Together for children

Child Labour is one of the biggest issues the world has and still facing. Its increase has alarmed all governments and has entailed to the creation of programs and campaigns against it. However, everyday we are still being witnesses of the cruel, harsh and inhuman reality of millions of children who work  as domestic child   labour ,  selling candies and cigarettes, repairing  and  cleaning cars risking their lives in front of us: a society which does not stand up to put an end to this issue. A society which prefers do not accept this reality that keeps entire families in the poverty cycle. And although Child Labour has declined over the last couple of years  there are still 5.7 million working girls and boys who are under the minimum age for employment or are engaged in work that must be abolished  that is according to the International Labour Organization Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention No. 182. In general Child Labour stunts the growth of future generations and perpetuates the poverty by increasing bottlenecks in the development processes.
Why  this campaign ?
The nature of this problem in India , as in other regions, is based on the roots of poverty carried from generation to generation in most of the developing countries where the lack of consistent policies on children rights has brought worrying consequences. Nevertheless we can still make a difference in our own communities; therefore society should be aware of the Human Right frameworks such as the Millennium Development Goals.
In our state  we come across many child domestic labour mostly trafficked from Assam ,Mon, Tuensang, and other parts of neighbouring states. Almost all of them end up in Dimapur, Kohima and Mokokchung. Interaction with child labour and the parents in our research revealed that the reasons for the existence of ‘child labour’ includes- extreme poverty, pathetic educational institutions, ignorance concerning their ‘own rights’, improper access to basic necessities and so on. These unprivileged children are found working in people’s houses, workshops, construction
sides, shops, hotels, restaurants, candle industries, bakeries etc. Almost all the children could be seen employed by Naga families, business owners; the children are in many cases abused mentally, physically and sexually by the owners. The promises of sending them to reputed private schools are denied and allocated working hours by the constitution are not maintained.  Children  are also  sold  like commodities at the rate of Rs10,000/-  and  most of the  time  transfer  from   one house to another  in search of better  owner.
Our conversation about child labour on national and international scenario should be put to minimal while the issues of child labour and trafficking are highly active in Nagaland. At this juncture, Community educational centre society (CECS) challenge all concerned citizens of Nagaland to joint hands and act locally to eradicate problems locally. By responding together our ability to stop child labour becomes eminent and the protection of every single right of the children possible, through these we enables a child to nourish their future and encourage them to live harmoniously with the community.
Please   listen to me …
‘I am not able to go to school because   I need to look after my brothers and sisters’
‘My parents can’t afford my school uniforms and admission fees which is why I am out of school’
‘ I was sold by my parents with  Rs10,000/-  but  I  ran away from my owner’s house because they physically abuses me every day’
‘I don’t want to stay with my uncle’s family because I am treated like animal .   My parents are no more’
‘I wish to go back home  and live with my parents in the village’
Human Right Framework
Child Labour is not just a plight of children. It is more than a simple situation to solve, based on improving education and adult employment. It is the dignity of millions of children exposed to the risks everyday to take an adult role which does not belong to them yet. It is the marginalization to a specific sector of our society which claims silently their rights to live with dignity as all humans deserve.
UNCRC
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) is a human rights treaty setting out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Convention generally defines a child as any human being under the age of eighteen, unless an earlier age of majority is recognized by a country's law.
In India, Article 24 of the Indian Constitution and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 defines the child as “A person who has not completed the 14 years.
Youth
 The most important objective of this campaign is to empower the future citizen and policy maker of our land the ‘YOUTH’. By inculcating youths on the effects of child labour in our society, we are creating our future society free of child labour. In future, they (youth) will be aware of every developments related to child labour and while formulating policies they will always look into the welfare of the children and the disadvantaged section of the society. Thus, it is important to create awareness especially to the youths collectively by all the responsible section of the society.
While you finish reading these lines, there are still millions of children who will not go to school today. There are still millions of children who will be battered to work more hours. There are still millions of children who will have to share a modest meal with their entire families or perhaps there will not be food today for them. It is not just their problem. It is our duty as human beings to assure that we all live in decent conditions. That we all care about each other. That our future generations are freed of slavery and exploitation as Child Labour has brought to our society.
I have hope that Child Labour will be tackled effectively in the next years and a clear evidence of that is the voluntary involvement of the civil society through social organizations.
It is impossible to block out the sun with a finger as we cannot block out Child Labour, but we can make a difference with our help, with our actions.