| Children narrate tales of physical abuse |
30th January 2009
Matthew Philip from South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring(SICHREM), on the occasion said, There is a need to create awareness about child rights and the menace called child labour. People have to be enlightened about the Right to Education Bill and must utilise this as a tool for the upliftment of deprived children
“I was physically abused and made to over work. I was given left over dog food as meals by my employers. I had to take care of nine dogs along with my daily domestic chores of cleaning dishes, mopping floors and washing clothes.”
Making these shocking revelations were 12-year-old Jayanthi, one of the children rescued from a central government employee’s house where she was physically abused for almost two years. She had suffered till the Association for Promotion of Social Action, a Bangalore based non government organisation rescued her from Kasturinagar.
Jayanthi gave her testimonial about the traumatic two years of life as domestic maid servant at a workshop on policy consultation on child labour issues organised by the Campaign Against Child Labour(CACL) on Thursday. “I am happy to be studying now and will complete my basic education. My teachers are a great support and are guiding me with my studies” Jayanthi said.
Traumatic tales
Jayanthi, along with two other rescued children, presented their traumatic experience as domestic workers and recuperation from it. Thirteen year old, Razaq MH, was rescued from a hazardous sector in Davangere. Talking about his experience, Razaq narrated, “I was working in a rice factory. I was made to work for 14-16 hours everyday for a meagre salary. I was not allowed to go to school and was forced to labour for long tedious hours at the factory. The employer used to beat us if we rested for a while” .
Matthew Philip from South India Cell for Human Rights Education and Monitoring(SICHREM), on the occasion said, “There is a need to create awareness about child rights and the menace called child labour. People have to be enlightened about the Right to Education Bill and must utilise this as a tool for the upliftment of deprived children. There is a need for far reaching and drastic ammendment in the Article 24 of the Indian Constitution”.
http://www.deccanherald.com/CONTENT/Jan302009/city
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