Washing own clothes, plates is not child labour says Social Justice Department

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In the light of complaints of child labour in state-run juvenile homes, the Social Justice Department has come out with an unprecedented circular saying that making a child wash his clothes or plate and asking him to help in the kitchen or garden did not amount to child labour.

Ever since the Human Rights Commission slapped child labour charges on Poojappura Children’s Home authorities early in March this year, normal life has been disrupted at children’s homes across the state.

Home officials have refused to ask children under their care to perform routine tasks like washing plates or clothes or even put them through customary exercise drills fearing punitive action.

To clear the air, the Department has come out with a list of routine tasks that inmates in state-run juvenile justice homes can be made to do without inviting anti-child labour clauses.

The tasks that can be taken up include gardening, the activity for which five Children’s Home Poojappura officials were hauled by the Commission and later exonerated by the High Court.

The activities have been divided into two categories: ones to be taken up daily and ones only during holidays.

The daily activities are further divided into two: ones that can be done individually and others that can be done only as a group.

Here are the daily activities for the individual: washing of food plates, keeping bed, cupboard and shelf clean, washing of clothes and cleaning of toilets after use. Here are the daily group activities: cleaning of dormitory, kitchen help, gardening and agriculture.

Weekend activities have been divided into forenoon and afternoon deeds.

Here are the forenoon activities: cleaning of the premises, collecting clothes and fetching water for washing, helping to spread clothes on the clothesline.

Afternoon activities include: indoor games, theatre workshops, yoga and other physical exercises.

“Media reports had prompted home officials to err on the side of caution and this has turned out to be unhealthy for the children,” a senior Social Justice Department official said.