Children above 14 can work, says ILO

KOTTAYAM: Taking up a job at a young age will make children independent in future, if it does not affect education, health and growth of the child, International Labour Organisation (ILO), Cambodia, IPEC chief technical advisor M P Joseph has said. Children above the age of 14 can take up jobs, provided the jobs are suitable to the child and they do not affect the safety, he said while delivering a lecture on the ‘International Labour Organisation and India; the past, present and the future’ at Mahatma Gandhi University here.This will help them fund their education and help the country in solving illiteracy, he said. Joseph said the future was going to be technology-driven and that the country could not afford to have a section of population illiterate. Travelling in a metro train or using a credit card need literacy. He said that one of the main reasons for illiteracy was the attitude of a particular section of society as it considered education as a privilege of the rich.He said the government’s ‘Sarva Siksha Abhiyan’ was bringing about tremendous changes in society as more children are getting the facility of education. Joseph also praised the government for introducing Right to Education Act. However, he felt that the youth of the country were being deprived of getting training on improving their skills.  It is high time we thought in that direction and making it a right for those around the age of 14, he said. Joseph felt that the government was aware of it and would come out with a programme on these lines.Praising India for launching Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Programme, he described it as revolutionary and unique which would go a long way in removing  social injustice. Any scheme guaranteeing jobs should be encouraged and protected, he said.Referring to the relevance of labour laws at private companies, he said that anycompany operating in a sovereign country was bound by the rules and regulations, and was committed to implementing labour laws.  He said that Special Economic Zones were also subject to labour laws and there was no exemption for such zones to flout rules which protect the interest of the workers. He said that the ILO was committed to improving the dignity of the workers. However, labour laws should be flexible and should be in tune with the prevailing scenario, he said.