PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT
On the
Right based approach towards the Child Labour
(2 April ’07 – 31st March’08)
Project funded
Asha for education
** IMPLEMENTED BY **
Trinita Society for Social and Health Research
19, KANKULIA ROAD
KOLKATA-700 029
PHONE: 64156653(033)
E-mail:
88888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888
To
The Coordinator
Asha For Education
Atlanta chapter
Dear Sir,
Please find enclosed herewith the project completion report from 1st April 07 to 31st March 08 December for your necessary action in this regard.
Thanking you,
Yours faithfully,
[ Shampa Roy ]
Secretary
Progress Report on Right Based approach towards the child labour Kolkata & Bankura .
Name of the Project: Right Based Approach Towards Child Labour
Background:
Trinita Society for Social Health and Research undertaken Right Based Approach and Rehabilitation of trafficked child labor project in tiljala, topsia
From 1ST April 2007 in close collaboration with the establishment where 100 trafficked child labourers were engaged in different forms of hazardous work.. As a first step Trinita had conducted a comprehensive survey and enlisted these trafficked child labourers for a Right Based Approach and Rehabilitation project.
Please attach the table of names and other details of the said children
The main aim of the project to cover 100 trafficked children living along Tiljala-Topsia area beside the Eastern Railway track between Dhakuria and Park Circus in East Calcutta. These children come from different neighbour states and district by their ostad (employer)& work in small factories 15to 18 hrs a day, where they produce and process leather bags, purses and other allied products. All these children stay day and night in the factory with the employers. The living condition is far from healthy. The tiny rooms serve as their work place as well as night shelters. There are no provisions for toilets and the children have to go outside to the rail tracks or open drains to answer to nature’s call at any time of the day and night. Lack of safety and security is a big problem.
The area, where these small factories are situated is itself fraught with hazards – especially for growing children. Around 2000 families with approximately 10,000
population live along the Park Circus railway tract. Anti-social activities including drug and alcohol abuse and violence – especially against women and children are rampant. The trafficked children also sometimes fall into the grips of anti-socials.
Family Background of the trafficked children
Most of these children are migrants from backward rural areas of Sunderban ,Malda ,Murshidabad and other parts of West Bengal and from Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and a few other states. The families with 5 to 7 children each are driven by poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. In most cases the fathers are alcoholic and have multiple marriages. The status of women and children are abominably low, with no provisions for maintaining the basic child rights.
Work Conditions of the trafficked children
The children aged between 8 and 14 are engaged in leatherwork for about 14 to 16 -- sometimes 20 hours, if there is a rush, each day. They do not receive any remuneration other than food and shelter during their so-called training period of 3 to 4 years.
The children work with Thikadars or contractors. The Thikadar organizes the work and the child workers and provides minimal food and shelter to the children, who are sometimes abused and tortured in many ways.
Education
Due to the grinding poverty in the families, which forces the children into labour at tender ages, majority of the trafficked children are primary school drop-outs, while some of them are illiterate. They are thus deprived of the basic right to education.
Health and Nutrition of the trafficked children
Almost none of the health needs of these children of developing years is met. They live in unhygienic and in-sanitary conditions in cramped rooms. They wear unwashed clothes and have no proper beddings, even in winter times. They get insufficient rest and sleep after their extremely hard work.
They have to accept any food that their employers arrange for them – generally bread and tea at 10-11 in the morning, then a lunch of rice, dal and vegetable between 2.30 and 3.30 p.m and again rice, dal and vegetable as dinner at 11-12 o’ clock at night. The food and drinking water are far from safe from contamination.
The children sometimes have to cook for themselves and their employers. At other times they manage with cheap food from small, dirty eating places.
The children suffer from all kinds of diarrhoeal diseases, skin diseases and are vulnerable to chronic malnutrition, Tuberculosis, blindness and peptic ulcers.
Over and above the physical ailments these children suffer from all kinds of mental and emotional disorders. Separated from their families, they do not receive any parental affection and home security. They have no provisions for play and recreations. Deprived of the fundamental rights and essential stimulants of childhood, they often become victims of depressive neurosis. Losing all pleasures of childhood at an early age, they easily stray towards anti-social activities.
The Project Interventions
Goal:
The overall goal is to reduce the exploitation and promote the rights of the trafficked children
Project objectives:
v To see that child workers are provided with services like education, health-care and recreational facilities
v To ensure that the children have one free day a week
v To monitor the living and working conditions of the children
v To raise awareness of the community and the employers regarding child rights.
v To see that the children are repatriated back to their families or rehabilitated
v To skill development training for girls in village.
Project strategies and planned activities
- To select a group of dedicated and committed staff members.
- To provide practical and effective training to the staff members
- Awareness generation meetings and networking with local community members regarding the hazards of child labour
- Regular interactions with the employers to sensitize them to treat the children in a more humanistic manner, to refrain from abusing them physically or emotionally – giving them some chance to enjoy a bit of their childhood and also some better future
- To open centres to provide education, nutrition and recreation to the children
- Arrange skill development training for girls at Bakura
- To arrange for regular health check ups of the children and treatment with medicines for emergencies
- Arrange for a weekly rest day for the children, when they may be taken for excursions, picnics etc
Implementation
ü At the beginning Trinita conducted a baseline survey for identifying and enlisting trafficked child workers in wards no 58,59 and 66 of Tangra Tiljala Topsia under Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Bankura. Four field staff members of Trinita carried on the survey in end of march 07
Table 1: Baseline survey report
No. of children identified / Area & Ward No. / No workshop/ karkhana cover / house / Age group / children engaged in type of work25 / Tiljala , 59 / 9 karkhana / 8-15 yrs / Bag, wallets, shoe tailoring embroidery
30 / Topsia, 66 / 10 karkhana / 8-15 yrs / Wallets ,bag, chappal
30 / Tangra / 12 karkhana / 8-15 / Battery breaking,, Rag –picking , chappal stap cutting
25 / Bankura / House 17 / 8- 15 / Farming & animal rearing
The table No. 1 showing the children age group 8-15 years are trafficked and taking employment in different small industries and majority of the children engaged with leather sector.
