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| Of 28 rescued from pesticide factory, 23 were minors | | Kathua Child Labour Case | | Atul Sharma
Early Times Report
Jammu, Oct 14: The child labour racket at a pesticide factory in Kathua’s Hatli industrial area is now confirmed. Of the 28 workers rescued from a pesticide factory, 23 are minors, and police have registered a case against the company’s management under the Juvenile Act.
The 23 minors include 10 boys and 13 girls. Even so, the Labour Department has yet to take any action against the factory.
Reports said that the Labour Department has not yet received the complete reports and will act only after receiving them. The Social Welfare Department, Kathua, has also not shared any information on the matter.
According to sources, a board of doctors at GMC Kathua examined all 28 rescued workers, 10 boys and 18 girls. All 10 boys were found to be minors, as were 13 of the 18 girls. The board handed the age certificates to the concerned department, and on that basis a case was registered at Kathua Police Station. On September 28, a joint team of officials from the Social Welfare Department, Labour Department, Child Welfare Committee Kathua, Police and Revenue Department raided the factory in Hatli in the presence of a magistrate. The 28 boys and girls were rescued on suspicion of child labour and sent to Bal Niketan.
Their ages had to be established medically at GMC because most of them had no age proof. They carried only Aadhaar cards, which were not sufficient to determine age. Dainik Jagran has consistently highlighted the case, including the failure to verify the workers.
Under the child labour law, a first offence can bring imprisonment of six months to two years, a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000, or both. A repeat offence by the same employer attracts a mandatory jail term of one to three years.
The Labour Department can also recommend sealing the factory and cancelling its business licence or registration to senior officials. It can do so for violations of the Factories Act, 1948, and for endangering children’s health, such as making them work with toxic chemicals or in hazardous industries. The Kathua Labour Office has made no such recommendation so far.
More than 200 industrial units operate in Kathua’s industrial areas. Sources say contractors from outside and from Kathua take young children to these units in large numbers and put them to work. The Hatli case exposed this in just one factory. |
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