PROJECT COMPLETION REPORT

On the Right based approach towards the Child Labour

(2 April ’07 – 31st March’08)Project funded

ASHA FOR EDUCATION

** IMPLEMENTED BY **TRINITA SOCIETY FOR SOCIAL AND HEALTH

RESEARCH 19, KANKULIA ROAD

KOLKATA-700 029PHONE: 64156653(033)

E-mail: trinita01@radiffmail.com

ToThe Coordinator Asha For EducationAtlanta chapter

Dear Sir,

Please find enclosed herewith the project completion report from 1st April 07 to 31st March 08 December for your necessary action in this regard.

Thanking you,Yours faithfully,

[ Shampa Roy ]Secretary

Progress Report on Right Based approach towards the child labour Kolkata & Bankura .

Name of the Project: Right Based Approach Towards Child Labour

Background:

Trinita Society for Social Health and Research undertaken Right Based Approach and Rehabilitation of trafficked child labor project in tiljala, topsia From 1ST April 2007 in close collaboration with the establishment where 100 trafficked child labourers were engaged in different forms of hazardous work.. As a first step Trinita had conducted a comprehensive survey and enlisted these trafficked child labourers for a Right Based Approach and Rehabilitation project.

Please attach the table of names and other details of the said children

The main aim of the project to cover 100 trafficked children living along Tiljala-Topsia area beside the Eastern Railway track between Dhakuria and Park Circus in East Calcutta. These children come from different neighbour states and district by their ostad (employer)& work in small factories 15to 18 hrs a day, where they produce and process leather bags, purses and other allied products. All these children stay day and night in the factory with the employers. The living condition is far from healthy. The tiny rooms serve as their work place as well as night shelters. There are no provisions for toilets and the children have to go outside to the rail tracks or open drains to answer to nature’s call at any time of the day and night. Lack of safety and security is a big problem.The area, where these small factories are situated is itself fraught with hazards – especially for growing children. Around 2000 families with approximately 10,000

population live along the Park Circus railway tract. Anti-social activities including drug and alcohol abuse and violence – especially against women and children are rampant. The trafficked children also sometimes fall into the grips of anti-socials.

Family Background of the trafficked childrenMost of these children are migrants from backward rural areas of Sunderban ,Malda ,Murshidabad and other parts of West Bengal and from Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa and a few other states. The families with 5 to 7 children each are driven by poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. In most cases the fathers are alcoholic and have multiple marriages. The status of women and children are abominably low, with no provisions for maintaining the basic child rights.

Work Conditions of the trafficked childrenThe children aged between 8 and 14 are engaged in leatherwork for about 14 to 16 -- sometimes 20 hours, if there is a rush, each day. They do not receive any remuneration other than food and shelter during their so-called training period of 3 to 4 years.The children work with Thikadars or contractors. The Thikadar organizes the work and the child workers and provides minimal food and shelter to the children, who are sometimes abused and tortured in many ways.

EducationDue to the grinding poverty in the families, which forces the children into labour at tender ages, majority of the trafficked children are primary school drop-outs, while some of them are illiterate. They are thus deprived of the basic right to education.

Health and Nutrition of the trafficked childrenAlmost none of the health needs of these children of developing years is met. They live in unhygienic and in-sanitary conditions in cramped rooms. They wear unwashed clothes and have no proper beddings, even in winter times. They get insufficient rest and sleep after their extremely hard work.They have to accept any food that their employers arrange for them – generally bread and tea at 10-11 in the morning, then a lunch of rice, dal and vegetable between 2.30 and 3.30 p.m and again rice, dal and vegetable as

dinner at 11-12 o’ clock at night. The food and drinking water are far from safe from contamination.The children sometimes have to cook for themselves and their employers. At other times they manage with cheap food from small, dirty eating places. The children suffer from all kinds of diarrhoeal diseases, skin diseases and are vulnerable to chronic malnutrition, Tuberculosis, blindness and peptic ulcers.Over and above the physical ailments these children suffer from all kinds of mental and emotional disorders. Separated from their families, they do not receive any parental affection and home security. They have no provisions for play and recreations. Deprived of the fundamental rights and essential stimulants of childhood, they often become victims of depressive neurosis. Losing all pleasures of childhood at an early age, they easily stray towards anti-social activities.

The Project InterventionsGoal:

The overall goal is to reduce the exploitation and promote the rights of the trafficked children

Project objectives: To see that child workers are provided with services like education,

health-care and recreational facilities To ensure that the children have one free day a week To monitor the living and working conditions of the children To raise awareness of the community and the employers regarding child

rights. To see that the children are repatriated back to their families or

rehabilitated To skill development training for girls in village.

