Laws don’t work in Dabhoi taluka, children do

Talking to Express Newsline, Shishu Milap coordinator Marzia Attarwala said, “We surveyed 45 of the 80 identified working children in Dabhoi. They work an average nine hours a day for between seven to 12 days or 17-20 days to earn between Rs 350 and Rs 550 a month, depending on the nature of work”.Assistant Labour Commissioner K B Leuva, who recently visited the area with a six-member team, told Express Newsline that since a majority of occupations in Dabhoi were seasonal and confined to individual homes, it was “difficult” to trace child labour.

They were often misled by a child’s apparent age, Leuva said. “We booked three cases after raiding almirah units in Dabhoi but parents of all the boys presented birth certificates stating their age to be 15 years. We had to close the file”, he said.

But that children do work in the Dabhoi units is undeniable. In extensive talks with Express Newsline, the locals said low incomes was the primary reason why children were pushed into work. Moreover, they said, since even educated youths ended up doing manual work in Dabhoi — job opportunities being limited — parents weren’t particularly interested in keeping children on at school.

During a visit to Zharolaki Wadi, Express Newsline spotted at least 10 children — all appearing to be less than 14 years of age — engaged in drilling, painting and welding jobs at the almirah units. While refusing to divulge his age, Irfan said he had been working for more than a year. “I passed Class V last year and then left school to work”, he said, but clammed up at a stern look from a co-worker.

A student of Class IV, Raju was flattening steel plates at a neighbouring unit. “I joined work only a month ago”, he said, adding that he didn’t know how old he was.

A unit owner, requesting anonymity, explained, “Agreed, this is a human rights issue. But understand the predicament of the people here. Graduates and post-graduates end up doing manual labour because they can’t get other jobs. Naturally, parents feel education is futile. So, when the elder brother seeks employment here, three younger ones tag along.”

Kadiyavas has more than 200 embroidery workshops, mostly run by men. A student of FYBCom at the Dabhoi College, Shabbir Hussain, 22, told Express Newsline that almost all mohalla boys above 10 years of age were working for a minimum of Rs 250 per order. “But then, it is only seasonal work and one regular order can be completed within a week. The income is not fixed,” he added.

Women and girls in the same area make bidis to earn Rs 20 per 1000 bidis; each worker produces an average of 1500-2000 bidis a day. Asked if young children too worked, an elderly woman nodded, “They are faster in rolling them up”.

Entire families in Khalli Mohalla are engaged in piercing silver beads for threading to earn Rs 10 per 1000 simple beads (hira manka) or Rs 15 per 1000 shaped beads (kanthi). Again, this is seasonal and order-based employment.Asiq, 28 and his wife Shenaz pierce about 2000 mankas daily. Said Shenaz, “For every one gram of silver lost in the process, we lose Rs 7 from the wages we end up forfeiting at least 50 per cent of our earnings this way.” Asked if worked at it too, Asiq replied hesitantly, “We don’t make them do it anymore. Surveywala aa gaya to case ho jayega”.

According to the almirah unit-owner, the surveywala had worried entrepreneurs enough to make them wary of child labour. “But that doesn’t end the problem. There is no development here, no industry. Politically too, this is a dry constituency. When the labour commission books a case against us, we’ll pay the fine and get away. But who will supplement the income for the household of the child labourer?” he questioned.