KOCHI: The women and child development department has announced Rs 25,000 as incentive to persons giving information on children being used as labourers/workers.
According to the orders issued by the department, an incentive is being promised to any person providing information on children being used for labour. This is mainly aimed to ensure more public participation in the protection of children. The amount will be disbursed if the information passed is confirmed and found to be true. At the district level, information can be passed on to the district WCD officer or the child protection officer.
The informant must ensure that there is proof that children are being employed and must submit details of the person (employer) and their address, along with the photo proof. Once the report is received, a team of officials, including police and WCD officials, should verify the report’s authenticity. If the same information comes from more than one person, the amount will be given to the individual who reported it first.
Officials said that they have been receiving many reports of children being used for begging. “There has been an increase in the number of child labour cases during the Covid period. Though we have not seen any such development in the state, such an incentive will be helpful in getting immediate alerts,” said a child welfare activist.
Most child labour cases reported in the state are of children from other states. Child welfare activists said that often when they come across young adults who are most likely between16-18 years, it is difficult to identify as they have all id-proofs, which could also be fake. They are part of families and only a constant watch can one identify if the child is really a family member.
The informant’s identity will be kept secret, and the amount will be transferred to the their bank account once the information is verified.
