A child labourer in Vidisha.
Vidisha, Madhya Pradesh:
A day after celebrations at the ancestral home of Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi in Madhya Pradesh's Vidisha district, thousands of child labourers are back to work.
Mr Satyarthi won this year's Noble Peace Prize for devoting more than three decades of his life fighting child labour. But the children in his hometown are unaware of this and continue to work.
13-year-old Rohit Kushwaha does not why his town is celebrating. His main concern is to earn his livelihood so that he can support his family. Rohit dropped out of school after class 7 as the school was 20 kilometers away from his village. He has now been working at a tea stall for over a year.
"Initially when I was looking for a job, some refused saying I am a minor. But I was able to convince my present employer that I need money to survive so he should hire me. There are many children working in bada bazaar area," said Rohit adding, "How can I study... I don't have money to pay for my meals or to study. Working is the only option."
As NDTV walked through the streets and local markets of Vidisha, we came across hundreds of Rohit's, some selling tea, some manning roadside stalls and some even repairing vehicles. As the city rejoices, somehow these child labourers for whom Mr Satyarthi has been fighting for decades seem to have become invisible.
However, Mr Satyarthi's nephew Umesh Sharma has been following in his footsteps. "The labour department does not work effectively...But this not the sole responsibility of the government but also of the society, people should have a change of attitude only then this problem can be eradicated," said Mr Sharma.
The 1986 Child Labor Act has a provision of Rs 20000 fine or one-year imprisonment for anyone found guilty of employing children, but clearly with no proper checks, employers of these child labourers often conduct their business without any fear.
Vidisha Collector MB Ojha admits there is lack of manpower but assures they are trying their best to check child labour. "The labour department does not have adequate man power but our Sub Divisional Magistrate and Tehsildars are checking and also taking action. We are also trying to change the mindset of people that it is not right to employ a child...hopefully in the years to come we will be able to completely eradicate this problem of child labour."
Mr Satyarthi won this year's Noble Peace Prize for devoting more than three decades of his life fighting child labour. But the children in his hometown are unaware of this and continue to work.
13-year-old Rohit Kushwaha does not why his town is celebrating. His main concern is to earn his livelihood so that he can support his family. Rohit dropped out of school after class 7 as the school was 20 kilometers away from his village. He has now been working at a tea stall for over a year.
"Initially when I was looking for a job, some refused saying I am a minor. But I was able to convince my present employer that I need money to survive so he should hire me. There are many children working in bada bazaar area," said Rohit adding, "How can I study... I don't have money to pay for my meals or to study. Working is the only option."
As NDTV walked through the streets and local markets of Vidisha, we came across hundreds of Rohit's, some selling tea, some manning roadside stalls and some even repairing vehicles. As the city rejoices, somehow these child labourers for whom Mr Satyarthi has been fighting for decades seem to have become invisible.
However, Mr Satyarthi's nephew Umesh Sharma has been following in his footsteps. "The labour department does not work effectively...But this not the sole responsibility of the government but also of the society, people should have a change of attitude only then this problem can be eradicated," said Mr Sharma.
The 1986 Child Labor Act has a provision of Rs 20000 fine or one-year imprisonment for anyone found guilty of employing children, but clearly with no proper checks, employers of these child labourers often conduct their business without any fear.
Vidisha Collector MB Ojha admits there is lack of manpower but assures they are trying their best to check child labour. "The labour department does not have adequate man power but our Sub Divisional Magistrate and Tehsildars are checking and also taking action. We are also trying to change the mindset of people that it is not right to employ a child...hopefully in the years to come we will be able to completely eradicate this problem of child labour."
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