An Interview With Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi

I worked as a development journalist for a couple of years. Two years back I interviewed Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, founder of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan. Strangely, our mainstream media had no clue about the man until he got the Nobel Prize. Different people have said so many different things about him. Some of them have even questioned his intentions. I just want to say that I have met Satyarthi once in his office located in Kalkaji, New Delhi, where I interviewed him on behalf of my organization OneWorld South Asia. Besides that I have talked to him on phone three to four times for my stories related to children as he works on an issue related to the children. I found him to be an intelligent yet simple and down to earth man who is committed to the cause of removing child labour from the country. Rest I would let my readers to decide. Here's the complete interview. 

The political class doesn't have honesty, especially towards children: Kailash Satyarthi 

Anubha: The Indian cabinet has approved the amendment to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, which proposes a ban on all sorts of child labour. What does the ban actually mean and what are its implications?

Kailash Satyarthi: Well, let me begin with the present law on child labour. India, as we know, is a democratic . Since 1950, since the constitution was established, there have been many provisions and fundamental principles for the protection of children. But despite all these, it has not been translated into a law until 1986.

The Indian law against child labour came into existence in 1986, before that there was no such law. We just had old British laws. It means between those thirty-six years (1950-1986) we were deaf and dumb towards the children who were exploited, sold and bought like animals;  children who were producing wealth at the cost of their childhood, freedom and education. This reflects a deep political and social apathy.

Finally, in 1986 the law was enacted but that law was highly inappropriate, weak and was not really for elimination or eradication of child labour. This law was more for continuation of various forms of child labour. The core element of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, was that child labour was banned only in hazardous occupations, but in rest of the cases child labour was allowed. In India, 2/3rd of the child labourers work in the agriculture sector. The law doesn’t ban agriculture sector.

We started our fight against child labour in 1980. So, from 1980-1986 we were fighting for a law demanding total ban on child labour, so that children can go to school and develop into better individuals of the society. We were helping children and rescuing them from traffickers without any child labour law. We were working under bonded labour law and other small laws. Our voices were heard only after 6 years but the law which came into existence was a weak law so we started opposing that law too. Even then there was a strong stream within the parliament who wanted to have another law that can regulate child labour but we were demanding total ban.

In 2000, a new law came into existence which was the Juvenile Justice Act. This act prohibits any dangerous or exploitative work for children upto the age of 18 whereas the child labour law prohibits dangerous work upto the age of 14,  so this was a contradiction. Another contradiction came into being after the enactment of the Right to Education Act which guarantees education for all children upto the age of 14.  Now, children have to be in school necessarily upto the age of 14, then how can they go for work and be in school simultaneously?

So, Bachpan Bachao Andolan challenged this in the Supreme Court of India. Another thing we did was to have an intense campaign. We maintained regular contact with the parliamentarians to build a political environment for the amendment of a law so that child labour could be banned completely upto the age of 14 and hazardous child labour must be banned upto the age of 18.  So it is now that the law fulfills the international standards.

Anubha: How easy is it to implement this law and what are the challenges?

KS: This law has three major elements. First is, all forms of child labour upto the age of 14 is banned. Employment of children in hazardous occupations is banned upto 18 years. So, no child shall work in hazardous conditions. Thirdly, children can now go to school if they are banned to go to work.

But the challenges are quite big. First of all, this law will face the challenge of enforcement. India doesn’t have the political will. The political class doesn’t have honesty, especially towards the children.

Then the growing middleclass of India is full of hypocrisy. It is the middle class who looks for cheap labour as domestic help. Since 2006, domestic child labour is illegal but still it has been increasing due to the demand of the middle class. Girls are brought from across the country for domestic help. We don’t have a mindset that could respect the childhood. The so-called well-off people pamper their children, but do not respect childhood. So, apart from political will, if there is no social will things are not going to be easy for the children.

Another challenge is the enforcement of the law. The enforcement machinery in India is not geared up because they don’t have proper capacity, they lack knowledge, they are not sensitised enough and moreover, most of them are corrupt. So, we are asking that the enforcement machinery and the enforcement officers must be held accountable. If you see a child working, you can go and file a complaint against the employer but the question is that the labour officers who are appointed to safeguard the rights of the children are not held accountable.

