Imphal, May 23 2009: The issue and social implication of women and child labour in Manipuri society has been discussed during a two-day workshop which began from today at MDU Hall here.

Being organised by Nupi Khunai Chaokhat Khongthang Lup, the two-day long workshop was inaugurated by MLA Nandakumar Singh as chief guest and president of Thoubal District Mahila Congress Asem Sanatombi as functional president.

Delivering the key note address of the function, chief functionary of Nupi Khunai Chaokhat Khongthang Lup RK Shanti Devi pointed out that inspite of enacting laws to stop child labour, engagement of young children in hotels, workshops, canteens as well as in private houses as domestic helpers is still rampant thereby depriving their rights to education and play among others.

There are also many poverty driven parents who do not hesitate from allowing their young children to work and implement the income of the family as child labourer, she noted.

Highlighting the problem of women labour in the State, Shanti pointed out that these women labourers are being deprived of equal wages like their male counterparts and any woman labourer who takes up the courage of raising voice against such injustice invariably face the prospect of removal from the workplace.

On top of this, there is no maternity leave for the women labourers in private sector establishments and the victims do not know where to put up their complaints in this regard, Shanti said, adding that the workshop is being organised to facilitate discussion on such issues so as to recommend necessary remedial measures.

In his address as chief guest of the function, MLA Nandakumar observed that lack of awareness and knowledge on legal implication among the people has been at the root cause of thriving child labour in Manipur.

He hoped that organising such workshops to bring to the fore the problems and issues involving women and child labourers would able to spread the awareness.

In her presidential address, Asem Sanatombi maintained that most of the women and children who have come out as labourers belong to poor families.

So poverty is to be eradicated first if child labour is to be stopped.

She also stressed on spreading awareness of their rights among the women labourers.

Inspector of Labour Department L Priyokumar and Ch Chandrakumar spoke as resource persons covering topics like Child Labour, Maternity Benefit Act and Minimum Wages and workers in Unorganised Sectors.

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