Annual Report - National Human Rights Commission

Rights of Women and Children
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rehabilitation of their families, recovery of Rs. 20,000 each child from the offending employers
and the prosecution of employers is found to be poor. No information has been furnished about
the educational rehabilitation of withdrawn children. Recoveries from the offending employers
remain static at Rs. 1.0 lakh out of the total recoverable amount of Rs. 754 lakh mentioned in the
previous report. A total of 1002 affected families have received benefit under the Indira Awas
Yojana and 448 under IRDP/SGS.
8.58 The Commission feels that no useful purpose would be served to pursue the old cases
at this stage. Instead the monitoring would concerntrate on fresh cases of detection. A total
of 59 child labourers including 11 girls children were detected in hazardous occupations/
processes as a result of 370 inspections conducted during the period April 2004 to February
2005 in the districts of East Singhbhoom, Jamshedpur, West Singhbhoom, Hazaribagh,
Dhanbad, Deoghar, Gondwa and Saraikala. 44 out of a total of 59 children withdrawn from
work have been admitted to schools. Families of 8 child labourers have been given benefit
under I.A.Y. BPL cards have been provided in 17 cases. 10 families have been given
Antyodaya Cards. Families of 2 child labourers have been sanctioned old age pension.
Notices for recovery of a total amount of Rs. 11.80 lakh @ Rs. 20,000 per child from the
offending employers have been filed in respect of 59 child labourers. Actual recovery has
been Nil in the period of review till 28-02-2005. Prosecutions have been launched against
41 employers.
8.59 Five districts of Jharkhand namely West Singhbhoom, Pakur, Garhwa, Dumka and
Sahibganj are covered under the National Child Labour Project. A total of 114 schools with
a capacity of 50 students each and actually holding 5697 students are being run. The
functioning of the project was reviewed in a meeting with the Principal Secretary, Labour
and the DCs cum Chairpersons of the Projects. While the NGOs have been associated in
the running of these schools in Garhwa, West Singhbhoom, Dumka (partially), schools in
Sahibganj and Pakur are being run by the Project Society.
8.60 The Special Rapporteur visited six schools in district Chaibasa in September 2004.
While siting of the schools and selection of beneficiaries was found to be satisfactory, delay
was noticed in implementing the enhancement in the supplementary nutrition scale from
Rs. 2.50 to Rs. 5 per head. Health care aspect was also found to be poor. Vocational training
arrangements were not satisfactory. The review undertaken in March 2005 has shown
improvement in health care and SNP. The results of mainstreaming have also shown progress.
8.61 The Commission regrets to admit that the results of its efforts together with those of a
number of NGOs to end the Child Labour have not been significant and the pernicious
practice continues in most parts of the country. The Commission reiterates its
recommendations made year after year that the entire issue of child labour must be viewed
through the perspective of the rights of the child which demands the reading of Art.24 of the
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