CHENNAI: Official apathy in monitoring and preventing child labour is an often told story. The lesser- known fact is that the officials involved in child labour rescue operations come under immense pressure from various unexpected quarters, including the child labourers, shop owners and family members of the labourers for trying to put an end to this social evil.A similar incident occurred last week when a team of 15 officials went to rescue the child labourers from North Chennai. The team led by the Inspector of Labour, K Veerapan were mobbed by the shopkeepers and traders who protested against the rescue operations. However, the team managed to rescue 10 children.The incident, according to social experts, strengthens the feeling that all the money and energy spent on creating awareness to eradicate child labour has gone down the drain, as the message seems to have fallen on deaf ears.“Eleven children employed as labourers in Royapuram, MC Road, Old Washermanpet, and surrounding areas were rescued by our team of 15 officials,” K Veerapan told City Express. “While trying to take them with us, we were mobbed by the shop keepers who kept saying their business will be ruined if we take the children away.While boarding an auto rickshaw with the children, one of the kids ran away.” Following the incident, the remaining children were taken to a marriage hall near the Waltax road. The shopkeepers and representative traders associations followed the officials and mobbed them to such an extent that they had to request for police protection.“People from various merchants and traders association and the shopkeepers started protesting, making us feel as if we had done something wrong. It was an awful ordeal for us especially for the lady officials in the team,” Veerapan added.The rescue operations were carried out by the officials following media reports that child labour was in high prevalence in North Chennai. According to a study, more than 32 industrial sectors are still recruiting child labour in North Chennai with textiles and automobiles having about 36 per cent child workers.Poverty drives them to workSelvam (12) reports to work at Parry’s at 8am.He had never been this prompt even when he was in school. But Selvam who dropped out of school last year, now works as a load lifter. Selvam is a pavement dweller who lives on Muthuswamy Road, Ambedkar Nagar, under the bridge of the Fort station.There are many like him in this neighbourhood, who have dropped out of school.Arayayi (60) who is like a matriarch of these huddle masses on the Muthuswamy road, said, “Most of them drop out of school due to pitiable home condition.When they don’t have enough to eat, children volunteer to work.” Children from this pavement mostly work in mechanic shops and small tea shops, also as rag pickers, vending water packets and fruits, pulling rickshaws, or help their parents in flower selling.Paul Sundersingh, from Karunalaya, an NGO, which works among the Chennai’s homeless and street children, said, “When they drop out of school, almost 99 per cent of children, enter straight into the labour market, with poverty being the main driving factor.” They conducted street plays and other folk dance performances to encourage parents to send their kids to school. Sundersingh said, “With government’s help, we hope to bring dropouts under a transit school, and also to work to ensure that other children stay in school.” “We know it’s important to send them to school.But harsh realities force our children to work,” said Rani, a mother.
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