Aim and Mission

Aim

To strive towards a society where there is equality. Therefore, it sees its role in not only raising awareness on issue of bonded labour but also social causes such child marriage, dowry, superstitions, liquor abuse, untouchability,  minimum wage, female foeticide and women’s rights.  However, the core work of the network is in the area of bonded labour with two-fold the objective: First, to eradicate bonded labour, especially children and secondly to ensure rescued labourers get full rehabilitation package to which they are lawfully entitled.  This is a way to ensure that families are supported so that they can be prevented from getting into such exploitative situations again. 

Mission

  1. Identification of Bonded and Child Labourers across the length and breadth of this country and then work for their release and rehabilitation.
  2. Force the government to implement national wage policy and implement a national minimum wage for all labourers across the country.
  3. Work for organizing the labourers in the unorganized sector
  4. Initiate non-violent movements against all forms of oppression, discrimination and marginalization
  5.  Enforcement of free and compulsory elementary education to ensure that all children under the age of 14 avail themselves of quality education based on a curriculum, which is socially relevant and pedagogically sound and stimulating. The Government, rather than the poor parents should assume responsibility for implementing this. Urgent steps must be insisted to establish community managed schools where such facilities are not available. All schools, including the existing formal ones, should be run on the model of neighbourhood schools.
  6. Given the nexus between poverty and child labour, the parents of child labourers should be covered by National Minimum Wages norms at par with Government class IV employees. They should be guaranteed at least 240 days of employment at National Minimum Wage level. This is justified by Article 43 of our Constitution.
  7. All means of mass communication, particularly the Media and the Social media should disseminate all aspects of NMW in all languages and dialects on regular basis and entertainingly through folk art and music. This will empower the voiceless and unorganized labour to galvanize and unionize themselves and fight for a rightful place in society. The resources of the mass media should also be used effectively to raise public awareness concerning the evil of child labour and to motivate the parents and the community at large to help all children under 14 to attend schools, especially the girl children.
  8. Both Government and the Civil society should be galvanized to abolish the abominable caste system and fatalistic attitudes and socio-religious customs which tend to perpetuate gender inequity.
  9. Last but not the least, implementation of TOTAL PROHIBITION is a must to eradicate poverty and child labour. (Article 47 of Indian Constitution)