In the last few decades, there has been a tremendous growth in the demand for child domestic workers in Nagaland. On the pretext of providing free and quality education, children are lured into working as domestic workers, leading to instances of even child trafficking and other forms of exploitation of children in our contemporary Naga society. Child domestic workers find it very difficult to report sexual harassment and physical abuse at workplace and are forced to remain silent due to fear of power dynamics and dismissal or discrimination. In this article, Keakong T expounds two recent cases of ‘Child Abuse’ in Naga society.
EVIDENCES OF CHILD LABOUR AND CHILD ABUSE IN CONTEMPORARY NAGA SOCIETY
“A nation is illiterate and uneducated if a child is labored”
― Dr P.S. Jagadeesh Kumar
There are over 9,000 child labourers engaged in various works across the 11 district headquarters towns in Nagaland. According to an official survey conducted by the state department of labour these children have been engaged in various sectors working for about 16 hours a day deprived of proper accommodation, food and education. Moreover, we also have to familiarize ourselves with the fact that there are Children who have been employed/adopted to do household work in Nagaland who also need to be recognized as no less than the child labourers works in various commercial establishments. Child Labour refers to the practice where industries and individuals, employee young innocent children and put them to work under circumstances where Child left with no options to voice his pain and suffering.
In Nagaland, it is a fact that children are being put to domestic work under different camouflage identities. Firstly, they are not called domestic workers but just called ‘helpers’. Many times small children are adopted but in reality they are being put to domestic work and if observed carefully we will find clear cut negative differences in the treatment meted out to them by their adoptive parents in comparison to the biological children of ‘those’ parents. It is also a fact that needs to be taken into consideration that hundred percent of the domestic laborers come from Eastern Nagaland. All these children that come from Eastern Nagaland belong to the poor, broken families or they are orphans. There are middlemen/women who bring such children to the towns like Dimapur, Kohima, Mokokchung so that they can be ‘placed’. The biggest challenge is, there is no record of such children. They do not have any formal representation at any forum and the reason being is that such types of appointments are ILLEGAL in the eyes of law. We can understand the gravity of the situation using two cases.
Case 1:- Mokokchung: On 27th April, a 9-year-old child was allegedly abused and beaten (black and blue) several times by his master in Mokokchung. The matter came to light when the victim’s mother went to visit her son. The child’s mother reported that her son had been physically abused by the person who was keeping the child as a domestic helper. With the concern of the Child Welfare Committee, an FIR was filed on the same night. The case is being taken up by the CHILD HELPLINE in Mokokchung.
Case 2:- Dimapur: On 28th May, a 10-year-old boy working as a domestic helper was physically abused. It was the neighbors who called the Child Helpline number 1098 to report the daily beatings “From head to toe, even the fingernails they did not spare him”. Two people were arrested on charges of child abuse at Sematilla Dimapur. Based on the Suo Moto Case, an FIR was lodged in the sub-urban police station.
From the above two cases, we see that our Naga Society is not as safe as we think it is. With the passage of time, witnessing the rise in ‘child abuse’, history will judge us by the difference we make in the everyday lives of children. “Children are a blessing and a gift from God”. Child domestic laborers (such employments are absolutely illegal) in our current Naga society are denied their rights and equality in terms of education, health care, daily wages (or monthly salary) and decent life. Humanity and special attention plays a crucial role for children in their development process. Children deserve to be treated well and to live a happy, carefree life rather than being subjected to abuse. In this new era, ‘barbaric’ acts committed towards children are not acceptable and should come to an end.
People who appoint such children are mostly influential and economically rich. Sometimes we may even see them celebrating birthdays of those domestic CHILD laborers they employs, or they may even give gifts and new clothes to them, however, the bitter reality can never be kept hidden. First of all employing kids to do the household jobs is a punishable offence, secondly the gravity of offence further increases when kids are denied their basic human rights. People cannot abuse, beat and put domestic labour children to the slavery and celebrate their birthdays. It is shameful and extremely disturbing to the mind of a right thinking, civilized person.
Under the Indian Constitution, violence against children is violative of the right to life with dignity which is integral to right to life under Article 21. The UN Convention on the Right of Child 1989 (UNCRC) of Article 19, declares that any forms of discipline involving abuse is unacceptable. It lays down that children have the right to be protected from being hurt and mistreated, physically or mentally. Section 27 of the JJ Act prescribes punishment for cruelty to children. Government should ensure that children are properly cared for and protected from violence, abuse and neglect by their parents, or anyone else who looks after them.
People need to be made aware of the laws against Corporal Punishment, physical abuse, emotional/psychological abuse and injustice towards children. Most significantly we need to change our mindset and adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards any sort of violence against children. We, as a collective society, should also ensure that we make ourselves aware of what is being done to our children as they are the pillars of our society.
Our Naga society should learn to take care of its children. If people are rich and if they think that they need helpers to take care of the house and the people living therein, they should employ Men and Women over 21 years of age on a monthly salary (with Bonus and other legal incentives) basis, WE HAVE GOOD NUMBER OF UNEMPLOYED YOUTH IN THEIR 20s AND 30s, PLEASE EMPLOY THEM, why eying on small, vulnerable kids? Is it because kids cannot demand a salary? Kids cannot rebel against the slavery? Kids cannot shout back? Time has come for our civil society leaders, youth organizations, Church leaders and Police to be more vigilant and watchful, so that proper action can be taken against such anti-social elements who put kids to slavery and bring shame to the Naga society. We should help our Police administration to lodge FIR against such people who employ children to do household or other jobs.
Child labour is child abuse. Children are our future, let them grow, their hands should hold a pencil and not wash the plates. Whatever may be the reason, No person in our Naga society or anywhere for that matter should ever encourage child labour by employing children at their house or workplace to do the work.
Degree of Thought is a weekly community column initiated by Tetso College in partnership with The Morung Express. Degree of Thought will delve into the social, cultural, political and educational issues around us. The views expressed here do not reflect the opinion of the institution. Tetso College is a NAAC Accredited UGC recognised Commerce and Arts College. The editors are Dr Hewasa Lorin, Dr Aniruddha Babar, Khangpuiliu Pamei, Rinsit B Sareo, Meren and Kvulo Lorin.
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