Issue: #15 | June 2015

LEAD ME FROMDARKNESS TO LIGHT

STOP CHILD LABOUR

In this issue:

www.fiinova�on.co.inwww.fiinova�on.co.inwww.fiinova�on.co.in

Fiinovation Joins Hands

with CII for Webinar on

CSR

Stand up & look around Forms of Child Labour

in India

Aviva - Street To

School

Fiinobservation of National

Days

With over 13 million children working as labourers, India has its work cut out for bringing a change in a deep-rooted,

socially accepted and widespread evil called child labour. The rehabilitation and education of children involved in

labour in India is something that cannot be ignored anymore. There is an urgent need to address this challenge,

whether in terms of income generation for their sustenance or their education and skill development. India is a

young country with 35.3% of the population below the age of 15, and the future of India is in the hands of these

children. Apart from directing efforts towards addressing the needs of the street children we also need to make

agriculture child labour free.

As part of the social development sector, we understand that it is our duty to help the government bring stringent

laws which not only help curb the problem of child labour but also takes care of the rights of the children. There are

millions of child labours in India who are working under hazardous conditions with low wages. Not only are they

expected to work hard at the tender age, but are also devoid of education and basic facilities that could ensure they

reach their full potential. Lack of monitoring has also led to some children being victims of trafficking and other

crimes.

Therefore, I urge governments, corporations and civil societies to uphold the rights of children and promote

education for them. Through education, the children will not only secure a bright future for themselves but become

a driving force in India's growth story. India is developing rapidly but along with the economy our human

development rankings should also improve.

The theme of "Child Labour - Lead Me From Darkness to Light" is our attempt to bring awareness among people

about child labour, keeping in mind the potential that these children possesses in ensuring that the future of India is

bright. We, at Fiinovation, are firm on our stand that the only work that a child should do is home work, asserting that

these 13 million child labours in India should be studying. Only education and not work will ensure they overcome

the vicious cycle of poverty.

This month, let us all take the pledge towards ending child labour in India.

Mr. Soumitro ChakrabortyCEO, Fiinovation (Innovative Financial Advisors Pvt. Ltd.)

From the

CEO’s Desk

New Delhi, 18th June, 2015: With the view to deliberate on CSR & Affirmative Action, CII and Fiinovation came together on 18th

June, 2015 for a webinar on 'Corporate Social Responsibility the new understanding and how to promote Affirmative Action'. The

session was mentored by Mr. Soumitro Chakraborty, CEO, Fiinovation who shared insights on the nitty gritties of CSR. Apart from

CII members, many industry heads, civil society organizations, senior dignitaries and CSR professionals, including overseas

dignitaries attended and engaged in the webinar.

The webinar focused on understanding the concept of CSR in the global and India scenario along with providing clarifications of

different synonyms of CSR. It also highlighted the Section 135 of The Companies Act, 2013 in detail with clarifications of what will

comprise of CSR and what will happen if we do not comply. Apart from this, the webinar provided basic understanding of what

affirmative action meant globally and how it is being implemented in India.

While mentoring Mr. Chakraborty clarified the linkage between affirmative action and CSR to the audience, where he suggested

that while we implement our CSR activities we can target the SC/ST communities who account for majority of the poor in India.

Finally, the webinar also showed a way forward to the audience, where incorporating affirmative action through CSR and within

the business strategy would benefit the corporations in the long run.

The astounding success of the event could be gauged from the enthusiastic response received from the attendees who posed

numerous questions on CSR to the presenter.

01

fiinovation Joins Hands with CII

for Webinar on CSR

fiinovation

They say, “The future lies in the hands of the young ones”, but what if those hands are serving food in the restaurants,

picking up rags from the garbage, breaking stones in the mines or mopping your house? Our leaders preach about a

better future, while that future sells tea somewhere in the crowd. It is a fact that India is the youngest country in the world

and it is also a fact that India has the largest number of child labourers.

The census of 2001 revealed that India had 13 million children working under the age of 14. Ever wonder what those 13

million must be doing in 2015? The Census survey 2011 said that India had only 4.98 million child labourers, we hope that

these numbers decreased because of improvement in their condition and not by the fact that most of the child labourers in

2001 became adults in 2011, hence they can't be categorized as child workers.

Not every chai wala can become the Prime Minister and not every slumdog can become a millionaire in a country where

the resources are so centered. Poverty drives children out of schools, the age of learning becomes the age of

hardships and labour. Tender palms become stone-like after hours of breaking rocks. It all happens in front of our

eyes, we know the law, but we rarely take action to enforce it.

We cannot start blaming the Government here (even though they can do much better with the surveillance

system). Let's talk about us. What do we do? Why do we turn blind eye when a kid serves us food in the

restaurant, cleans our table, pulls rickshaw in the blazing heat. As citizens of India we also fail to fulfill our

social responsibilities. We feel proud when Kailash Satyarthi wins the Nobel Prize for fighting for child

rights, but when the time comes to be a part of the same cause we withdraw ourselves. Those

children on the streets need help, however more than them we need help to rise over the culture

which is making us so cold hearted that we don't even bother to look at their miseries and the

busy life which has left us with less empathy for the victims of such evil. Instead of lifting them

up we treat these children like scum of the society. Let's be more sensitive towards the

victims of child labour and help them get out of the adverse situation, to set their childhood

free for laughter and joy. We have to be the protector of our future generation.

