Odisha Launches ‘Shishu Shram Nirakaran Rath’ to Raise Awareness and Eliminate Child Labour

Bhubaneswar: With a renewed focus on child rights and protection, the Odisha government on Thursday rolled out a statewide campaign against child labour, combining awareness generation, enforcement measures and community participation to address the issue across districts.

The campaign, launched on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour, will continue till June 26 and aims to strengthen public awareness while encouraging coordinated action to eliminate child labour practices.

The programme was inaugurated at the Directorate of Labour in Bhubaneswar, where Additional Chief Secretary of the Labour and Employees State Insurance Department, Chithra Arumugam, unveiled a special anti-child labour awareness poster. A ‘Shishu Shram Nirakaran Rath’ was also flagged off to carry awareness messages to different parts of the state.

Addressing the gathering, Arumugam stressed that ending child labour requires sustained efforts involving multiple departments and stakeholders. She underlined the importance of effective implementation of the Child and Juvenile Labour (Prohibition and Control) Act, 1986 and called for stronger institutional coordination to protect children from exploitation.

She noted that collaboration with the Women and Child Development Department and the School and Mass Education Department has been further strengthened to ensure improved protection, education and welfare support for vulnerable children.

Labour Commissioner Indramani Tripathy said the campaign has been designed to combine awareness with action at the grassroots level. As part of the drive, district administrations will organise rallies, meetings with enforcement agencies, inspections, rescue operations and outreach programmes in educational institutions.

Special emphasis will also be placed on sensitising students and communities to recognise and report instances of child labour and promote a culture of child protection.

District Collectors and District Labour Officers have been directed to ensure active implementation of the campaign and monitor activities in their respective jurisdictions.

Representatives from several organisations, including People’s Cultural Centre, Community Radio Association, International Justice Mission, Ruchika Social Service Organisation and Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), joined the launch event along with officials from the Directorate of Labour and the Office of the Joint Labour Commissioner, Khordha.

Officials said the campaign seeks to build greater public awareness and reinforce collective responsibility towards creating a child labour-free Odisha.