1The findings of a recent study by a Chennai-based NGO on the conditions of the child domestic workers, has shown that 26 per of the 200 respondent children are squandering away their precious childhood, slogging in the households of Government staff. This, despite the State Personnel and Administrative Reforms department issuing a directive to the Government employees that they would be punished if they were caught employing children in their households. The findings of the survey conducted by Arunodaya in collaboration with the UKbased Anti-Slavery International (ASI), was presented at a State-level consultation meeting in the city today. Of the 200 domestic child workers interviewed during the survey, 50 per cent were found to be residential workers and the other 50 per cent non-residential workers.

While 65per cent of them were in the age group of 13-14 years, 26 per cent in the 11-12 bracket, a significant nine per cent were either 10 years old or much younger.

And majority of these workers were from the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe and 27 per cent belonged to the backward classes which is a clear pointer to the economic conditions of the various communities, particularly the Dalits.

The statistics reveal other interesting socio-economic dimensions too. A whopping 72 per cent of the respondents had migrated from villages and 56 per cent come from families with four or five children. Against the backdrop of the findings, the speakers at the meeting said that the child domestic labour was one of the most exploited form of child labour, as it was close to slavery. Isabelle Austin, Regional Representative of the UNICEF, Chennai called on NGOs to make use of the global channels of communication to end child labour in the country. She emphasised the need for eliminating child labour in every householdin the country.

Stating that elimination of child domestic labour was `difficult', M P Joseph, national programme coordinator of the International Labour Organisation, said that the country's laws did not vest enforcement officials with the powers to raid the house of any citizen to check out if they employed child workers.

Harikrishnan, Joint Commisioner in the Labour department, Gabriela Cooper, Child Labour Officer, ASI and Virgil D' Sami, Executive Director of Arunodhaya also spoke.