The government of India says, since the law was enacted in 1986, 13,60117 (thirteen lakh sixty thousand one hundred and seventeen) inspections were carried out, out of that less than 50,000 got prosecuted and out of those 50,000 only 4700 employers got convicted which means 0.03 per cent convictions. It’s really shameful. If you are not punishing the offenders, then it doesn’t matter whether law is for 2 year punishment or for 3 years.

This law addresses larger number of children, so we need more budget allocation also. After the children are rescued, we have to have rehabilitation and education programmes for these kids. What will you do for the rehabilitation of a big segment that belongs to 14-18 age group? If a law has been made then you also need proper budgetary allocation for its proper implementation which the government is not considering. This again is a big challenge.

Anubha: What impact will it have on labour laws, especially on the unorganised sector since 80 per cent child labourers in India are employed in the unorganised sector?

KS: It can affect the minimum wage act in labour laws. But laws, if not implemented properly, are nothing but a piece of paper which you can keep in your library and be very happy that India has great laws. Laws should be used as weapons but we lack those strong hands those can use this weapon.

Anubha: There are many children who work with their parents and children are the source of income for poor families. How will the law tackle with that?

KS: This is not the case. In India, we have 50-60 million children in full-time jobs and an equal number of adults are jobless. Globally, 200 million adults are jobless and 210 million children are in fulltime jobs. In South Asia, we have 80 million jobless adults and about 80 million children in jobs. This vicious circle needs to be understood. Children are working at the cost of adults’ jobs. Parents are not preferred because they are expensive labour whereas kids are cheap labour. Children are vulnerable and won’t knock the court of law, so they are preferred. So, the idea that child are bread-earners is a farce.

There are two international laws regarding child labour. One is ILO Convention 138 which is also called Minimum Age Convention, 1973. Another is ILO convention 182, generally known as Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999. It’s shameful that India is one of those countries like Sudan, who have not ratified these laws.   

Note:

This interview was originally published here: http://southasia.oneworld.net/peoplespeak/the-political-class-doesnt-have-honesty-especially-towards-children#.VDyM3PmSx_4

Later it was picked up by the International Labour Organization which is a UN specialized agency. http://www.apyouthnet.ilo.org/news/india-the-political-class-doesnt-have-honesty-especially-towards-children 

It's not easy to leave your roots

It was May 16, 2014. India was witnessing a change, a change which I believed would place India at the forefront of development on world's map in the coming years. It wasn't just the change of the government. It was a change most of the Indians were waiting for and I was one of them. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) had swept Loksabha elections with 334 seats. NDA's PM designate Narendra Modi was all set to become the PM. Like millions of young people in India he symbolized hope for future and today he had finally arrived with a historic win. People who know me understand what it meant to me. At this happiest moment of my life I was sitting in Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi, waiting for my flight to Tokyo. Japan was going to be my home for some time.

I was looking at the screens showing Mr. Narendra Modi addressing the people in Vadodara, Gujarat, for the first time after the massive win. I was watching everything with a heavy heart, not just because I won't be a part of this national celebration but because I would be away from my country and my people for a long time. No matter what people say, it's not easy to leave your roots. Sometimes we keep our loved ones at the periphery of our heart, we don't let them in to know how much we love them. Telling them that we are going to miss them badly might portray us as an emotionally weak person. We don't want that, do we? We are trained to hide our true feelings to look brave. 

Anyway, after an 8-hour flight I landed at the Narita International Airport and took JR Narita Express (NEX) train to reach JR Tokyo station. The Airport is around 64 km away from central Tokyo and the train takes about an hour to reach there. From Tokyo I took JR Tohoku Shinkansen (bullet train) to reach my ultimate destination- Sendai. Sendai is the capital city of Miyagi prefecture. The train covered over 300 km in 100 mins and I had already started feeling better about this country. But several thoughts didn't leave my mind. Being a vegetarian, how am I going to survive in this country? I don't even know a word of Japanese language. How would I interact with people? With most of the sign boards in Japanese how am I going to travel in case I want to travel alone? 

