India bans child labour in circuses
India: India's Supreme Court Monday banned travelling circuses from
employing children and ordered the government to conduct raids on all
performing companies to rescue minors.
The court edict followed a petition lodged by a children's rights
group that has lobbied for full implementation of Indian child labour
laws, which are regularly flouted by circuses.
Children are often trained to perform high-wire acrobatic acts,
juggling stunts and other attractions for audiences in India, where
circus companies move from town to town throughout the year.
"The court has ordered the government to rescue all children below 14
years of age and also instructed them to formulate a rehabilitation
policy for the minors," said Colin Gonsalves, a lawyer for the Save the
Childhood Movement, which brought the case.
The court order said that all children rescued from circuses should
live with their parents and that the government should provide care and
education if their parents are unable to look after them.
India passed a law nearly 25 years ago banning children under 14 from
working in hazardous industries such as fireworks manufacture, and
labour legislation has since been extended to cover most employment
sectors.
The laws were amended in 2006 to tackle widespread abuse of the
rules, but activists say courts still need to crack down on child labour
which is often rife in restaurants, shops, farms and on building sites.
Circus professionals criticised the court ruling, saying that training
performers from a young age is crucial to development of specialist
skills.
They point to European circuses that are allowed to sign up children
if one parent accompanies them and full education is provided. New
Delhi, Tuesday, AFP
|