‘Domestic helper’ is another term for child labour in Nagaland, says Childline official

KOHIMA— Child labour is being practiced in Nagaland in the guise of helping children from economically weaker families and from remote areas, said Neingu Kulnu, Coordinator Childline Kohima.

Speaking on the occasion of ‘World Day Against Child Labour’ at Oriental College, Kohima on Monday, Kulnu said child labour in the Naga society is ‘very different’, making it difficult for the laws to be applied here.

The guardians bring domestic helpers in the context of ‘kindness’, on the pretext providing education to children from economically poor families, in the urban areas, she said.

The term child labour in the state is actually a “domestic helper”, because, when we look at the Supreme Court laws, child labour is related to mining or industrial work, which is not the case in Nagaland, she added.

Pointing out that employing domestic helper has become a trend, especially among employed married couples, to look after their children, she lamented ‘it is very sad to see some gazetted officers, despite being well educated and knowing the law well, abuse children (domestic helper)’.

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‘Some children are abused physically and sexually, raped (both male and female child) and beaten up. Some children were fortunate enough to be sent back to their parents through intervention but some don’t have their parents to return to. In addition, none of the children, who the Childline Kohima intervened, want to return to their local guardian (employer),’ she added.

Kulnu said that people are indirectly resorting to child trafficking by bringing children from rural areas to urban areas for domestic help. “But we don’t discuss them (these issues) in the society,” she said.

‘Nagaland, despite being a Christian-majority state, does all the wrongdoings towards these children. Childline Kohima has come across many cases in the past in connection with children been sexually assaulted, raped, beaten up, and not provided food, etc.,’ she said.

“We say that children are the favourite of our Almighty God but what is happening in our society is, they are facing the worst crime. We are taking advantage (of other’s weakness),” she added.

During the occasion, ‘My next door neighbour’, a drama on domestic helper being abused by his local guardian (employer), was enacted by the students of the drama club and English department of Oriental College, Kohima.

The event was organised by the Childline Kohima in collaboration with Oriental College, Kohima, on the theme “Social justice for all. End child labour”.