To be honest, there were times when I entered into a restaurant and struggled to tell the staff that I don't eat fish and meat. There were times when I took a wrong bus because I couldn't read the sign board at the bus stop. And there were times when it took me 45 mins to buy something because I could not read the name and the ingredients. First few weeks were not easy but I have to tell you that even if Japanese don't understand your language, they try their best to help you. They are the most polite, helpful and respectful people I have ever met. Besides, unlike India everything is so perfect here. Trains and buses are always on time, clean and safe streets, tree-lined roads, no traffic congestion and systems are in place. What else do you want to live a comfortable life? 

As Wendy Carlos said, "As human beings we do change, grow, adapt, perhaps even learn and become wiser."  I don't know about other things but gradually I have got adapted to this environment. I searched for places where I could get vegetarian food. Surprisingly, I have found out a completely vegetarian restaurant and a vegan cafe here. I learned commonly used Japanese words. I usually collect ample information (online or offline) about the place I am travelling to. I pack my lunch if I am going on a day trip to a place where there is no chance of getting anything vegetarian. 

I am a travel freak and therefore before coming to Japan I searched on Google to know more about Sendai but didn't find much information about the places I could visit in and around the city. Since I live here now, I have explored some amazing places such as Matsushima, Aoba castle, Shichigahama beach in Tagajo, Akiu Waterfall (Akiu Otaki), Zao (Okama Lake) in last three months and I would try to write about them in this blog. 

While I write this post Indian PM Narendra Modi has completed his 5-day successful visit to Japan. During his high-level visit, he also addressed the Indian community living in Japan and said,"जननी जन्मभूमिश्च स्वर्गादपि गरीयसी" (Mother and motherland are greater than heaven). That took me back to the memories of May 16 as I repeat in my head, "No matter how comfortable your life is in a foreign land, it's not easy to leave your roots". 

And I am back....

It's been more than three years since I wrote any post on this blog of mine. Long time!! Phew...!! Now is the time to come back to the world where I belong- the world of words.

So many things changed in these three years. When I started this blog in 2011, I was a student and wanted my work to be published and was able to achieve this. I have grown up as a person, became independent, was blessed with love of my life and found solace in walking in the woods. :)

As I have always said that I am not a writer but I love to express myself through simple words. I am at peace with myself when I write. Innumerable changes that happened in past few years didn't allow me to write for my own blog but hopefully, it won't happen again.

In our busy and near-perfect lives we hardly get time to do something for ourselves. I decided to come out of my cocoon and travel without an itinerary. This year in April, I had already resigned from my office and sent a message to my travel partner cum friend Paddy- “I am going to Diu. Wanna join me?” As expected, she said ‘Yes’, instantly. We took a train from Delhi to Ahmedabad where I met a friend of mine who agreed to join us and three of us arrived in Diu taking an overnight bus . We hired two-wheelers and explored the blend of sea, sand and sun in Diu. We stood in front of the Arabian sea holding each other’s hand, chatting, cracking jokes, falling down when hit by sea waves , standing again, watching sun hiding in the sea. It was a moment of self-realization and the joy of being with friends. From Diu we moved on to Somnath Temple and then to Jaipur, ofcourse with no planning at all. Travelling without an itinerary can be so much fun. 

Struck by wanderlust, I have travelled extensively across India in last one year. I enjoyed exploring offbeat places, the picturesque natural world and the beautiful people I came across while travelling.

I moved from India to Japan this year in May. Initially, living in Japan has been a challenging task for me, all the more so because I am a vegetarian and don't understand Japanese language but all this could not stop me from exploring this amazing country which is gifted with nature's abundant blessings. I was so overwhelmed by the natural beauty of this country that I thought I should write about it.

So, in next few posts I will be exploring some beautiful places in Japan. Hope you would like it!!

Thanks for reading.

-Anubha

Seeking UNITY in "Unity in Diversity"

Unity in diversity-since childhood I am hearing this phrase. Our teachers have always stressed upon presenting India as an epitome of "Unity in Diversity".Up to some extent I have to believe on it. Ameliorated by sequential breezes of migrations that have become a part of life in India, this country encapsulates 24 languages and numerous dialects spoken by millions of people. This multilingual and  multicultural nation is a home to innumerous communities, groups and  religions.

I do believe in diversity this great country possesses but I am still in search of ....."Unity". I must make it clear that just shouting in a loud unanimous voice that "We are Indians", I don't consider it as Unity. It is a lot more than this. I am in search of a 'driving force' that can unite us for a cause, purpose and for the betterment of the nation.