Project strategies and planned activities

- To select a group of dedicated and committed staff members.- To provide practical and effective training to the staff members- Awareness generation meetings and networking with local

community members regarding the hazards of child labour- Regular interactions with the employers to sensitize them to treat

the children in a more humanistic manner, to refrain from abusing

them physically or emotionally – giving them some chance to enjoy a bit of their childhood and also some better future

- To open centres to provide education, nutrition and recreation to the children

- Arrange skill development training for girls at Bakura- To arrange for regular health check ups of the children and

treatment with medicines for emergencies- Arrange for a weekly rest day for the children, when they may be

taken for excursions, picnics etc

Implementation

At the beginning Trinita conducted a baseline survey for identifying and enlisting trafficked child workers in wards no 58,59 and 66 of Tangra Tiljala Topsia under Kolkata Municipal Corporation and Bankura. Four field staff members of Trinita carried on the survey in end of march 07Table 1: Baseline survey report

No. of children identified

Area & Ward No.

No workshop/ karkhana cover / house

Age group children engaged in type of work

25 Tiljala , 59

9 karkhana 8-15 yrs Bag, wallets, shoe tailoring embroidery

30 Topsia, 66 10 karkhana 8-15 yrs Wallets ,bag, chappal

30 Tangra 12 karkhana 8-15 Battery breaking,, Rag –picking , chappal stap cutting

25 Bankura House 17 8- 15 Farming & animal rearing

The table No. 1 showing the children age group 8-15 years are trafficked and taking employment in different small industries and majority of the children engaged with leather sector.

The base line data is constantly updated by staff members as a part of their daily routine work in the project area.

Trinita set up four centers for providing services to the trafficked working children. The employers have been persuaded to allow the children 2 to 3 hours off from their work, so that they may attend the centers.All the centers remain open from 8. A.M. to 3-30 PM six days a week & There are no public holidays.

Table 2: Details of the centresTable No.2

Name of Centre Teacher name Time No of children attending the program

Maruti Bagan Shib sangha club

Sushanta Dutta 8 -30 to 11-30am

25

Topsia community centre G.J. Khan Road, Kol-39

Afsana Saba

12-30 to 3-30 pm

30

Tangra Dhobia tala , boromoni house , Kolkata- Shama Roshan

10-30 to 1-30pm

30

Bankura Chandra

Ashram

Ranjana Sardar 12 noon – 2 pm 20

Along with teaching the children at the centers, the teachers’ duties include field visits to the factories, where the children live and work and also to the surrounding community area.

Staff Training:A 3 days’ staff training and orientation programme was organized by Trinita in April, 2007. Resource persons from outside conducted training on various relevant topics.

Table 4: Details of Staff Training

Table -3 Date of time

Agenda Place No. of staff

Resource

22.4.07 from 12noon to 5:30PM

Child labour law Chamber of Advocate Gorfa Rd.

8 Biplap goswami Advocate

23.04.07 from 11AM to 5PM

Method of teaching Community Centre Topisa Natun Pally Kol-39

8 MD Alagir primary school teacher social activities

24.04.07 Method of motivation employer

Accountsmaintaining

Do 8 Javed Nehal Zahedi

Accounts Consultant

A staff meeting is held every week to reorient the staff, so that they gradually give up the black board method of teaching and enhance their own capacity to take up the issues and matters, which affect the daily life of the children. The teachers teach how to cope with the hazardous working environment and also how to take precautionary measures to avoid mishaps and sickness.

Infrastructure Development & Uniform Distribution: Trinita provided the classrooms with ceiling fans and bookshelves so that the children feel easy and comfortable and get motivated to study. They were also provided uniforms for their daily wear in school. These small gestures by Trinita is a way of making these deprived children that they are also important and have the right of being happy like other normal children.

Health:The monthly health check ups of the children under qualified doctors started from the beginning of the project which was supported from other project. Details are given in table 5 (please insert table 5)

Table : 4Date Area Time No. of

children Doctors

26.05.07 Tangra 9AM to 11AM

30 Dr. S. Roy Child Specialist

do Tosia & maruti Bagan

11AM to 2PM

47 Same

27.08 .07 Tangra 10AM 29 Dr. S. Ray

Do Topsia & maruti Bagan

11-30AM to 2PM

40 Same

20.11.07 Topsia & maruti Bagan

10AM to 12-30PM

46 Dr. S. Roy

20.03.07 Tangra 1PM to 2:30 PM

28 Dr. S. Roy

24.01.08 Topsia & maruti Bagan

10-30 AM to

12-30PM

43 Dr. S. Roy & Dr. B Bhattacharya

24.01 .08 Tangra 9-30 AM to 11-30 AM

24 Dr B . Bhatta charya

2.03.08 Tangra

12-30PM to

1-30 PM

24 Dr. S. Roy

2.03.08 Topsia & maruti Bagan

12 noon to 1-30PM

41 Dr. S. Roy

A health card for each child is maintained and filled up every month. We try our utmost to have the concerned employer present at the health camp, so that he realizes the need for adequate diet and rest for the children under him.

