CAMPAIGN AGAINST CHILD LABOUR

Initiated in November 1992, Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), address the question of child labour not as a welfare issue but as a persisting social problem in the context of the existing inequalities and exploitative socio-economic practices in the country, and as a violation of a child’s basic human rights.  One of the significant aspects of this campaign is the effective bridging of the field-level grassroots interventions with systematic advocacy efforts at state and national level to influence the policy makers. CACL has realistically linked the objectives of the campaign in a long-term perspective of social change.

CACL Aims total eradication of child labour and ensuring children the Fundamental Right to Education up to 18 years of age.

CACL’s Position

  • Any person, who is less than 18 years old, is a child.
  • Child labour includes children prematurely leading adult lives, working with or without wages, under conditions damaging to their physical, social, emotional and spiritual development, denying them their basic rights to education, health and development.
  • CACL is against all manifestations of children working n any sector, occupation or process including the formal and non-formal, organized, within or outside the family.
  • Any child out of school is a potential child labour.

Milestones touched by the Campaign…

  • Spread over 21 states, more than 6 thousands active members.
  • It made an impact with the Government of India towards bringing amendments and changing certain policies on children, Few Instances are:
  • Fundamental right to education.
  • Recent ban of employment of children as domestic help and in hotel restaurant and dhabas under CLPRA, 1986.
  • Commission to protect rights of the children.
  • Sensitizing Members of Parliament and legislatures.
  • Child labour issue has been taken up in the 10th five-year plan.
  • CACL became member of sub-committee for vulnerable children in the Planning Commission.
  • Judiciaries have become sensitive to the issue in many cases in many parts of the country.
  • A sensitized pro-child rights assembly of media person has been organized.
  • 4th National Convention of Children-a formidable step towards promoting child participation nation-wide –a National Children Committee emerged with representation of the children from 18 states of India.
  • 80 child rights activists have been trained in facilitating child participation through out the country.

 

The Trust is National Convener of the Advocacy Unit of Campaign Against Child Labour – a national network of thousands of NGOs, unions, individuals and also of Child Rights for World Social Forum. We are also convener of Chuppi Todo – A Campaign Against Child Sexual Abuse – covering whole of the National Capital Territory. We are founder members of Right to Education Forum, NEENV- Delhi Forces, Jan Swasthya Abhiyan- Delhi.

Abolition, Prevention and Rehabilitation Bill 2017