Our Projects

Child Protection

Child labour is considered as a "necessary evil" and "economic asset" for parents of poor families. Rajasthan accounts for nearly 10% of the total child labour in the country with Jaipur along having more than 50000 child labourers in the age group of 5-14 years. The state stands third after UP and Andhra Pradesh as far as child labour is concern. No one even their parents cannot understand that in which conditions these children are forced to work in lieu of a very small amount. Children under the age of 14 are forced to work in hazardous workplaces and they majorly experience brutal treatment and exploitation by the employer. They usually work for more than 14-16 hours a day. A large number of children working in Rajasthan are brought from Bihar, West Bengal, and Jharkhand. The prime industries where children are employed are manufacturing units of bangles, embroidery units, carpet industries, weaving units, textiles industries etc. These trades need soft hands to give finesse to the products. Apart from this, children are also employed in brick kilns, as domestic help, begging, bonded labour etc. There is an awakening towards the issue of child labour and government, NGOs, and individual activists are doing efforts too. As a result, thousands of children have been rescued from Jaipur city and sent back to their families in past few years but it is nothing against the number of estimated child labourer in Jaipur. Entire process of rescuing and reunion rehabilitation of these child labour's  has  number of gaps and bottlenecks which makes the life more worst of these child labourers and their families Thousands of children are working as child labourers in workshops in Jaipur.

Thus in Jaipur major problem of child labour to remove children from child labour who are trafficked or employed locally in various trades and then restoration and rehabilitation of these children. Meanwhile they reach their home they are accommodated in shelter homes where they have to face number of legalities of various departments. This period is totally harassing period and after going back to their families they face so many financial problems in absence of proper rehabilitation and family strengthening program so ultimately they are repeated and reengaged in child labour. 

TAABAR as a partner is shouldering up the responsibilities of post rescue care and protection of child labourers through shelter home, effective district level coordination, and collaboration to address the issues of child labour, increasing capacity, understanding, and sensitivity among officials of various departments, creating child friendly environment and service delivery structure.

Since 2014, they have been working, with funding from the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, to strengthen child protection mechanisms in Jaipur, related to trafficked children. The work includes facilitating interdepartmental collaboration among government departments and officials, and other stakeholders; capacity building through conducting trainings and increasing sensitization; and working consistently with railway police to increase awareness and increase the identification of rescued children. TAABAR's special focus is on building capacity of railway police to identify and address the problem of children who are trafficked and transported via trains.  

Post Rescue Rehabilitation

TAABAR runs the Bal Basera shelter home, which provides immediate shelter and necessities to vulnerable children to allow them opportunities for healthy growth and development. The shelter home is best known for the expedited restoration and reunion of the children with their families. Under the project of Child Labour Free Jaipur, providing safe, child friendly place and committed team to take care of the rescued children is most significant requirement. In this context, TAABAR's shelter home meets all the requirements.

The process of care and protection of children starts with the initial steps of rescuing children which includes transporting them out of the workshop, producing them before the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), settling them in a shelter, providing medical care, and investigating by police and labour department to ensure the justice to these child labourers. 

TAABAR is constantly putting effort to identify gaps in the process of rescue to rehabilitation. TAABAR is working with the CWC and other stakeholders to understand the gaps and presenting findings before the District Child Labour Task Force and follow-up to ensure action is taken to address the gaps.

Best Practices in Bal Basera Shelter home for rescued children

1.      Digital Class Room

Now the classroom of Bal Basera is a digital classroom as British Asia trust (BAT) has donated a projector for this purpose. This new medium of teaching has changed the character of the class too. Languages and numeric, environmental science and science are being taught with the help of projector. Audio-visual medium has made studies more interesting and memorable. Our entrants have turned into fast learners.

2.      CCTV surveillance 

TAABAR has installed CCTVs in both homes for detecting or deterring the abusive behaviour. This monitoring device is to just to ensure the protection of the children within the premises by keeping in mind the individual's confidentiality and human rights. 

3.      Forum Theater Artist

TAABAR staff Mr. Babban Mishra is doing one-year diploma course in Forum Theater. 

