Early Times Report
POONCH, Sept 15: In violation of the Child Labour Act, children below the age of 14 continue to be hired for various jobs in border district including Mendhar , Surankote, Mandi and Poonch courtesy to the callous attitude of the authorities concerned that failed to act tough against the violators. According to the Act, no child below the age of 14 can be employed for any work while a leisure walk on the road could make a sane person aware of crude reality that children mostly work at dhabas and tea stalls and even at auto workshops. Though the authorities time and again claim to have abolished the menace of child labour but the practice goes on unabated in Poonch district. If sources are to be believed the under age children could be seen working in various hotels, restaurants, sweet shops, industries and other shops openly. Though these children maintain that family compulsion push them to work, but the law enforcing agencies have turned mute spectators to their responsibilities to take action against employers who are violating the law. “The growing number of child labour has exposed the height of the ineffectiveness of the labour department to control the child labour in Poonch district,” said Er M R Kazafi .As per various activists there are several cases of child labour when the businessmen openly violate the law and employ children being brought from Mendhar and other remote areas of Poonch district.
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