Post-pandemic, child labour cases increasing in Karnataka

BENGALURU, NOV 19: As the World Children’s Day, with the theme “Inclusion, for every child’, is observed on Sunday, thousands of children in Karnataka have been left out of the mainstream. Data shows that child labour cases in the state are on the rise post-pandemic, but still there is no system in place to get them back to classrooms.

The Labour Department rescued 172 child labourers in 2020, 315 in 2021 and 395 this year in the last nine months. But the labour department pointed out that officials from other departments, including women and child welfare, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj, police, education, social welfare and many others, are not interested in this mission. A Labour Department official said child labour is not limited to one department. “But officials from other departments have other priorities and do not take this issue seriously,” said the official.

Explaining the reason behind the rise in child labour cases, the official said that during Covid, especially when there were lockdowns, commercial activities had stopped and many industries did not have a chance to employ children. Now that the economy has opened up, child labour cases are going up.

Vasudeva Sharma, State Convenor, Karnataka Child Rights Observatory (KCRO), said there is a connection between post-lockdown and rise in child labour cases. “It could be because post-Covid, adults may not be getting wages they used to earn and they may be sending their children to work. Also, migrants, who have come back to work, could be sending their children to work,” he added.

-TNIE