Dr. Avnish Jolly, 10th June :.In a letter to the Labour Secretary Sudha Pillai, the National Commission For Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has enquired whether the work of the children in TV and reality shows does come under child labour.
Child labour issue is likely to take new dimension if the recent move of the NCPCR is any indication Sandhya Bajaj, NCPCR Member said, We have come to know that there are so many programmes telecast on TV like Chak De Bache and Boogie Woogie in which tiny-tots are playing roles and children are too small to do such jobs. No doubt, they may be talented, maybe that some children might do their work proudly, others are little more than slaves.
Bajaj said the panel felt that children are missing out on education and time to play. A child who spends even part of the day working instead of going to school remains uneducated, it attracts the law of child labour. She also asked the labour secretary to examine how many hours the children work daily in the entertainment sector, their remuneration and what is the impact on children participating in high-profile competitions in terms of stress, school attendance in and continuing education and we also want to know whether the children are exposed to child abuse of any kind or their rights are being violated. The labour secretary has been directed to file a report in 15 days.
We are planning to visit one of the studios where such talent hunt shows are shot. We will see the kind of environment they provide to the children, who are asked to dance or sing songs that are vulgar. Why children of such young age are exposed to adult things she added and said the panel would also ask its officials to visit such studios independently to provide them with detailed information.
Bajaj also added we will also verify facts on remuneration, the hours the children work, the environment they are exposed to and how it is impacting the children. We will visit the studios after our officials submit a report. We are taking this very seriously.