fcgkj ljdkj - Labour Department

Government of BiharDepartment of Labour ResourcesState Plan of Action for elimination, Release andRehabilitation of Child Labour1. Introduction: -1.1 Children, undoubtedly, are one of the greatest assets a nation possesses.As aptly described by English poet Wordsworth, a child is the father of theman. It is, therefore, an important index of a nations’ development, social aswell as economic, as to how its’ children are taken care of and nurtured.Schools and playgrounds are the natural places where a child should findhimself or herself. Schooling and joyful physical and recreational activities atthe right age are what children require for growth of their intellectual andbodily capacities. However, there exist situations where large number ofchildren, forced by circumstances, found themselves at work places instead ofschools and playgrounds, sometimes in hazardous occupations andprocesses, to eke out meager earnings to supplement the incomes of theirpoverty stricken parents. This phenomenon leads to burning out of thecapabilities of a child before he/she attains adulthood and is detrimental to thehealth and safety of children. It also speaks volumes as to how we, as anation, care for and nurture some, if not all, of our children.1.2 The working children constitute a sizeable number of the out–of-schoolchildren found in the country. There are reasons to explain as to why thisphenomenon of children landing into work places rather than schools occurs.Though it also calls for continuous improvement of the school environmentand the teaching-learning activities, the reason is deeper; it is the socioeconomic milieu defining the circumstances governing the very existence of aworking child which lies at the root of this problem. The most dreaded form ofworking children is the event of child labour when a child is required to workbeyond his physical capacities, when hours of employment interfere with hiseducation, recreation and rest, when his wages are not commensurate withthe quantum of work done, and when the occupations he is engaged inendangers his health and safety, i.e., when he faces exploitation.1.3 Child Labour, quintessentially, is an outcome of poverty, economicdeprivation and illiteracy. It is also said to be a consequence of segmentedlabour markets accompanied with low levels of labour empowerment. Whilepoverty spawns child labour, as poor families struggle to make living in anypossible way, it is equally true that child labour perpetuates poverty;children become victims of the destructive/degenerative inter-generational