The base line data is constantly updated by staff members as a part of their daily routine work in the project area.
ü Trinita set up four centers for providing services to the trafficked working children. The employers have been persuaded to allow the children 2 to 3 hours off from their work, so that they may attend the centers.
All the centers remain open from 8. A.M. to 3-30 PM six days a week & There are no public holidays.
Table 2: Details of the centres
Table No.2
Name of Centre / Teacher name / Time / No of children attending the programMaruti Bagan Shib sangha club / Sushanta Dutta / 8 -30 to 11-30am / 25
Topsia community centre G.J. Khan Road, Kol-39 / Afsana Saba / 12-30 to 3-30 pm / 30
Tangra Dhobia tala , boromoni house , Kolkata- / Shama Roshan / 10-30 to 1-30pm / 30
Bankura Chandra
Ashram / Ranjana Sardar / 12 noon – 2 pm / 20
Along with teaching the children at the centers, the teachers’ duties include field visits to the factories, where the children live and work and also to the surrounding community area.
Staff Training:
A 3 days’ staff training and orientation programme was organized by Trinita in April, 2007. Resource persons from outside conducted training on various relevant topics.
Table 4: Details of Staff Training
Table -3
Date of time / Agenda / Place / No. of staff / Resource22.4.07 from 12noon to 5:30PM / Child labour law / Chamber of Advocate Gorfa Rd. / 8 / Biplap goswami Advocate
23.04.07 from 11AM to 5PM / Method of teaching / Community Centre Topisa Natun Pally Kol-39 / 8 / MD Alagir primary school teacher social activities
24.04.07 / Method of motivation employer
Accountsmaintaining / Do / 8 / Javed Nehal Zahedi
Accounts Consultant
A staff meeting is held every week to reorient the staff, so that they
gradually give up the black board method of teaching and enhance
their own capacity to take up the issues and matters, which affect the
daily life of the children. The teachers teach how to cope with the
hazardous working environment and also how to take precautionary
measures to avoid mishaps and sickness.
Infrastructure Development & Uniform Distribution:
Trinita provided the classrooms with ceiling fans and bookshelves so that the children feel easy and comfortable and get motivated to study. They were also provided uniforms for their daily wear in school.
These small gestures by Trinita is a way of making these deprived children that they are also important and have the right of being happy like other normal children.
Health:
The monthly health check ups of the children under qualified doctors started from the beginning of the project which was supported from other project. Details are given in table 5
(please insert table 5)
Table : 4
Date / Area / Time / No. of children / Doctors26.05.07 / Tangra / 9AM to 11AM / 30 / Dr. S. Roy Child Specialist
do / Tosia & maruti Bagan / 11AM to 2PM / 47 / Same
27.08 .07 / Tangra / 10AM / 29 / Dr. S. Ray
Do / Topsia & maruti Bagan / 11-30AM to 2PM / 40 / Same
20.11.07 / Topsia & maruti Bagan / 10AM to 12-30PM / 46 / Dr. S. Roy
20.03.07 / Tangra / 1PM to 2:30 PM / 28 / Dr. S. Roy
24.01.08 / Topsia & maruti Bagan / 10-30 AM to
12-30PM / 43 / Dr. S. Roy & Dr. B Bhattacharya
24.01 .08 / Tangra / 9-30 AM to 11-30 AM / 24 / Dr B . Bhatta charya
2.03.08 / Tangra / 12-30PM to
1-30 PM / 24 / Dr. S. Roy
2.03.08 / Topsia & maruti Bagan / 12 noon to 1-30PM / 41 / Dr. S. Roy
A health card for each child is maintained and filled up every month. We try our utmost to have the concerned employer present at the health camp, so that he realizes the need for adequate diet and rest for the children under him.
Process of conducive environment building in the community:
Community awareness meetings have been held regularly from 8th April 07 with the presence of local political leaders, community leaders, women’s representatives, social activists as well as the employers of the trafficked children.
Table5
Date / Time / Venue / No of participant / Agenda / Content / Facilitator28th April 07 / 2PM to 3-30 PM / Topsia community centre / 24 / Necessary of health & education for every child / Dr. Sudhendu Mukherjee, Chairman of NGO Forum
Councillor of the ward Shehanshu Roy
28th Apri07 / 4PM to 6 PM / Tangra / 27 / Same / Dr. Mukherjee local political leader Md. Tariquee
26th April 07 / 3PM / Bankura / 21 / Same / School teacher
26.08.07 / 2PM to 4PM / Topsia Community centre & maruti bagan / 48 / Child right
& motivation of employer / Mr.Tarun Satpati & Shampa Roy
26.08.07 / 4-30 PM to 6PM / Tangra / 23 / Same / Same
19.08.07 / 2PM to 4PM / Bankura / 16 / Same / Local NGO Activist
9.03.08 / 3-30PM -6PM / Topsia & Maruti Bagan & Tangra / 43 / Child health motivation ofcommunity / Dr. P. K Mukherjee & Dr Barun Bha
There has been a remarkable impact of these meetings. Community leaders, especially women leaders are forcefully persuading the employers to send their child workers to the centers run by Trinita for at least 2 hours every day. There have been cases somewhere motivated employers along with local youth club secretary have sensitized other employers .