Polio volunteers or a case of child labour?

Three minor children between the age group of 12 to 13 were employed by the health department officials of Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) to administer pulse polio drops in few areas on Sunday.

Residents of the Brahmand housing complex were shocked to see three minor children at their doorstep to give pulse polio drops, as a part of a TMC initiative for children below five years of age.

A Bramhand resident, Pritam Shetty, said, “I was shocked to see three young children giving drops to children in our housing complex. When I asked them who had hired them they told us that TMC officials had asked them to do the job. The three were in the age group of 12 to 14”.

Another Bramhand resident said, “I have seen college-going children participating in social activities like National Social Service Scheme but this is the first time that I have seen school children working for a civic body and giving polio drops. Also, the three children did not have any adult supervisor with them”.

TMC medical health officer Dr RT Kendre said, “The children who had gone for the pulse polio drive had participated in the drive as a social service activity and were not doing any laborious work. We train some children in schools and they voluntarily participate in these drives. Many other government departments take help of schoolchildren for some activities like marathon and other big events.”

“We paid them Rs75 for a day but it was not pay for the job that they had participated in. It was travelling allowance fixed by the Central government for every volunteer,” Kendre added