[caption id="attachment_254754" align="aligncenter" width="565"]
Cover photo of Dreamz Unlimited’s video titled “Mr. Truth.” (Pic courtesy: Dreamz Unlimited Nagaland).[/caption]
Eastern Mirror Desk
Dimapur, June 14: In an attempt to curb child labour in the state and create awareness about this social evil among the people, Kohima Police roped in popular entertainment content provider and film production group Dreamz Unlimited Nagaland to make a video on it. The video titled “Mr. Truth episode 3,” which was released on June 11, has received good traction on YouTube, garnering 254,716 views in just three days (till the time of filing this story on June 14).
Unlike most videos of the group, it has a serious message, but it has received good feedback from the viewers with many lauding it for taking on a significant issue which is rampant in the state as well as in the country.
SDPO, North Kohima, M Yambemo Humtsoe, who came up with the concept of the video, told
Eastern Mirror that the idea was to create awareness on the existing child labour in the state which is ignored by the society.
“We as adults have failed to address the issue on child labour, and all these years, we have not been able to do any significant project to create awareness and most of us are ignorant of such sensitive concern,” Humtsoe lamented.
The SDPO said the Kohima police department conceived the idea to raise awareness on the issue after a minor domestic helper was assaulted by the employers two months ago. He observed that there are many unreported cases of child abuse and most of them are hushed up.
Education and poverty often lead to child labour and abuse. Those from poor families do not think twice before sending their children to urban areas for education even if that may require them (children) to work as domestic helpers in other family’s home, pointed out Humtsoe.
He said that parent were equally responsible for putting their children at risk, as they are ignorant of Article 21-A Right to Education Act which clearly states that children between the age of 6 and 14 are entitled to free and compulsory education in government schools. However, most parents especially in interior areas are ignorant and laws are not implemented properly, he added.
Many Naga families, even the educated ones are not aware of the existing law against employing children; and one must know that employing a child below 14 years for any work is a crime, said the SDPO.
Drawing attention to the practise of employing underage child as a domestic helper, he said only the “fortunate ones” land up in a good family who look after them as their own; and when those “fortunate ones” go home for the holidays, other parents also want to send their children thinking that they too will be treated well, which is a chain reaction.
