The Meghalaya State Legal Services Authority (MSLSA) today organised a webinar in observance of Child Labour Day on the topic “Child Labour Pre and Post Covid-19 Pandemic”.
Aimed at generating awareness on issues surrounding child labour, the deliberations focused on the aggravated risk of school dropouts, forced labour, early marriages and trafficking caused due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speaking on the occasion, NA Khan, Member Secretary of the MSLSA and District and Session Judge, informed that the theme of World Day Against Child Labour 2021 is “Act Now and Child Labour” as the Covid pandemic has pushed millions into poverty and child labour has been directly impacted by it.
Besides the economic impact of the pandemic arising in increased poverty among low-income groups, the closure of schools has seen a rapid increase in child labour globally. Adding that children cannot develop into a responsible and productive member of society unless they are brought up in an enabling environment, he informed that there are many constitutional provisions that prohibit children below the age of 14 from being engaged in labour and also ensure that children are given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner in an environment of freedom and dignity and are protected against exploitation and against moral and material abandonment.
Khan also lamented the fact that increased child labour caused by the pandemic has undone the past efforts of governments and stakeholders in mitigating child labour, which is predominant in society. He also stressed on the importance of adopting strategies ranging from school enrolment, retaining children in school, income generation avenues for adults, poverty eradication programmes, awareness programmes on universalisation of primary education, etc, to create an environment for the survival, growth and protection of children.
Other resource persons were PT Blah, Deputy Labour Commissioner of East Khasi Hills, who shared awareness on child labour in Meghalaya; Dr Andrew, Director of DIESEL who spoke on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on school children and the responsibility of the Education Department to make sure that children will not leave school; Hasina Kharbhih, Director of Impulse who spoke on the role of stakeholders in understanding child labour issues; Matti Warjri, District Child Protection Officer who spoke on assisting vulnerable families and their children to access social protection measures and police officer Deepak Kumar Palecha, who shared insights on the role of police in child labour and increase in child trafficking as an impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
