In order to bring down the child labour rate in villages, members of the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), Coimbatore conducted a special one-day awareness drive in V. Kaliyapuram Palaniammal Girls Higher Secondary School in Pollachi recently.

Speaking at the event, T.V. Vijayakumar, Director of NCLP, Coimbatore, opined that childhood is a joyful experience that should not be sabotaged by the burdens of child labour.

“It is an age where importance to joy, games and education should be given and children should have a more favourable environment to increase their knowledge,” he said.

However, he opined that this was not the case in villages, because due to various reasons children were sent to work as labourers.

He later asked the children and others to notify about any child labour incidents through the phone number 0422 – 2305445, so that such kids could be rescued and educated at free of cost.

“We have had many complaints in the past and that is why we have been able to rescue many kids,” he added.