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Woes of Lanka’s working children
By Dhananjani Silva
They work as domestics; they toil in the scorching sun all through the day without a break or proper food. They are abducted, brainwashed and deployed as drug traffickers; their childhood lost forever. Deprived of a good education and proper guidance, the only certainty these children know is that they face an uncertain future.

We have all come across children working as domestic aides, but in the streets, in karawala vadiyas and hidden behind the walls of the garages and shops are other children. Beset by poverty and helplessness and even due to society’s callousness, these innocent victims of child labour often go unseen and unheeded.

When The Sunday Times toured the streets of Colombo recently we saw many children at work — as helpers at motor garages, cleaning vegetables in the market, selling bags and books on the pavement and even deployed as beggars.

Thirteen-year-old Lahiru is one such innocent victim of poverty. He left school one year ago to help his mother who sells bags on the streets in Maligawatte. When we caught up with Lahiru, his mother was not in the vicinity. “I am selling bags on this side of the pavement while my mother carries out her job on the other side. My father is not well and it has been five years since he stopped going to work due to illness. I have an 11-year-old sister and a one-year-old brother and we are doing this to look after them. Each bag costs Rs. 10 and I am able to sell about 20 bags per day. But I give my mother all the money I earn,” Lahiru says.

Asked if he would like to go to school, he answered, “Like my sister I too would like to go to school.” Hidden behind the heaps of old motor vehicle engines and spare parts in Armour Street, we found 15-year-old Vasu.

“I earn Rs. 200 a day and I give the money to my family. I have two brothers and my father is working as a driver. But three years ago, I left school and later my parents decided to send me here,” Vasu said.

He is joined by his employer who explains that Vasu came to work for him five days ago and “he is only helping us out to remove the parts and engines”.
The law states that employment of girls and boys below the minimum age (14 years) or engaging them in exploitative and hazardous employment even if they are above the minimum age, but below 18 years thereby depriving them of their right to education, is an offence. However, there are also instances where the children are recruited under unhealthy working conditions, the worst form being prostitution and other sex-related activities such as pornography.
Statistics compiled by the Department of Probation and Child Care for 2003 reveals that there is a decline in child labour when compared with the year 2002.

According to the statistics, the total number of complaints about child domestics for 2003 is 433, with the Western Province accounting for 166 cases whereas in 2002 there had been 576 complaints of which 325 were from the Western Province.

However, some 228 complaints have been recorded on other forms of child labour in 2003 whereas in 2002 the number was 265. (See chart for more details).

We caught up with 14-year-old Siddhi while he was carrying out his small business on a sidewalk in Castle Street. He comes from Kandy and it was three years ago that he bid adieu to his school life and came to stay with his married sister in Colombo. Having lost both his parents, today Siddhi, who claims that he can read and write, is selling books to those who pass by the Castle Street Hospital. “It was my sister who gave me money to start this business and every day I earn about Rs. 1500. Out of this I get Rs. 100 to my hand while I give the rest to my sister. It is she who provides me with food and clothes,” he said adding that he would go to Pettah to bring books when stocks were over.

Lahiru, Siddhi or Vasu may not be representative of the worst victims of child labour, but they are trapped by poverty and without the benefit of a proper education, they may never be able to break free from their pathetic situation.

No tooth brush, no comb, they sleep on the floor
“The hypothesis that child domestic workers engage in age-inappropriate domestic chores was confirmed as many children under the age of 14 were recruited for domestic work and they do a variety of jobs, some of which are considered to be hazardous,” a recent study carried out by the International Labour Organisation revealed.

“The information gathered shows that many children were physically and verbally ill-treated and also that they were exposed to contact and pressure of a sexual nature,” the ILO study titled “Child Domestic Labour: A Rapid Assessment” said.

With regard to the ethnicity of the domestic worker, the study revealed that children from a Tamil cultural background were employed disproportionately for domestic work, especially from the estate sector families.

The report claims that a majority of child domestics sleep on the floor on a straw mat while some have beds with or without a mattress. In many cases they have at least a box to keep their belongings while some have to keep their belongings outside in the garden. “A majority have an enclosed area to change clothes while a few do not have this set-up.

“Meanwhile a noteworthy numbers of child domestic workers stated that they use ‘outside’ for their toilet needs. As to the minimum items to ensure proper hygiene, a small yet a concerning number of child workers do not use a tooth brush, soap or a comb and do not have a change of underwear. Only around half of the children interviewed have a towel,” the report stated.

Public cooperation lacking
Employment of children in domestic work is the main element of child labour in Sri Lanka and this happens largely due to the lack of awareness of the law or the gravity of the offence, said E. K. Ariyadasa, the Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Probation and Child Care.

As for other forms of child labour, Mr. Ariyadasa said the contribution made by the public too was unsatisfactory as they did not bother to take necessary action if they came across such an instance.

However, in the event of employing those who are between 14 and 18 years of age the employer must adhere to rules and regulations such as registration of the person, working hours, holidays and leave etc, he says.

Asked if there is a decline in the incidence of child employment due to recent awareness and advocacy programmes he was of the view that there was a certain control over the situation due to the campaigns conducted. “If not the number would have increased by now. But although society is afraid to break the law, due to socio-economic reasons, the issue is still in practice.”

About the instances where children were deployed in pornography, prostitution and other sex related activities, Mr. Ariyadasa said this trend was seen in Colombo.

On the impact of the tsunami on the child labour issue, he said, so far there had not been incidents as such, but this issue could arise in the future. “Right now there is a lot of attention on tsunami orphans. But at the same time a new atmosphere was created in the aftermath of the tsunami with many people visiting the tsunami-hit areas and as a result these children could be vulnerable for abuse and exploitation,” he said.

The department is taking necessary steps to ensure the safety of the children living in the tsunami-hit areas. “We are collecting data about the children who had become orphans to keep a close track on them in the future and we have deployed our officers in those areas,” he said.

The public can contact the Department of Probation and Child Care on 2853596, the Women’s and Children’s Bureau on 2444444 or the nearest police station to inform them of incidents of child labour.

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