He recently attended one of the workshop organized by JS, this 20-day workshop has held in Kolkata in the month of August. It was basically 1^st stage of one-year workshop program where participants from different NGOs, working on grass root from all over the India, will learn basic techniques of theater and participatory theater and then would conduct field-practicum in their respective areas. TAABAR is working very hard with child labour. This kind of exposure will provide a new tool to work with these children to make them aware about their surroundings, right sand they will try to find ways too. In future TAABAR will be a resource agency for Forum Theater.

4.      Counseling support

Counseling to these children plays a vital role in the process of mainstreaming of these children in the main society. In one to one counseling sessions, our counselor come across to their traumas, anxieties, dreams and desires and help them to find out the ways. In-group activities, counselor follows their behavioral patterns, peer relationships, curiosity and aloofness too and helps accordingly.

Counseling helps in finding real names and addresses of these children, as at times they do not come with truth at the initial stage of collecting information.

Counseling is helping a lot in ensuring their statement under 164 and coming out of trauma.

5.      Medical room facility

Bal Basera has the capacity of 50 children to stay at a time. We give care of physical health to them. Doctor comes twice a week for their check-up and as and when required. Para-medical staff comes every day. Sometimes, in case of viral diseases we have to keep a child or children in separate accommodation. TAABAR has designated a room as medical room where a child could be kept under the observation and supervision of another responsible staff.

6.      Reintegration and Child Participation

• Exposure Visits

• Picnic

• Outing (Mall visit, Dinner at Hotel)

• Competitions

• Public performances

• Volunteers across the globe work with children

• Regular meetings of Children Committees and Home Management Committees

 

7.      Yoga and Meditation Practice

This practice gives them a peaceful and healthy beginning of the day. Silence in the initial hours has good impact and avoid unnecessary distractions. This habit of mindfulness is essential to learn new traits and mannerism.

8.      Recreational Activities: Art and Craft as a therapy

Children learned different items with the use of different materials. We can name them:

• Macrame

• Origami

• Jute items

• Thread and beads work

• Teacher's day card

• Best out of Waste

9.      Theatre

TAABAR was invited to perform a play on the opening ceremony of the national conference. Children presented a play on "Violence Free Childhood". Their performance was highly appreciated by the workshop participants and dignitaries. The host of the conference rewarded the teacher and children with Memento after the wonderful performance. Master Bhanwarlal Meghwal, cabinet minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of Rajasthan, Chief Secretary Mr. B.D. Gupta, CRC, HCM-RIPA Directors were also present in this session.

10.  Visits of Government officials

�         Child welfare committee is paying regular visits

�         DCPU is paying its regular visits and attending Home Management Committee Meeting

�         Member of RSCPCR Dr Vijyendra Singh and Mr Prahlad visited Bal Basera

�         District Collector Jogaram Meena visited Bal Basera

�         President of Juvenile Justice Rajasthan High Court Committee Mr Sandeep Mehta visited Bal Basera Shelter Home accompanied by Mr Sanjay Nirala, Child Protection Specialist UNICEF. Secretary of TAABAR made him aware about the challenges faced in child labour cases especially regarding the judicial statement under section 164 (CrPC). As a result, Mr. Mehta issued a letter to ensure the children's judicial statement before sending them back to their native places.

 

TAABAR as a technical consultant

TAABAR is serving as a technical consultant, (working with Freedom Fund representatives) to facilitate the effective functioning of the district child labour (CL) task force. TAABAR is working to ensure the district Child Labour Task Force meets monthly to discuss issues related to rescue, medical, transportation, shelter and handling of children. TAABAR is organizing regular meetings with key government department officials, AHTUs and local police to share experiences and continue to increase sensitization around the issue of child labour.

Collaboration with Stakeholders

TAABAR collaborates with CWC and other stakeholders, in coordination with the Freedom Fund team, to support adherence to due process in the post-rescue of children staying at other shelter homes (along with their own). As a result, this work has set the groundwork for increased and more solid prosecution of cases. Rajasthan has more than five convictions in a year due to collective efforts.  TAABAR is reaching to various stakeholders as mentioned in the table to ensure the rehabilitation of child labour.

