Challenging children to fight child labour

As part of the ‘World Day Against Child Labour’ being observed on the 12th of June, World Vision India organized the ‘Child Labour Challenge,’ a simulation activity. The challenge was conducted with an objective to sensitise the school-going children across the country on the evil practice of Child Labour.

About 3000 children from different locations across the country took part in the challenge and at the end, took a pledge promising not to support child labour in any form. School going children from Nilgiris, New Delhi, Rajahmundry, Kanpur, Mumbai, Gudiyatham, Bangalore, Dheradun, Palani, Betul, Bhojpur, Vijayawada, Usilampatty and Guwahati participated in this challenge.

The challenge was an eye-opener for children who have come up with a very strong set of recommendations to curtail child labour in India. These recommendations have been compiled together and will be given to the Ministry of Labour by World Vision India, on behalf of the children.

Meena, a standard eight student from Bangalore, who took up the challenge said, “I lost my self-confidence while working in those conditions.” Such was the atmosphere created to resemble the actual working conditions of the child labourers.

 The Children were put in a room that was made dark and dingy and were given gum in dirty containers and other raw materials and were required to make match boxes, while some child rights activists donned the role of employers or supervisors, speaking harshly to the children and hurrying them to complete their work.

The ‘Child Labour Challenge’ not only educated the children on the challenges of child labour, but also challenged them to be part of the movement that would end child labour in India.

by Theodore Sam, World Vision India