I saw people speaking aloud for reservations on various grounds and getting political support as well.I am not a pessimist by nature but let's get this fact right--when was the last time they dared to say that my community/religion/group doesn't need any "special status" just because it won't be good for my country? Doesn't it create a rift between the people?Shall I blame presence of diverse groups for this?  The problem is we all are selfish by nature. On one side we ask for "right to equality" and on the other side we ask for "special favors".I must mention here that nobody ever raised voice against reservation given to war widow's kids or the tribals living in pathetic conditions. It means , the concept of reservation shall not be completely discarded but it should be genuine.

When Egypt experienced revolution, some people talked about similar kind of revolution against corruption in India. Those people forgot that, may be Egyptian Revolution wasn't governed by Islam but it was driven by Islam. They all shared a common link between them and we lack that common link. Religion can be extremely powerful weapon against any social or political menace, depends how we interpret and channelize it.

Such movements did start in India also but some found the "saffron robe" communal and some had problem with the poster of "Bharat Mata". It really made me think whether the "cause" was not important enough or do we lack something? What's the use of such diversity that stops you to do the right thing and support a well deserving cause? If a religion can bring a revolution in Egypt why doesn't another can bring out a positive change in the society? When such movements fail, it's not failure of One 'Anna' or 'Ramdev', it's our failure to stand in unity. On first place, why do we even need people like Anna and Ramdev to fight for us? Aren't we capable enough? Yes, we are. But we lack any sort of "driving force"...Alaaassss!!!!!! Test for Unity failed again. 

"Diversity" and "Secularism"are the two most misused words by Indian politicians. Somewhere they understand our weakness very well and exploit it for their vested interests.'Unity' has been deliberately deleted from "Unity in Diversity". They know it, no revolution can yield results and hence they are safe. Who cares till it doesn't affect us directly in any manner? Be it corruption, be it a blast.

The truth is-- Nothing unites us except CRICKET...But I kept my search on.

I have 35 students in my class and they come from 18 different states of India. We never cared about the country, patriotism, India and our responsibility towards the nation. We didn't even blend with each other because some of us don't understand each other's language. A group of people abused India everyday in front of us.We ignored it once, twice, thrice but for the fourth time stood against them. Not only we started giving them an answer, we started reading about India to give them a better answer. Many of us started learning how to file RTIs. 5 or 6 of us took part in IAC movement. We planned and are at the verge of initiating a publication that will be a platform for youth and will help the school students to develop views about current happenings. That " group" unknowingly united us and acted as a "driving force". 

My search for such a "driving force" in India is still on and I am still seeking "Unity"...I am still living "in the vicinity of hope..".

Penned by-
Anubha Shukla

Youth Is Directionless But Not Irresponsible.

Usually I don't write down personal incidents on my blog but series of confrontations with a few questioning minds made me to express my views through an incident that happened with me two days back. On friday morning, me and my classmates were eagerly waiting for our advertising class which is taken by a very experienced and charismatic person. For his introduction, I would just like to mention that he headed Public Relation Society of India (Delhi Chapter) and this is just a feather in his cap.

He started off the class with enormous energy as he usually does discussing the 'publics in public relation'.While explaining further he cited the example of 'Anna Hazare Movement' and his first statement was-"This movement is going to die off, nothing will happen." One or two of my friends, (who volunteered  with me at Jantar Mantar while Anna was on fast) tried to convince him that revolution starts from somewhere but their mincing words failed to do so. He put his point more strongly by making one of the volunteers to stand and asked, "What have you done for the movement since you have come back from Jantar Mantar? Did you write a single letter to editor or even a blogpost? " The expected answer came from the boy-No! 

The sir went on- "You people just create euphoria, if you want to do something start from your own home.It was just a 5 days fest and now everything is gone." I was listening to all this and ultimately can not resist myself from raising my hand while saying, "sir, I want to say something." He allowed me to speak and I started, " Sir, I am connected to this movement from past six months when it started in November last year. Since then, I have written ten letters to editor those have been published in Hindustan Times. I have made the people aware of 'JanLokpal Bill' through a special facebook account and Google buzz.I attended the India Against Corruption rally on 30th of January at Ram Lila Maidan.I have been writing blogposts twice a month adressing such issues and I don't think I have done anything special because I am not the only one. " Suddenly, he stopped me and smilingly uttered, "In the language of advertising, your product has been sold. Lady you will not let this movement die and I am complimenting you." Normally, he never gets convinced so early still I preferred to halt myself.

