Tarun Karthick
Port Blair, 19 December 2023
A distressing incident unfolded late on the night of December 18th at a shop in Junglighat, revealing a grim tale of child labour exploitation and abuse by the owner of an establishment.
Mr. M.A. Sajid, the State President of the National Students Union of India, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, was an eyewitness to the harrowing scene. He recounted hearing the cries of a child emanating from a nearby establishment when he visited a paan shop late at night on 18th December 2023, and immediately intervened upon discovering the distressing situation.
According to Mr. Sajid, investigations unveiled that the ‘Tohfa Galaxy’ establishment habitually subjected a 13-year-old child, employed at the shop, to physical abuse. Despite efforts to stop the owner’s assault on the child, the relentless beating continued until Mr. Sajid and his companions intervened, finally halting the abuse.
Speaking to the media, Mr. Sajid disclosed that the child had been toiling at the establishment for approximately 1.5 to 2 years, and this wasn’t the first instance of the owner mistreating the young worker, as per accounts from neighbouring shops.
Reports divulged that the child was deprived of proper meals and when hungry, was only given biscuits. Shockingly, when he asked for more food, the owner allegedly fed him stones. In moments of distress, the child claimed the owner applied wet mud or clay to further torment him.
Notably, the child revealed he wasn’t receiving any remuneration for his work and had been brought from West Bengal by the establishment owner. ‘The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016’, strictly forbids the engagement of children in any form of occupation. The definition of Child in the Act is ‘a person who has not completed his fourteenth year of age or such age as may be specified in the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009, whichever is more.’
Expressing his desire to return home, the child shared his ordeal with the media, disclosing that he was being employed against his will by the owner, purportedly with the consent of his parents.
Disturbingly, the child detailed instances of severe physical abuse, alleging that the owner not only bit him in various parts of his body but also used a cutting plier to inflict harm.
This deeply distressing revelation brings to light a longstanding pattern of abuse at the establishment, raising concerns about the lack of prior complaints from the neighbourhood to the authorities.
The establishment according to Mr. Sajid employs another girl child, suspected to be below 14 years of age. The girl child reportedly is made to work both at the house and shop of the owner.
Authorities are urged to take stringent action against the establishment owner under the available legal provisions to ensure justice for the exploited child and prevent further occurrences of such grievous violations.