In this Centenary year of ILO, the World Day against Child Labour (WDACL) was commemorated to look back on progress achieved with support from the ILO in tackling child labour. Protection of children from engagement in labour has been a key agenda for the ILO since it’s foundation in 1919.

To mark this occasion, the project provided technical support to the Labour Department, Government of Telangana in developing the campaign design for awareness generation activities. A week-long campaign reached out to people in all 33 districts of the state during June 12-18, 2019.

The intensive awareness campaign, involving the district administration and local Civil Society Organizations, in various locations across Telangana was carried out to galvanise the discourse on the Child Labour Act, ILO Conventions and necessary steps to prevent child labour.

The project provided technical support in developing the content and locally adapting posters along with support in developing key messages during the campaign. The project participated at state level programme when the campaign concluded. Some of the key events were:

• A week-long intensive awareness campaign involving the Labour Department officials in various locations across Telangana conducting public discourses on Child Labour Act.
• Thirty Five thousand copies of awareness posters highlighting the prohibition and penalty clauses from Child and Adolescent Labour (Prevention and Regulation) Act in English and Telugu were printed and distributed across 33 districts of Telangana. The posters were pasted in strategic locations across the state for public awareness and visibility.
• Public awareness camps on child and adolescent labour issues were held in parks, mohallas, slums, urban and semi-urban pockets. Volunteers created awareness on Child Labour prohibition laws and conducted signature campaign to generate citizens support to the state government’s plans of creating a child labour free state. Over 1500 signatures were collected on the first day of the campaign at Indira Park, Kasu Bhramhananda Reddy Park, Jalagam Vengal Rao Nagar Park, Neelam Sanjivaiah Park, NTR Gardens, Public Gardens and Lumbini Park in twin cities of Hyderabad and Secunderabad.
• Distribution of awareness posters and banners in Telugu and English in all districts of Telangana
• Awareness bike rally starting from Hyderabad covering all districts of Telangana creating awareness on Child Labour issue with 12 youth volunteers. They carried flags that bore messages about creating a Child Labour Free Telangana and engaged with public at major hubs.
• Collaborating with Badi Baata (Back to School) program with Education Department in rural areas.
• Sensitization camps in universities and colleges on Child & Adolescent Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act 2016. The events were conducted at Jahnavi College, Dr. Ambedkar College, Sardar Patel College, Aurora College, College of Social Work, Govt. PG College, Sai Vignan College, Kasturba Gandhi College and St. Francis Degree College for Women.
• Culmination of awareness activities in Hyderabad by felicitating the Champions and NGO partners.

The events were widely covered by several local newspapers. Officials from District Labour Department, District Child Welfare Committees, District Child Protection Units, Education, Police, Social Welfare department officials along with the District Administration actively participated in the campaign and took the pledge to create child labour free zones in their respective districts.