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Activities
Some
of the more important achievements which the project accomplished
this year and grouped into areas of activity, were :
Creation
of child / youth labour forums gaining self governance
The
forums provide the opportunity of enabling its members to
determine their future through self governing decision taking,
management and practice.
Previously they have been dependent upon A I D.
During
the year :
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Carpet working young
people united into unions called Kalin Bal Mazdur Mukthi
Vahini (KBMMV - Carpet Child Workers Liberation Front) for
children over 12 years of age. There are now 3,000
members and the organisation comprises formations in :
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Forum
leaders were selected, trained and guided by A I D Garwah.
They plan for and carry through the activities of the
forums. They
monitor and review the progress of the forum campaigns whilst
at the same time pursue organisational activities.
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The
campaigns were extensive in their scope ranging from those
conducted in villages through to the larger areas of
panchayats, blocks and districts where they organised rallies
and protest marches. They also prepared a charter of
their demands and met with the government authorities to whom
they handed over their charter of demands.
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These
events also became a source of learning and thereby gaining
confidence in their knowledge of their rights and
entitlements, building up solidarity, engaging in horizontal
and vertical networking within their own forums and across
other forums.
Influencing
Government policies on child labour and education
The
co-operation between the Jharkhand State Government and A I D
Garwah is evidenced by the by following :
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The
Government of Jharkhand entrusted to A I D Garwah the running
of 6 carpet education centres.
Now 300 carpet children are being educated through the
Government scheme with what is known as the National Child
Labour Project (N C L P) which is also a Central Government
assisted programme.
Also as a result of working with Government and their
policies all union campaigns and actions became centred on the
child labour policies.
This enabled a partnership between A I D and Government
under N C L P through which the work of A I D gained
Government recognition and legitimisation. It is also a member
of the District Child Labour Committee, a forum on child
labour.
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The
carpet union also actively engaged with the Sarva Siksha
Abiyan (Education for All - EFA). Consequently 29 EFA
centres were established in the villages through the
influences of unions and village panchayats. This
brought into direct contact Government and the villages
Enrolment
of children in schools and reduction in child labour
As
children increasingly were enrolled in schools their availability
for the child labour market consequently decreased.
An indication is :
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Enrolment
for basic education increased by 8 to10% compared to the
previous year. This was due largely to the introduction of the
EFA centres providing opportunities for out of school
children. In
addition, the
creative education centres admitted 1,806 children.
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This
year showed a reduction of between 10 and 15% engagement of
child labour in carpet units.
There were several reasons for this i.e. campaigns and
community action against child labour, fluctuating
international trade, transfer of village looms to the
neighbouring state to obtain product quality and production
improvements and recruitment of adult parents in place of
children. These
factors all contributed to the increased uptake of child
education.
Reduction
in child bondage and migration
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A
I D secured the release from bondage of 4 child labourers in
Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh through collaboration with the
District Diocese Welfare Committee (DDWS).
They were returned to Garwah and integrated into the
community of families of carpet working children.
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KBMMV
and the village panchayat of Sagma took issue over 14 persons
in bondage with carpet loom owners trading in a neighbouring
state. A
complaint was filed with the police and legal action was
commenced for their release.
This attracted extensive media coverage which turned
into a media campaign resulting in their release.
They were subsequently enrolled in the vocational
training programme.
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KBMMV
volunteers in the villages organised themselves for the
purpose of identifying bonded labourers and monitoring their
migration.
Strategic
alliances for the elimination of child labour
These
alliances are most effectively achieved with the help of A I D
through the organisations involving young carpet working children
and the following achievements noted :
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The
encouragement and development of young carpet working children
engaged in networking at District meetings in horizontal
and vertical
working.
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The
forums now work together with women SHGs and village
panchayats. Also they work with other A I D youth groups
in Jharkhand to benefit from partnership with other groups and
improved understanding of issues.
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