Child labour

June 12th is observed as the world day against the child labour. How many of us know that there is day exist like this. I'm afraid the answer to this is very less people. Those people would have seen some ad in the newspaper while having their morning coffee. That is it. We forget the fact afterwards.
The ILO - International Labour Organization - estimates that around 165 million people in the age group of 5 to 14 are involved in the most dreaded disease called child labour and I’m quite confident that majority of the children are from India. But what are we doing so that this could be avoided and none is the response for that.
This years theme for the ILO is education: right response to the child labour.
Most of us were privileged to get the education when we were kids. Now it is the time to give back to the society. How? Here are some of the things that can be followed by us.
- there is a toll free number 1098, call these people wherever you find the child is involved in labour/work
- Stop eating in the hotels which involve children for work esp. the andhra mess
- If you go to a mechanic shop and if a Child comes to service you, Please reject it out right (This is very debatable point)
-If you are from a village, then try to go there whenever time permits and try to teach them anything and everything. Getting to grassroot level is very important
- Stop bursting the crackers for Diwali, even thou their packets says that it does not involve child labour. See it to believe it
- If you are in a very good financial position, try to sponsor something to the poor children in the neighbor hood
- Try to spread the awareness about the problems that will be caused from child labour
- Help the Govt and the UN in eradicating the Child labour by the year 2015

As a nation, we are plagued with problems. Let us try to remove one problem from the long list. If we remove child labour, then we might also eradicate some of the poverty related problems. We should never see the short term gains but instead see the long term gains. The Govt has made the education until the age of 14 as free and compulsory!