture. The government must enact a law that makes all forms of child labour up to the age of 18, a punishable offence and create an all-around reintegration plan, with the victim’s perspective,” the letter, which was signed by Tamil Nadu Child Rights Watch and Campaign against Child Labour – Tamil Nadu (CACL-TN), said.

Sent ahead of World Day Against Child Labour, which falls on June 12, 2024, the letter also stated that the MPs should consider the alternative that was submitted to the Parliament in 2017. This Bill was drafted by the CACL.

Further, a Constitutional amendment to acknowledge every person under the age of 18 as a child, according to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), should be brought in, they said. Legislations including the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act (RTE), 2009 should then be amended accordingly. Adequate financial and human resources should be ensured in line with the Sustainable Development Goals aims to end all forms of child labour by 2025, the activists said.