After few minutes, again he touched the wrong strings. " A simple bill can not curb corruption.Nothing will happen because corruption is so deeply rooted in this country. One or two people can't bring the change".You can call it my stubbornness, but I raised my hand again. This time he said, "lady you can put your point but I won't say a word." Still I asked him, "Will you agree sir, inspiration can be positive or negative?, He moved his head in affirmation and I continued, "When last time I went for IAC, only one person followed me, but this time at Jantar Mantar, four of my classmates came along with me.Something positive inspired me to volunteer there on my birthday rather than partying with friends. But the way you are treating this issue, next time I won't find a single person from this class to accompany me because of negative insipration. My only question is why to be so cynical?". He didn't say much but just smiled and said, "I am not spreading negativity, I am just motivating you people."

Though I expressed my viewpoint but frankly speaking, I was a bit scared because I knew that my teacher is going to complain about me to my Director and I will face a tough time.In that 3 hour class, we get a break of 10 mins after one and half hour is over.In the break, he called me up and asked my name.He also asked me about my career plans and gave me some nice suggestions regarding the same.He offered me his help in case I need it in future. If I am not wrong, he was convinced!

The only point to explain the whole incident is to make the people realize that Youth can be directionless,lacks inspiration, contentious and sometimes rude but is not irresponsible. Once it gets a direction, a goal, a particular way, youth is the best asset any country can have to curb any social menace. So, please don't distrust them rather than provide them a direction, a platform where they can voice their aspirations. I know a 18year old, modern young boy teaching small kids at a village on his birthday and filing more than 120 RTI petitions. I have seen a 19year old actively working with a NGO for the betterment of environment.And this list is endless. How can I be cynical? Let us fail, let us struggle.Even if we return with nothing we have the courage to start again. Remember, with experience you never start with '0', you always start with '1'.If you can't do anything for us, atleast don't be cynical. As I always say, If you can't talk positive, atleast be neutral rather than spreading negativity. You never know, who gets inspired from you.

-Penned by

Anubha Shukla.

Truth Buried Under The Graves ?

On April 7, former telecom Minister A Raja's nephew died of  severe heart attack while working out at a gym in Chennai. Pushpanathan Deepak was an engineer by profession and was working for Etisalat DB Company. Here, it is important to observe that Etisalat DB is the telecom company that is being grilled by CBI in gigantic 2G scam which according to CAG cost 1.76 lakh Crore to the country. DB group is owned by Shahid Balwa, who is currently in jail for helping Raja.Though Deepak wasn't a suspect in the case, however CBI had raided his Chennai home in December, 2010 along with Raja and Sadiq Batcha.After Sadiq Batcha, Deepak's death is the second casualty connected to tainted A Raja in high profile 2G case.

Sadiq Batcha, a close aide of A Raja and a prime suspect in 2G case was suspiciously found dead in his bedroom in Chennai on 16th of March. It appeared a suicide but Police didn't overrule the possibility of murder. Sadiq Batcha owned 'Green House Promoters Company' , one of the beneficiaries in the whole 2G debacle. Raja's wife M.A Parameshwari allied the board directors of Green House in 2007.In his suicide letter Batcha said that he could not bear the shame and embarrassment of 2G scam and hence decided to end his life. His death has raised many questions. Is it a suicide or has he been killed by those who were fearing his cracking up before CBI? As Janta Party President Subramanian Swamy puts it, "Suicide and murder will be a part of the 2G investigations as reputations of too many  people are involved."Surprisingly, Dr. V Dekal, the doctor who performed Batcha’s autopsy resigned from the government service to fight Tamil Nadu assembly elections. It’s interesting to note that doctor's father was once a member of A Raja's party DMK. 

