New Delhi (CBCI News): Catholic Bishops of India (CBCI) Secretary General Archbishop Albert released a poster to launch a campaign against Child Labour, at the CBCI Centre, here, June 6. The CBCI Office for Labour has prepared the poster and is leading the campaign to create awareness about the rights of children engaged in work. Archbishop Albert said the church’s concern for human dignity reaches out to all people, particularly children. CBCI wants to join hands with United Nation’s International Labour Organization (ILO) and other organizations to work for the safety and well being of children, he said. Fr. Jaison Vadasserry, Secretary, CBCI Office for Labour said there are about 85 million children in India engaged in labour, most of who work in hazardous settings. June 12 is observed as the Anti Child Labour Day by the ILO. Fr. Chinnayyan Joseph, the Deputy Secretary General, welcomed the gathering.
Below is a Note published by the CBCI Office for Labour
Children are a ‘supremely important national asset’ and the future well-being of the nation depends on how children grow and develop. Though children are considered valuable and future of the country, but child labour disfavours this fact depriving the children of education, play and recreation, stunt their physical growth leading to defects and ailments. Hence child labour is an evil that should be done away with.
Though child labour is a universal phenomenon, but India has the largest number of child labour in the world (80 million in 2011). A tender child prematurely leading an adult lives due to long working hours. It is a condition where a child prematurely leads an adult lives, damaging physical and mental development. Can a child who is deprived of education, and other basic needs, be a good and healthy citizen?
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched the first world day against child labour in 2002 to highlight the plight of the children workers and what can be done to help them. Around the world it is estimated that 215 million children are trapped in child labour, and 115 million of these are in hazardous work including armed conflicts, slavery, drug trafficking and all other illegal activities.
It is an occasion to highlight the global and national extent of child labor and raise awareness on the situation of millions of children, girls and boys, working across the globe and our country India. We the arm of the Catholic Church in India working in the sector of labour is also committed and joins many others in the worldwide combating against the child labour.
CBCI office for labour has the history of working with the unorganized workers of country since 1972. It has been instrumental for the formation of many of the national and regional movements of unorganized labours of country namely, National Domestic Workers Movement(NDWM), Christian Workers Movement of India (CWM),Young Christian Workers Movement of India (YCWM)Apostolate of Seafarers of India (AOS),Pastoral Care for Nomads of India (PACNI)etc. in the national level and Swanthra Nirmana Trade Union (SNTU) of Construction Workers ,Kerala Labour Movement, Karnataka Labour Federation etc. in the regional levels. Recently in 2010 a national umbrella organisation called Workers India Federation (WIF) is organised to convene and coordinate the activities of different labour movements in the country in accordance with the national labour scenario.
National Campaign on the World Day against Child Labour on June 12, 2013 will be organised through poster campaign throughout India through our national and regional organisations working with unorganised workers.