Community Monitoring of Child Labour in India

To operationalise community involvement to monitor child labour in India, using a democratic framework of local self-government institutions, the municipalities and the panchayats, Village Education Committees (VEC) and in the urban areas Ward Education Committees (WEC) were to be strengthened to function as the child labour monitoring teams. They were to especially monitor the enrolment and retention of children in schools after they were removed from exploitative labour. A designated community worker, employed by the district, was to facilitate the meetings of these committees. The child labour rehabilitation plans were to be prepared in each village or ward.

The VEC/WEC members and members of the Parent Teacher Associations (PTA) were sensitized in respect of the special needs and concerns regarding child labour through special modules. However, when assessed by an independent evaluation specialist, the issue of child labour was not a priority for the VEC/WEC. In Tamil Nadu where absence of child labour is one of the criteria for declaring a village a ‘Namadhu Gramam Thittam’ (an ‘ideal village’), it is very much a priority with the ‘gram panchayats’.

The major initiatives of the idea have the potential to be sustained and extended evidenced by the impact they have had in influencing the policies and programs of the government. The Ministry of Education has made significant modifications and actions to improve the success of community monitoring of child labour. These include focusing on urban areas, migrant child labour, and documenting successful communities and the reasons for their success. The special targets in respect of child labour - migrant and urban children – should be addressed in a planned and systematic manner through effective interventions at the district level.

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