PECUC OBSERVED WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR 2024

Jun 12, 2024 - 22:36

PECUC OBSERVED WORLD DAY AGAINST CHILD LABOUR 2024

Bhubaneswar (12/06/2024).

“Let’s act on our commitments: End Child Labour” is the theme for the 2024 observation of World Day Against Child Labour, as set by the International Labour Organization (ILO).

Despite significant progress in reducing child labour over the years, recent trends have shown a reversal, making it crucial to accelerate efforts to end child labour in all its forms.

Now is the time to turn the elimination of child labour into a reality. To mark the day, a “State Level Convention on Eradication of Child Labour” was organised by the People's Cultural Centre (PECUC), a leading voluntary organisation in Odisha, in collaboration with AEIN.

The event took place at the Institutions of Engineers (India), Bhubaneswar on Wednesday. Ranjan Kumar Mohanty, Secretary of PECUC, delivered the welcome address and set the context for the convention, emphasising that safe and quality education through full-time schooling is essential for eradicating child labour.

He stressed that efforts must be made at all levels to achieve this goal.

The convention was chaired by Dr.Minakshi Panda, Chairman of PECUC. The event began with the lighting of the lamp.

Aswini Kumar Das, IAS (Retd.) and former Labour Commissioner, highlighted the necessity of awareness at all levels to eradicate child labour.

Sandhyabati Pradhan, former Chairperson of Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (OSCPCR), emphasised that compulsory education is key to eliminating child labour.

Other notable speakers included Pritikanta Panda, Programme Manager of Odisha State Child Protection Society; Pravakar Biswal, DLO of Khordha; Sugata Ray of UNICEF; Pradeep Kumar Biswal, IAS (Retd.) and Member of RERA; Niranjan Sahoo, IAS (Retd.) and former Labour Commissioner; Ms.

BanishreePattnaik, DCPO of Khordha; and Mamata Samantaray, President of Progressive Women Forum.

They all stressed the importance of coordination, convergence, and cooperation between all departments and CSOs and the need to identify and mainstream child labourers working in private homes and the unorganised sector. More than 200 participants, including youth, children, women’s group members, ASHA workers, AWW, CSOs, and students from various institutions, attended the convention.

A poster on child labour eradication and a book titled “Education for Change: Untold Stories,” which compiles the work and experiences of PECUC in rescuing and rehabilitating child labourers, were released by the guests.

Rescued children, including Chandra Majhi, Mamta Bhoi, Ajit Bhoi, and Sonalika Bhoi, shared their stories of being mainstreamed into school through PECUC's initiatives.The vote of thanks was delivered by Anuradha Mohanty, Executive Director of PECUC.