Child labor in Nagaland muddled in contradiction

DIMAPUR, JUNE 11 : Hundreds of children across Nagaland are living a dismal lives living in urban towns and burdened with work but without proper education. Who is to be blamed, parents or owners and whether or not it was child labor itself, are the questions that remain in need of resolution. The weaker sections of the community wish for ‘quality education’ for their children, while the higher strata consider their need for domestic helpers. Hence, the former keep the children of the latter as part-time domestic workers. The import of the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act of 1986 were contextualized during an interaction on Saturday with the Deputy Labor Commissioner of Dimapur, Imlisashi Jamir. The official commented that most of the contents of the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act cannot be implemented in Nagaland for the reason that ‘our society is very complex.’ Currently, the department has yet to draft rules or amendments on child labor but there are processes underway as the issue of child labor can also be contradictory in itself in many instances. He also revealed that the department goes for inspections in the local industries but are mostly left helpless when encountering children of under-14 years working. The employers say that the children are employed on the requests of parents, the officer explained. Even if the department raids industries and shops that employ children, he said, ‘where will the rescued children go?’ Such contradictions are a problem as Nagaland is still not equipped with proper rehabilitation facilities except for a few from some NGOs, he said. Surprisingly, Jamir disclosed that the department was yet to undertake any survey on child labor in Dimapur. For Kohima and Mokokchung though, the year is said to be ‘the year of survey.’ The year’s theme of World Day Against Child Labor ‘end child labor in supply chains’ very much explains the case of Nagaland where children are brought to urban areas from villages with dreams of getting proper educations. Little do they know that with education will also come hours of domestic responsibilities. With some exception, many fail to live a ‘happy life,’ says Sobonenba Longkumer, the director of Community Educational Centre Society (CECS, also the nodal director of Childline 1098. He said Naga children were ‘not much involved in commercial sectors’ but that the number of children working in the domestic sector had been growing each year. The findings of a survey on child labor by the CECS in partnership with National Child Labor Project, shows that in the last few years, the supply sector had changed personnel: illegal migrants to local children from Tuensang, Mon and other districts. The overwhelming demand for household helpers has resulted in increasing cases of child trafficking in Mon district, it was revealed. The findings also show that the number of child laborers in the urban areas mainly in Dimapur, Kohima and Mokokchung showed an astounding figure of more than 9, 000 cases till date. The findings also show that Dimapur has more than 5, 000 children engaged in the commercial sector. The survey was conducted in 14 major areas of Dimapur by the Community Educational Centre Society in 2016 for the National Child Labor Project (NCLP). The survey covered the age groups 6-9 years and 10-14 years. It shows that the number of male children involved in labor at 3, 032 while the number of female children involved in labor was stated to be at 2, 322. Although governmental and NGOs, and child protection schemes have undertaken efforts to eradicate the malady, it is clear that the issue will remain as long as the socio-economic concerns of poor families are not addressed. The CECS director said that the school focuses on the downtrodden children, by providing quality education with nominal fees. Expressing concern at the child labor market in Nagaland, Imlisashi Jamir suggested ‘awareness campaign’ as a ‘must’ and with participation from all sections of the community.