The Standpoint

APNA GHAR: Home for child labourers in Patna

By

Ankita Bharti

Imagine a child being made to work for 14 hours a day incessantly! This is the truth with which innumerable kids are living with in dingy lanes of Patna. Like any other social problem, the problem of child labour has been a major issue of concern today. Patna is one such place where many children are being rescued from their workplaces by special teams named as ‘Dhava Dal’.

“I used to work relentlessly from 7 am to 9 pm,” said Pankaj, a 13 year old who was recently rescued from a motel and has been kept at Apna Ghar, a child care home based in Patna which provides shelter to the rescued child labourers till they are identified and safely handed over to their custodians.

Pinku who lost his father at a tender age is the soul bread earner of his family. He is not the only one at Apna Ghar. There are hundreds of his ilks here.

“My work was to clean the dishes. I used to get Rupees 1,200 per month. I wanted to study but my parents could not afford it. So, I had no other option left but to work for my family,” lamented Ashok Kumar. Expressing similar sentiments 12 year old Raju said, “It was very hectic for me to work for so long. But what can I say when my parents want me to work. I don’t blame them. I have two younger brothers at home. At the end of the day I want us to be happy.”

Apna Ghar provides Rupees 1,500 and two pair of clothes to the child labourers. But is that enough? What happens to them after their parents take them back? Will their parents be ready to send their children to the special schools or will they be made to work once again in another dhaba or tea-stall nearby? These are some of the questions that remain unanswered. Be it poverty, parental illiteracy, lack of education or ignorance, these children are the worst sufferers.