 

 

Increased capacity, understanding, and sensitivity among officials of various departments

1.     Handholding and sensitization sessions

A critical piece of accomplishing the goal of better care and protection for child labourers is to build the capacity of the stakeholders. TAABAR is conducting handholding sessions, sensitization sessions with allied department, Police, AHTU, CWC, CCIs. TAABAR is providing its technical support for handholding and capacity building at five RPF & GRP Police stations of Jaipur North Western Railway Division named Gandhi Nagar, Jaipur Central railway station, Alwar, Dausa, Rewari and RPF training center, Bandikui.

2.     TT/TC Training

TAABAR organized a one-day capacity-building program for TT/TC at Jaipur railway station. In this workshop TTs and TCs of different trains, going to and coming from Bihar state participated to discuss their roles in making Jaipur child Labour free. Points of discussion were-

1.      What is child labor?

2.      Industries involved in practicing and exploiting child labor

3.      Working conditions, physical and mental torture to them.

4.      How TT/TC can be helpful in arresting a trafficker in the train to RPF and GRP and even call to the 1098-child help line no.

5.      Standard Operation Procedure(SOP),on child labour, of Railway has also been briefed

6.      Different Govt. statutory bodies and NGOs are working together for the prevention of child labor

7.      Close coordination and collaboration with other stakeholders such as Child line, RPF and GRP.

3.     AHTU Training

TAABAR imparted training to the AHTU Jaipur rural to enhance their understanding, awareness and knowledge on child labour issues.

TAABAR conducted the sessions on Child Labour Act, Bonded Labour Act, JJ Act, and importance of judicial statement of child labourer under the section 164 of CrPC in child labor cases for the child welfare police officers at Shastri Nagar, Shahpura, Kotputli, Dudu, and Chandwaji Police Station.

Collaboration with CWC in facilitating Documentation in CCIs

 

TAABAR is helping CWC to digitize the case file of child labourers. All the files received at CWC Office of child labourers are scanned then all soft documents are organised in a folder of handed over to the CWC in pen drive. These soft case files handed over to the representatives of Bihar State Government at the time of repatriation. TAABAR is supporting CCIs in following manners:

�         Facilitating the process of recording Bonded Labour Statement by SDM

�         Helping to get issued Bonded release certificate as soon as possible

�         Facilitating coordination with CWC to complete all due processes

�         Helping to coordinate with DCPU to make arrangement for their home-return, booking train bogie, liaising with police for providing guard or escorting 

�         Helping CCIs to support police to record the correct name and address of the Child Labour in FIR

 

Identifying and documenting gaps in rescue-handing over process

�         Lengthy and exhausting handing over process

�         It take too much time due to unhelpful response of Bihar State Government

�         Delay in filing charge sheet

�         No time bound Investigation

�         Employer attempts to influence the children and their parents to change their statements by threatening them

�         Unawareness about the statement of children given to various departments like statement of 161 under CrPc, statement given to SDM for declaring bonded labor, statement given to labor department

�         The Labor department argues that unless a person is declared as criminal or is convicted, recovery cannot be done.

�         Child laborers live in a state of constant fear and exploitation. They are intimidated threatened and emotionally black mailed so whenever the police rescue children, they do not give correct information about the employer and agent. They are already scared and this fear amplifies when they come across with Police.  As a result, incorrect information goes in FIR. Besides these, children often state their nickname in enquiry and the police write the same name in the FIR. When the identity document is authenticated, the information is found wrong. TAABAR took initiative and drew the attention of police department to sort out this problem. TAABAR is helping police to get the right information in first contact so that correct information can be written in FIR.

�         The owner of the house is still remains outside the purview of law, not a single owner has been caught yet. To ensure the action against employer, we are focusing on counseling process.  The children are being counseled by the psychologist and counselor to gather correct and detailed information about employer.

