Suresh was an 11-12 years lad wearing a red shirt and a pant sitting in the chair. He was brought to Guwahati by his father who wanted to employ his son and get the money. For him, the money was more important than the child’s education. An innocent look in his face, he was crying the whole day as he didn’t like being in the office. When his lack of interest in the work was reported to his father (by the office peon), his father beat him up leaving a bruise in his face for long.’
There are many children like Suresh who have to leave their childhood and education because their parents want them to be the bread earner of the family. Even if the parent earns a few pennies, they think education is not a necessary and send their child to earn. Many backward families opt for sending their children to work and do petty jobs rather than going to school. Children are also forced into beggary and prostitution for the sake of earning money. There are also instances where children are maimed and forced into acts of beggary. In case of their refusal, they are tortured and beaten and forced to work for the sake of money.
Child labour is a burning issue over the world today. The UNICEF has estimated the child labour count to be 250 million worldwide under the age group of 5 to 14. This estimation however, doesn’t include domestic child labour. India ranks itself among the top of having child labour as a prime issue. In spite of efforts to curb this issue, bonded child labour still stands as a major problem in the society as a whole. There are many organisations and Child Labour Act which take efforts in rescuing children from bonded labour and stop this practice. These organisations work to give hope and childhood to children like Suresh and many boys and girls who are trapped in the vicious circle of child labour.
–ananya bhattacharjee
