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\ Butterflies Stand on Elimination of
Child Labour
Butterflies sees children as individuals with Rights
like any other citizen and not merely as objects of charity and philanthropy.
Our commitment is to equip children with knowledge about their rights
and to empower them to protect them, simultaneously working
towards ensuring an environment that will facilitate the protection of all
rights of all children.
Butterflies believes that no child should be working and out of school,
but recognizes the reality as being otherwise.
Butterflies believes that Child labour should not be immediately
eliminated/ banned from every field or occupation.
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Recognizing
the hard core reality of millions of children involved in labour, the
Government of India enacted the Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Act 1986, which however, does not commit itself to the
elimination of child labour except in certain hazardous industries and
aims at regulating the conditions of work in other industries and
bring about uniformity in the various laws relating to child labour.
On 10th October 2006 the government came out with a notification
banning child labour as domestic servants and for work in restaurants,
hotels and teashops.
Millions of children are working in hazardous occupations (match
factories, fireworks, glass, gem polishing, lock, industry, mines,
construction, carpet industry etc,). Many are involved in
non-hazardous occupations for longer hours than adults and are paid
less wages than adults. Some of these children are the breadwinners of
their families. Wider social concerns which touch the very basis of
child labour have not been on the political agenda of our country. It
is easy to pass an order outlawing child labour, however, formulation
of any plan for rehabilitation as well as guidelines and standards for
rescue has been completely ignored by the government. |
 Butterflies believes that the first step is to address and tackle Poverty and other significant
factors which compel children to labour, followed by the total
elimination/ban on child labour. However, children working in hazardous
occupations should be removed immediately with full proof rehabilitation
programme.
It believes all children must have access to quality education and there
must be equity in education. It subscribes to a common school system. Butterflies also believes, school should have multiple exists for children.
As Gandhiji said schools should be living schools, in other words a school
could teach crafts and arts... traditional occupations of the region in the
elementary and high school. However, new techniques, designs, refinement and
business management should also be part of the curriculum. A child could
decide if she/he would like to be master crafts person or some other
professional. The child is given a choice. The child who wants to become a
master crafts
 person on passing her high school would have the skills and
management education to be an entrepreneur rather than work for some one
else. This high school graduate could be given credit by financial
institutions to start her own enterprise.
Butterflies strongly believes that all Children working in hazardous
occupations should be immediately removed with proper rehabilitation
programmes, while children involved with other occupations should be
able to access their basic rights of education, health protection etc, while
at work. Their work should be according to their age, ability and gender and
should be free from any form of exploitation.
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