ITANAGAR, May 28: The Itanagar district administration has said it will step up its efforts to contain child labour in the capital.
During a meeting here on Tuesday, convened by Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Gupta and attended by members of the labour department, the Capital Child Welfare Committee (CWC), and the police, it was decided that coordination among all the stakeholders would have to be improved.
The DC said “joint enforcement raids” would be conducted in commercial establishments and private homes.
He further said FIRs have to be registered in all cases pertaining to child labour.
Gupta said he would soon frame an order empowering the stakeholders, including magistrates, to file FIRs as well as impose penalties in cases of child labour.
He said police verification would be made mandatory for all domestic helps.
The DC also spoke on the need to strengthen the rehabilitation facilities for the survivors of child labour.
Capital CWC Chairperson Kani Nada Maling said there was need for better coordination with the labour department. She also spoke about the lack of facilities faced by the CWC and Childline Itanagar.
Sharing her experiences of dealing with cases of child labour, Maling said most children are trafficked through middlemen. She stressed on “proper recruitment of domestic helpers through placement agencies” to prevent child labour and exploitation of domestic helpers.
She said such a system would help the employers as well those who have to pay a lot of money to middlemen.
Maling also noted that children are forced to go back to becoming labourers because of poverty.
DSP Moyir Basar Kamdak said the police would extend all possible help in stopping child labour.
The labour department’s official stressed the need for a nodal officer “specifically to look into cases of child labour.”
The official said there are no “specific facilities” in the department for containing child labour.
