An endeavour of four samaritans....Mikesh, Sourav, Koushik and Anurodh...to help the child labourers thriving in the campus of IIT Kharagpur, see a better tomorrow...
2. What is child labour? According to the United Nations and the International Labor Organization, child labor is to be considered if:“...States Parties recognize the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child's education, or to be harmful to the child's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.” Indian Constitution SaysAccording to Article 24 of the Indian constitution, "No Child below the age of 14 (fourteen) years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment."
3. THE CHILD LABOUR (Prohibition and Regulation) ACT, 1986 OBJECT: To prohibit the engagement of children in certain employment’s and to regulate the conditions of work or children in certain other employments. DEFINITION: Child: Child means a person who has not completed his fourteen years of age. APPLICABILITY: It extends to the whole of India WEEKLY HOLIDAY: Every child shall be allowed in each week a holiday of one whole day. HOURS AND PERIOD OF WORK: The period of work on each day shall not exceed three hours and no child shall work for more than three hours before he has had an interval for rest for at least one hour. No child shall be permitted or required to work between 7 P.m. and 8 a.m. No child shall be required or permitted to work overtime.
4. Penalties (1)Whoever employs any child or permits any child to work in contravention of the provisions of Sec. 3 shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than, three months but which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to twenty thousand rupees or with both. (2) Whoever, having been convicted of an offence under Sec. 3, commits a like offence afterwards, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years.
5. Current scenario inside the campus Presently there are 14 children in the campus, within the age group of 8 to 15 years, who work for more than 40 hours a week. They work from early evening to wee hours in the morning each day of the week. Their salaries typically range from about Rs.600 to Rs.800 per month and this is used to supplement their family income. Communally they are from different backgrounds, though most of them belong to Bengali households. Most are dropouts from the 1st to 4th standards; reasons including loss of interest and circumstantial pressure.
7. About Teach KGP We are presently a group of four, in our 3rd year of college. Wehavebeen observing these conditions for a long time and have developed a strong urge to change what we feel is unfair and detrimental to the society. Each of us has been blessed to have caring and well-to-do parents and are today able to appreciate the value of education, after having gone through years ofquality education. We believe that education, of all things, can impact the lives of these children in multiple domains and help them lead a better life.
13. We will be recruiting more volunteers to help us in the teaching process.
14. We’ll be serving refreshments to the children during the sessions to sustain their interest.
15. The finances involved in this project are (approx):Refreshments: Rs.1000 p.m. Stationary: Rs.750 (one time) Books: Rs. 700 (one time)
16. Tasks ahead Talk to Dean, SA for getting a written letter of support for the campaign. Arrange for a venue (preferably STEP), where the children will be taught. Compile a comprehensive curriculum for the children with the help of other NGOs. Projector required for teaching the children.
17. Children are remarkably imaginative and resilient - but also heartbreakingly fragile and vulnerable. “ So let us share their dreams And shape their future ” .
18. Contact us: MikeshUdani @ 9331026922 Sourav Das @ 9432289658 AnurodhVyas @ 9733739827 Koushik Das @ 9474822629 Or email us at: teachkgp@googlegroups.com