Daily Report I
Area visited : Sajjapuram
Date and time : 20 February 2011 – From 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
The social worker visited Sajjapuram, one of the oldest parts of Tanuku town. Sajjapuram is an area that is inhabited by two extremes of the economic ladder. On the one hand, we find here the wealthiest in the town and on the other, we see slums. Only one child labourer, by name D. Lakshmi, could be identified who was suitable for the survey. She was thirteen years old and comes from a Below the Poverty Line family. The parents are agricultural workers. The income of the family is irregular and is barely sufficient to support their basic needs. The parents expressed their inability to send the girl to school. In fact, they are not willing to do so either. They are lured by the additional income that their daughter brings in by working. They are illiterate and have no awareness about the significance of education and the long term impact it can have on the quality of their lives.
Daily Report II
Area visited : Old Town
Date and time : 27 February 2011 – From 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
On the said date, the social worker visited Old Town located in the eastern part of Tanuku town. The help of Mr. B. Vara Prasad, who is a teacher in a government school in the area and has considerable influence in this part of the town, was taken. Four child labourers namely C Aashirwadam, P Ratna Kumar, Y Vinay and B Rambabu were identified as suitable for the survey. The social worker had an elaborate interaction with each of these. The interaction took place in their residences (which were rented and poorly built like huts or sheds) well in the presence of their parent or guardian. It was found that majority of the respondents were from socially backward communities. The economic backwardness was already obvious. The size of the family was large in almost all the cases. On an average the families had five members each. They were forced to give up schooling and go to work by the pressure of their parents and the needs of the family. In some cases, one or both of the parents were old or sick and were not able to make any contribution to family income. The respondents expressed the interest to attend school but said it would not be possible in view of the circumstances that they were in.
Daily Report III
Area visited : Main Road
Date and time : 06 March 2011 – From 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The Main Road in Tanuku, also called Rashtrapathi Road, is naturally the place where all the business activity of the town is concentrated. It also is the place where the practice of child labour may be found in abundance. The social worker visited the area on the said date during the business hours as that is the time when most child workers are available for interaction. Mr. V. Jagga Rao, a respected businessman in the town accompanied the social worker to make the interaction possible by minimizing the anticipated resistance and aggression from employers. In several cases, the parents and children were found to be working in the same establishment or in close vicinity.
The social worker met M Prasanna who was 11 years old. She had lost her father. She has a sick mother. She works in a hotel for a daily wage of Rs. 40. She is provided breakfast in the morning and lunch at noon with restrictions on quantity. She works from 7 a.m. till 7 p.m. and returns home at about 7.30 p.m. The house is about a kilometer and a half from the workplace. The clothes reveal her poverty level and physically she is very weak.
The social worker also met on the same day T Santosh, J Mutyalu, Sheik Ismail, S Tulasi, N Sridevi and S Prakash. The social worker observed that the parents of these children were almost invariably either illiterate or with very little literacy level. Economically, they were on the bottom-most rung of the ladder. None of them had a house of their own. The residences are congested and are in unhygienic surroundings. The children have no sense of discipline. They have little respect for their parents or other elders. In most cases, the parents were given to smoking and drinking. The respondents did not take the social worker very seriously though they patiently answered the queries. This was because they were not at all aware the damage that was happening to them, nor were they aware of the exploitation that they were being subjected to. When the social worker asked them if they would go to school by providing necessary books, clothes and other things, their response was not favourable. It will take several rounds of counseling to alter the mindset of these children.
Daily Report IV
Area visited : Housing Board Colony
Date and time : 12 March 2011 – From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
The social worker visited Housing Board Colony which is inhabited by middle class families. Three child labourers, namely I Sai, K Bharat and N Prem Kumar, were identified and information was elicited from them. The residences and the places of work of these respondents were in the same colony. Sai was ten years old, Bharat was twelve years old and Prem was less than ten years old. At the hour when the social visited the residences of these children, the fathers were found to be in drunken condition. The mothers however did not seem very worried about which is an indication that it was a routine with which they had already compromised. Nevertheless, the parents were cooperative in allowing free interaction of their children with the social worker. None of the parents had any knowledge about the laws that govern child labour or the protection that is available to them. Nor do they know anything about child welfare measures or rehabilitation schemes. Their ignorance was apparent. The parents agreed that they depended on their children’s earnings for the maintenance of the family and they were not ashamed of it. They encouraged the children more to earn than to learn.
The children openly talked about the hardships they were put to at the workplace and about the ill-treatment by their masters. The work was hard and being abused is a part of the daily routine. It was clear that these children were not without intelligence. Unfortunately, they were without support and guidance.
If only someone cared to provide them the required support and conditions, they would be able to come out the quagmire into which they are slowly and steadily sinking.
Daily Report V
Area visited : Teachers’ Colony
Date and time : 13 March 2011 – From 6.30 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.
The name Teachers’ Colony is a misnomer. This is an area where people and families of different income levels are found. Four respondents, namely Shahnaz, A Raghav, Jacob and R Ramani were identified in this area as suitable for the survey. All were in the age group of 12 to 14 years. Two of them had gone to school and dropped out after Class IV. The others continue to be on the rolls of schools but rarely attend classes. Not attending classes is out of a compulsion and not out a choice made. They work in households for meager remuneration. The payment of wage is monthly. They have to work on Sundays also. The report of the child labourers shows that their employers have no concern towards their health or decency. The only concern is cheap labour. The report by girls has indications of sexual harassment but they don’t feel free to share it with anyone.
Daily Report VI
Area visited : Velpur Road
Date and time : 20 March 2011 – From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
After the main road, the second biggest business hub is Velpur Road. It has commercial establishments adjacent to residential colonies. Mr. Ratnam, an active volunteer of Lions Club accompanied the social worker during the visit to Velpur Road. Seven children were selected for the survey and were interviewed elaborately. They worked in hotels/restaurants, grocery shops or automobile repair centers. The access to the children was slightly difficult because of their owners’ attitude. The respondents had had primary education and had to give up schooling because of family circumstances. They were suggested attending child labour schools but they were not quite interested. One child labourer was articulate enough to say that education these days cannot be expected to be of much avail in the light of the unemployment problem that we witness. They told the social workers about the long hours they put in sometimes extending well into the middle of the night. It was apparent that they were being taken advantage of to the fullest by their employers, considering the low wages that they were being paid. The parents of the respondents were rickshaw pullers or agricultural peasants.
Daily Report VII
Area visited : Ikea Nagar
Date and time : 27 March 2011 – From 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Ikea Nagar is completely a residential locality without much commercial activity. The social worker visited this area in the evening hours and met three child labourers namely G Surya, P Madhu and V Balamma. The conditions in which the families of the respondents live are highly deplorable. With the help of Mr. Muralidhar, the secretary of the colony, the social worker was able to complete the visit successfully and elicit the responses of the child labourers identified. The parents as well as the children are absolutely illiterate. Some voluntary organizations have started the initiative of conducting night classes for the people of this area but it is said that the response of the people has been lukewarm. The parents are rag pickers on streets. The children also go with their parents in picking. Sometimes they find work as sweepers or scavengers in shops and hotels. No one in the family has concern for decent living or hygiene. The wages are low and the treatment is bad. The social worker feels that there must be special schemes for such children.
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