Nearly six months after it was brought into force, the ban on employing children in homes as 'domestic help' lies more or less still on paper.
That India has the largest number of child labourers in the world is a duly accepted disgraceful fact but whether it also has the most-apathetic upper and middle class in the world, which actually 'encourages' the problem rather than discourage it, remains yet to be seen.
Almost every bungalow in posh areas of metropolitan cities like Delhi, and nearly all middle-class homes employ a child, to clean utensils, mop floors and do other sundry chores when they should be enjoying their basic rights to play study and grow.
"It's really sad that those very people who are supposed to be the rich, educated, modern, aware and sensible about child-rights issues are the first suspects of perpetrating something which is considered as the violation of rights" says Carlotta Barcaro, who looks after issues related to Child Protection at Unicef.
Though children, aged upto 14 years, were banned from working in factories, mines, and other perilous jobs under an act of Parliament in 1986, it was only last year that the focus was also brought on those employed in homes and restaurants, dhabas etc.
No wonder, "a number of officials in judiciary, and bureaucracy employ children in their homes" says Kailash Satyarthi of Bachpan Bachao Aandolan, an NGO working for the child rights.
But if the 'violation' of law, which invites the fine upto Rs 20,000
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