Arts Based Therapy intervention with rescued child laborers

Childhood�..carefree, worry free, enjoyable, naturally pure and innocent, blossomed, the most fulfilled unique and period of one's life

Number of adjectives can be used for describing childhood's significance and its beauty but the fact is that childhood is not the same for all children. A nice and caring, protected childhood is the right of every child. However, sadly, there are number of children who are unfortunate and their child hood is lost or stolen. Many children are homeless, live on streets, engaged in worst form of child labour. Children are made to work as laborers and are treated unfairly. Jaipur is the hotspot for child labour and street children, child beggars etc. Thousands of children are brought here to engage in different trades.

TAABAR receives more than 300 child labour annually and provide care and protection until their rehabilitation. The efforts are made to bring back them into life until they stay in open shelter home. The children after being rescued from labour and streets show a recurring problem of dysfunctioning in their neurotypical skills such as communication, cognitive and social skills as they have faced brutal treatment, torture. Arts Based therapy is evidence based intervention that use a various art form to improve a person's mental, physical, an emotional well-being. TAABAR is pioneering in using and introducing arts based therapy in childcare institutions in Rajasthan.   Arts based therapy is being used with children in difficult circumstances to help and support their rehabilitation process and social reintegration. One of the organization leaders Dr Shahina Parveen is certified Trainer who is putting efforts to integrate Arts Based Therapy in childcare institutions.

Child Friendly Police Station �Shastri Nagar Jaipur North

TAABAR initiated a child friendly police station (Bal Mitra Thana). In Jaipur, most of the child labor are rescued from the Northern part of the city. Shastri Nagar police station comes under this area and an important police station in this regard. There are many pockets in North Jaipur where child labour is excessively found, number of children have been rescued from the areas of Ramganj, Kotwali, Shastri Nagar, Bhatta Basti, and Galta Gate Police Station. Handling child labor from pre to post rescue is very sensitive process, cops require special skill to deal with it. Mostly police stations are not child friendly that makes the children traumatic when they face legal processes that lasts the impact on children throughout the life. Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCP-North), Jaipur has released a letter of permission to establish a child friendly setup in Shastri Nagar police station in favor of TAABAR. It would be the first Child Friendly Police Station in entire Jaipur district.

A room has been provided in the campus of Shastri Nagar Police Station. TAABAR renovated and painted the room with support of Contree organization that is known for its artwork. They did makeover the room. Necessary infrastructures like bed, TV, Toys and other games have been provided. TAABAR team is conducting the meetings with CWPOs and other front line staff to sensitize them and developing child sensitive case handling processes.

DCP North Mr. Rajiv Pachar & Additional DCP Mr. Dharmendra Kumar Sagar, ACP Mahaveer Prasad inaugurated Child Friendly Police Station Shastri Nagar on 10 Dec 2019. Mr. Ravi Prakash, Ms Sharda Singh. Mr. Ramesh Paliwal was present on the occasion.

 

Outcomes /Achievements

The combination of these activities led TAABAR to establish a more effective process of handling children by the different stakeholders.

�         TAABAR received 250-300 rescued child labourers from different places, trafficked from Bihar and Jharkhand. In close coordination with DCPU, TAABAR handed over 145 children to the government of Bihar and Jharkhand.

�         TAABAR has been instrumental from rescue to till the repatriation of child labourers that is an exhausted and complicated exercise. During this period TAABAR, liaise with many departments like police, child welfare committee, medical, legal, railway, RPF/GRP, Administration.

�         TAABAR took initiative to ensure the compensation under Rajasthan Victim Compensation Scheme 2012, submitted 39 files to District Legal Services Authority, 28 files has been approved. It is the first time in Rajasthan when child labourers will get the compensation under this scheme.

�         TAABAR initiated the process of opening of bank account of child labourers so that children could get the money of compensation.

�         TAABAR also submitted 92 Files to labour department to ensure the compensation under The Minimum Wages Act, 1948.

�         Arts Based Therapy sessions, socio-psychological support is being provided to the child labourers.

�         TAABAR has conducted more than 100 sessions with RPF and GRP and provided information and education and handholding support to officials in various capacities

�         Verification of more than 100 residents of Shastri Nagar has been done