“A nation is illiterate and uneducated if a child is labored” - Dr P S Jagadeesh Kumar
There are over 9,000 child laborers engaged in various works across the 11 district headquarters towns in Nagaland. According to an official survey conducted by the state department of labor, these children, engaged in various sectors working for about 16-hour-a-day, are deprived of proper accommodation, food and education. Moreover, children employed/adopted to do household works in Nagaland also need to be recognized as no less than the child laborers working in various commercial establishments. Child Labor refers to the practice where industries and individuals, employ young innocent children and put them to work under circumstances, options for voicing out their pain and suffering.
In Nagaland, it is a fact that children are being put to domestic work under different camouflage identities. Firstly, they are not called domestic workers but just called ‘helpers.’ Often, small children are ‘adopted,’ but in reality, they are being put to domestic work and if observed carefully, we will find clear cut negative differences in the treatment meted out to them by their adoptive parents in comparison to the biological children. It is also a fact that needs to be taken into consideration that hundred percent of the domestic labourers come from Eastern Nagaland. Many of them belong to the poor, broken families or are orphans. There are middlemen/women who bring such children to the towns like Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung, so that they can be ‘placed’. The biggest challenge is lack of record of such children. They do not have any formal representation at any forum and the reason being is that such types of placements are 'ILLEGAL in the eyes of law. We can understand the gravity of the situation using two cases.
Case 1:- Mokokchung: On April 27 this year, a 9-year-old child was allegedly abused and beaten several times in Mokokchung. The matter came to light when the victim’s mother went to visit her son. She reported that her son had been physically abused by the person who was keeping the child as a domestic helper. With the concern of the Child Welfare Committee, an FIR was filed on the same night. The case is being taken up by the CHILD HELPLINE in Mokokchung.
Case 2:- Dimapur: On May 28, 2021 a 10-year-old boy working as a domestic helper was allegedly abused physically. It was the neighbors who called the Child Helpline number 1098 to report the daily beatings. “From head to toe, even the fingernails they did not spare him,” as per to a report. Accordingly, two people were arrested on charges of child abuse in at Sematilla Dimapur and a Suo Moto FIR was lodged at the Sub-Urban Police Station.
From the aforesaid cases, we see that the Naga Society is not as safe as perceived. With the rise in ‘child abuse’ with the passage of time, history will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children. “Children are a blessing and a gift from God.” Child domestic laborers (such employments are absolutely illegal) in our current Naga society are denied their rights and equality in terms of education, health care, daily wages (or monthly salary) and decent life. Humanity and special attention play crucial role for children in their development process and they deserve to be treated well and live a happy, carefree life rather than being subjected to abuse. In this new era, ‘barbaric’ acts committed towards children are not acceptable and should end.
People who appoint such children are mostly influential and economically rich. Sometimes, we may even see them celebrating birthdays of those domestic CHILD laborers or even giving gifts and new clothes; however, the bitter reality can never be kept hidden. First of all, employing kids to do the household jobs is a punishable offence; secondly, the gravity of offence further increases when kids are denied basic human rights. People cannot abuse, beat and put domestic labor to the slavery and celebrate their birthdays. It is shameful and extremely disturbing.
Under the Indian Constitution, violence against children is violative of the right to life with dignity, an integral to right to life under Article 21. The UN Convention on the Right of Child 1989 (UNCRC) of Article 19, declares that any forms of discipline involving abuse is unacceptable. It lays down that children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. Section 27 of the JJ Act prescribes punishment for cruelty to children. Government should ensure that children are properly cared for and protected from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them.
People need to be made aware of the laws against corporal punishment, physical/ emotional/psychological abuses and injustice towards children. Most significantly, we need to change our mindset and adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards any sort of violence against children. We, as a collective society, should also ensure that we make ourselves aware of what is being done to our children as they are the pillars of our society.
Our Naga society should learn to take care of its children. If people are rich and if they think that they need helpers to take care of the house and the people living therein, they should employ men and women over 21 years of age on a monthly salary basis (with bonuses and other legal incentives).
We have good number of unemployed youth in their 20s and 30s; Please employ them instead! Are we eyeing small, vulnerable kids because kids cannot demand a salary or cannot rebel against slavery or shout back? Time has come for our civil society leaders, youth organizations, church leaders and police to become more vigilant and watchful, so that proper action can be taken against such those anti-social elements who put kids to slavery and bring shame to the Naga society. We should help our police administration to lodge FIR against such people who employ children to do household or other jobs.
Child labor is child abuse. Children are our future, let them grow, their hands should hold a pencil and not wash the plates. Whatever may be the reason, no person in our Naga society or anywhere, for that matter, should ever encourage child labor by employing children at their house or workplace.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thoughtwill delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr Aniruddha Babar, Khangpuiliu Pamei, Rinsit Sareo, Meren and Kvulo Lorin. For feedback or comments please email: dot@tetsocollege.org.
