by GORDON BROWN
Child labourers rescued in Delhi waiting to be sent back to their villages. PHOTO/Bachpan Bachao Andolan
LONDON, Feb 22 2013 (IPS) – Next Monday, after more than two months of public anger against the rape of a young Indian student, the Indian Parliament will consider new legislation to toughen up judicial and police provisions addressing violence against women.
And as India demands that more is done to protect the rights of girls and young women, there is the chance of eliminating another form of brutal exploitation. Child trafficking and child slavery will for the first time be defined in legislation in India – with a view to outlawing them altogether.
These demands of Global March Against Child Labour and its Indian co-partner, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, have not only been incorporated in the high level judicial committee constituted to suggest amendments in the Indian criminal legislations, but also included in the Ordinance signed by the President of India.
If we are to succeed – and if India is to lead the way in abolishing these practices globally – the same popular pressure that has brought about the changes in anti-rape laws is now needed to persuade Indian parliamentarians to force an end to the enslavement of children in this way.
Inter Press Service for more
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