Campaign against Child Labour

CWM SARC launched its Campaign against Child Labour focusing this year on preventing and eradicating Domestic Child Work.

The program was launched at the Town Hall of Kalimpong, which co-incided with the closing of the South Asia Pastors Conference organized by CWM SARC on the theme “Justice at the heart of Faith”.

The launch was attended by over 500 people from Kalimpong including various stakeholders, civil society and children. The program started with a welcome and introduction by Mr. Sudipta Singh, Program Convenor, CWM SARC and Director Programs, Church of North India. He spoke on the role of the Church and all individual to ACT to prevent and protect children from exploitative labour and to work together to create a JUST society. Thereafter, Ms. Sanjana Das, member CWM SARC and CNI made an audio-visual presentation on the issue and urged the gathering to allow children to live their childhood. She challenged the gathering, that if each one of us pledge at least not to employ child labourers at our homes and neighbourhood, and to protect children from engaging in harmful employment, then we could all create a better world for all children.

Sahil Hussain a student of Class IX of SUMI, in his speech appealed to the august gathering to find viable and sustainable solution to provide every deprived child in the world his/ her share of happiness through basic education so that they may also have a hope for a better future. His appeal was also echoed in the words of Kunal Prasad a student of Class X who presented the situation of child labours in India and urged the gathering to take every effort to protect their childhood.

Mr. Kuntal Das, the Asst. Labour Commissioner represented and spoke on behalf of the District administration, Rev. Dr. Roger Gaikwad spoke on behalf of the Church, and Dr. H.B.Chhetri, Member, Central Committee, Gorkha Jana Mukti Morcha, a local political party, which is spearheading the on-going movement for a separate State of Gorkhaland also spoke on the occasion.

The programme was beautified by the cultural presentation from Kalimpong Girls’ High School, Maney Gumba Kyong Sejum, a Lepcha association and the Indo-Tibet Buddhist Cultural Institute, Kalimpong with dance items. The Lepchas and Tibetans are the ethnic groups of the locality. Students from SUMI presented choirs.

“Children….through the eyes of Children” was the theme of an art competition that was conducted earlier among the students of 34 schools. The prize winners were awarded with trophies and certificates during the program. Their paintings were displayed in an art exhibition in the Town Hall which had a wide audience.

The Chief Guest of the day, Rev. Dr. Enos Das Pradhan, Deputy Moderator, CWM Global, in his concluding remark challenged the gathering to join hands and take the Campaign forward by reading out the Pledge (attached) as the gathering took the pledge along with him.

The program came to an end with the proposal of vote of thanks by Mr. Sudipta Singh.

Report :

Sanjana Das