Hyderabad: In spite of the Election Commission strictly prohibiting the use of child labour in poll campaigning, netas are turning a blind eye to the EC’s orders.
Children below 14 years of age are being used for distributing pamphlets, pasting posters, and serving food and water to election campaigners. City child right activists have approached the Election Commission against at least seven candidates from different political parties alleging that they have been using children for their campaign.
TD Sanath Nagar candidate T. Srinivasa Yadav, Congress Khairatabad candidate Danam Nagender and Maheswaram TD candidate Teegala Krishna Reddy are in the list of netas who allegedly used kids for campaigning.
“We have sent complaints to the Election Commission with photographic evidence of children doing ground works for candidates,” said Anuradha Rao, a city-based child rights activist. Apart from complaining to the EC, the petitions have been sent to bodies like the women and child welfare department, the State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, the State Human Rights Commission, and the Labour Department.
SCPCR officials said that whenever they are notified about such incidents by locals or child rights activists, they have taken suo motu action. Officials said that after an initial inquiry, the Election Commission or the police or the labour department can book cases against netas under Sections 23 and 22 of the Juvenile Justice Act.
However, the leaders easily get away as inquiries fail to prove that the children were ‘employed’.