Process of conducive environment building in the community:Community awareness meetings have been held regularly from 8th

April 07 with the presence of local political leaders, community leaders, women’s representatives, social activists as well as the employers of the trafficked children.

Table5

Date Time Venue No of participant

Agenda / Content

Facilitator

28th April 07

2PM to 3-30 PM

Topsia community centre

24 Necessary of health & education for every child

Dr. Sudhendu Mukherjee, Chairman of NGO Forum

Councillor of the ward Shehanshu Roy

28th Apri07 4PM to 6 PM

Tangra 27 Same Dr. Mukherjee local political leader Md. Tariquee

26th April 07

3PM Bankura 21 Same School teacher

26.08.07 2PM to 4PM

Topsia Community centre & maruti bagan

48 Child right

& motivation of employer

Mr.Tarun Satpati & Shampa Roy

26.08.07 4-30 PM to 6PM

Tangra 23 Same Same

19.08.07 2PM to 4PM

Bankura 16 Same Local NGO Activist

9.03.08 3-30PM -6PM

Topsia & Maruti Bagan & Tangra

43 Child health motivation ofcommunity

Dr. P. K Mukherjee & Dr Barun Bha

There has been a remarkable impact of these meetings. Community leaders, especially women leaders are forcefully persuading the employers to send their child workers to the centers run by Trinita for at least 2 hours every day. There have been cases somewhere motivated employers along with local youth club secretary have sensitized other employers .

Sight Seeing & Annual Sports

A whole day picnic at the Diamond harbour of 24 parganas on the 17th February , 2008.For the program 2 CTC buses were provided by The Hon’ble Minister of Transport & Sports .

The whole programme was arranged by Trinita, whose staffs had picked up the children and their employers from the different work places.It was a great enjoyment for everybody especially children as they got a break from their daily hard work.

Trinita organized whole day annual Sports on 3rd March From 10 AM to 4 pm . 67 child Labors were present and they participated in different games. The total no of participants in the program were

182.This was supported by Punjab National Bank( Salt Lake Branch) & Canara Bank ( Hatibagan Branch) . Table 6

Date Time Place Number of Children Participated

17 .02 08 8-30 am to 7 –30 pm

Diamond Harbour

72

03 .03 .08 10 am to – 4 pm Park circus Moidan

67

Future Action PlanAfter working on the Rights Based project for all this time we feel that our achievements have been small, but significant. These may act as pointers to further activities for the enhancement of the status of life for the unfortunate childrenThe overall picture of Child Labour is far from hopeful. Today’s consumer society and the sheer greed for profit on the part of the employers have caused a considerable increase in the number of working children and the hours of their labour.

On the other hand our activities in the project work area, by their bold innovativeness, have attracted considerable support from well meaning persons in the communities – including some employers, who have come forward to help us in various ways. We have a committed team of workers, who are ready to do their utmost foe the trafficked children.

Acceptance by the local community and support from local elected members, youth clubs and committees are also our strength. We are convinced that with sufficient resource mobilization we can build on these strengths and conduct a more comprehensive and effective project in the future.For further enhancement in quality and effectiveness of the programme we want to concentrate on the following:

The interactive processes with the local community leaders, women’s groups, youth leaders and the local administration should be strengthened. Every one must take a specific role to see that the children get a better deal from the employers.

Lobbying with the employers must be taken up on a regular basis. The employers should be involved in group meetings, one-to-one counseling as well as open discussions regarding the status of the children. They have to give more and more space to the children to develop physically and mentally. The employers should be made to allow the children to attend the centers set up by Trinita to receive education and vocational training.

Local clubs will motivate the employers and facilitate their forming clubs, where they will have provisions for some education, recreation and exchange of thoughts to widen their visions, so that they have more beneficial ideas about their employees.

Education of the children: each child should have access to basic elementary education. He should also be equipped with knowledge, skills, values and rights that would help him achieve personal development. This education should give him an insight into the socio-economic circumstances, which have led his family to send him to lead a life, which is little better than that of a bonded labourer. He should also learn to aspire for a better future for himself, his peers and his family.

Vocational training for the children: As it is, the children are being forced to learn special skills for doing the kind of work they are engaged in. They should now be given some technical know how to perform better. They should also learn the other aspects of the trade – accessible and affordable sources of material, costing, marketing etc. These will enable them to carry on the trade on their own later.

Provision for funds: At the end of a child’s stay with his employer some money should be allocated in the child’s name, so that it can be invested for his future. A monitoring process should be in place to see that the money is used properly

Visits to the children’s families should be more regular and cover more and more families. Help should be sought from locally based NGOs and the Childline facilities. Income generation programmes

through establishing Self Help Groups for the families or any other ways have to be facilitated. Regular counseling of the parents has to be done by competent and committed persons.

Networking with other organizations and agencies – Government and non-government engaged in similar work is an absolute necessity. Dealing with child labour is an extremely difficult and wide ranging job. We must have all the help and co-operation we can access.