From Police to opposition parties, everybody is expecting something fishy about the sudden deaths but this is not the first time when truth is buried under the graves. There had been many such instances when the sudden mysterious death of a prime accused, witness or the suspect has changed the direction of high profile cases. There are innumerous examples where judiciary became vulnerable in front of 'lack of evidence' factor. Obliquely, this lack of evidence factor arises when a key accused,witness or suspect dies during the investigations taking the justice away along with his own life. Lets throw some light on a few such high profile cases.

Do you remember 1996's Fodder scam? Misappropriations worth 950Cr was observed in Bihar's animal husbandry sector in which Ex CMs Lalu Prasad Yadav and Jagannath Mishra were the prime accused. CBI  filed 69 cases against 76 accused regarding the scam. Harish Khandelwal was one of those accused.CBI got formal sanction from the governor to prosecute Lalu Prasad  in May 1997 and the same day Harish Khandelwal was found dead on railway tracks with a suicide note claiming he was fed up with the CBI grilling him to turn into a witness. Finally, Mishra and lalu were released from the CBI custody because CBI could not prove anything against them due to lack of evidences.

Next in the list is PF scam of Ghaziabad. Ashutosh Asthana, the prime accused in the case was arrested in April 2008. Ashutosh was the treasury officer at Ghaziabad court and was charged for draining off Crores from the PFs of class three and four employees within the span of 7 years from 2001 to 2008. During investigations, CBI found that 36 judges were named by Asthana as beneficiaries. Among those 36  judges there was one Supreme Court judge and three Allahabad Court judges. The charge sheet was filed against 78 people. In November 2009, Asthana was found dead at Dasna District jail. Police claimed it was a heart attack but the doctor who did his postmortem didn't deny the possibility of poison consumption. Even Asthana's brother Shishir alleged murder.

1n 1993, Shashi Nath Jha who was PA to Jharkand Mukti Morcha Chief Shibu Soren, disclosed a deal between JMM and Congress to rescue PV Narasimha Rao government. In May 1994 ,Jha was abducted from Dhaula Kuan and was killed in a jungle in Ranchi. In December 2006 Shibu Soren was given life imprisonment by Delhi Court but this decision was changed by Delhi High Court and Soren was acquitted due to lack of evidence.

As years went by, people forgot about Fodder scam, alleged JMM-Congress deal, and PF scam. After giving a few nightmares to the government,2G scam might also be forgotten soon. But what about the exchequer's money?  Most importantly, what about the concealed truth under these graves?We say that the justice delayed is justice denied but what would we call it if justice is being killed?

Penned by-

Anubha Shukla

In The Name of The Politics

India- an incredible country that has become a synonym for scams in past few months. Diverse are its people and so are its issues of concern, but the speciality about this country is that not a single issue remains untouched with politics.

India is a place where serious issues are shadowed by so called secular media and almost every thing is politicised to worsen the issue itself. It's a place where a 'Hindu nationalist' is called 'RSS Activist' and a 'Muslim nationalist' is framed as 'kafir' within a blink of an eye by some 'liberals'. Sometimes in the name of majority and most of the times for the votes of the minority, 'truth' is concealed and killed by our politicians. Pragmatically, the only minority in this country are nationalists who can put the country first & don't sell it for their vested interests.

There are no rules, no ethics required to pursue politics in India. As long as you can fool the people successfully to snatch the only right constitution provides them , their vote, you are the Government. Democracy has transformed into Demoncracy where 'Votes' are more valuable than lives. 

Do the politics on the demolition of a mosque. Promise the people to stand a temple again in the name of the politics. Reopen the corruption cases during elections and bury them deep down into the stacks of files as  soon as the elections are over. Don't even leave 'God' unaffected from the dirt of politics. Provoke the people to get into riots. Engage them in talks of Mandir-Masjid so that they don't get time to think about the huge chunk of their countrymen who are dying of hunger sharing the same land. Politicians in our country are so amazing that they can even politicise the hoisting of national flag within its territory. Ironically, the decision which was factually 'wrong' when you were in 'opposition' becomes the 'right' when you are the government. Everything is fine in the name of the politics.

'Silent Diplomacy' is an effort of two idiots who prefer to see through behind the scene drama on political stage to showcase an unbiased, true picture of the show called Democracy. We hope that you will like the brutal postmortem carried out by us.

--Anubha Shukla.