If you are reading this article then congratulations you belong to a niche percent of

the population, who can actually read and write, and one which has access to a

computer and internet. We have the resources to access the aids which can help

these children. The power of knowledge is immense and as they say "With

great powers comes great responsibilities". We should take little time out of

our busy lives and do something to improve the conditions of these

underprivileged children. There is a lot we can do to help these children.

We can start it from our own houses; never employ a child as servant

and make sure that the society or locality you live in also does the

same. Report the cases of child labour as much as you can

(remember it is a crime so don't hesitate to take action). You

can also contact a number of NGOs and government officials

to help these children get out of the adverse condition.

These are little steps which can play a big role in

eradicating child labour from India. Let's take actions

now so that the evil of child labour can be eliminated

completely.

Stand up &look around

02

-Karan Pundir

Ÿ Farming, including producing rice and hybrid cottonseeds, picking cotton, and harvesting sugarcane AGRICULTURE

INDUSTRY

Ÿ Quarrying and breaking stonesŸ Manufacturing matches, bricks, locks,

glass bangles, fireworks, footwear, garments, hand-loomed silk fabric, silk thread, leather, embellished textiles, and brassware

Ÿ Polishing gems, diamondsŸ Weaving carpetsŸ Rolling cigarettes (bidis) and incense

sticksŸ Spinning thread/yarn, embroidering,

sewing beads to fabricŸ stiching soccer ballsŸ Mining Mica, Coal

SERVICES

Ÿ Working in hotels, food servce, and certain tourism-related occupationsŸ Working on the street selling fgood and other goods, repairing vehicles and tires, scavenging

and rag pickingŸ Construction, actyivities unknownŸ Domestic Service

13%

18%

70%

Child Labour sector wise

J&K

Punjab

H.P.

Uttarakhand

> 4,50,000

> 2,54,000

> 75,000

> 29,000

> 4,500

> 50

Haryana

Rajasthan Uttar Pradesh

Sikkim

Mizoram

Manipur

Delhi

Lakshadweep

Arunachal Pradesh

NagalandAssam

Meghalaya

Tripura

W.B.

Bihar

Jharkhand

Orissa

Chhattisgarh

GujaratMadhya Pradesh

TamilNadu

Karnataka

GoaAndhra Pradesh

Maharashtra

Telangana

Child Labour sector wise(Work Participation Ratio)

Census 1991

5.7% WPR

5.1% WPR

5.4% WPR

Census 2001

5.1% WPR

4.9% WPR

5% WPR

Census 2011

4.8% WPR

4.2% WPR

4.5% WPR

Chandigarh

Andamans & Nicobar Islands

Forms of Child Labour in India

The total number of child labour in India, aged 5–14, to be at 4.35 million, out of the total child population of 259.64 million

(Census, 2011). According to the statistics provided by Child Rights and You (CRY), in India, there are around 10 million child

labourers. Children continue to engage in child labour in agriculture and in the worst forms of child labour in the manufacturing

of a number of products in the informal economy.

Child Labour sector wise

Working Children Aged 5-14

India remains a source, transit, and destination country for minors trafficked for commercial

sexual exploitation and forced labour in domestic service, agriculture, and activities such as

begging, brick making and to serve as soldiers by extralegal armed groups in conflict zones.

Sources: Census of India 1961, 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001, and 2011.

Data from 2008, published by UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2014.

Understanding Children's Work Project's analysis of statistics from NSS Survey, 2009-2010.

03

Kerala

04

AVIVA - STREET TO SCHOOLAviva India is a joint venture of Dabur Group of India and Aviva plc of United Kingdom. The former has a 74% stake while Aviva plc has 26% stake in the joint venture. Aviva's Street to School is an initiative to help those who are mostly excluded in our society, i.e. the street children. The original goal of the British multinational was to help 5,00,000 children by 2015, however, they have already achieved more than that.

With the belief that every child has the right to basic education, in India, the global insurer has partnered with NGOs such as CRY (Child Right and You) and 'Save the Children' to facilitate education for underpriviledged children.

India is believed to have the largest number of street children in the world, with Delhi and Kolkata being their hubs. They have set up nine educational activity centres for the street children in these two cities providing education for one year before they are mainstreamed into government schools. The children are facilitated with food, alternative education, arts and crafts, music and dance, recreational activities, medical care, life-skill workshops and counseling. Mobile learning buses were developed in India as children were not able to get to a fixed school.

Save the Children's survey suggested there are about 51,000 street children in Delhi with some 500 in and around Nehru Place where it's corporate office is situated. The target was to help 700 children have access to age-appropriate formal education and vocational opportunities. By August 2011, they have covered 90% of their set target. The Rang Birange Sitare, an education and activity centre came into existence in 2010 under Aviva's S2S programme. It carries out the following activities:

Ÿ Providing life skills education to children through sessions and workshopsŸ Providing remedial education prior to linking age-appropriate schoolingŸ Providing counselling support for trauma and drugs/substance abuse Ÿ Providing services e.g. food, water, clothes, toilet and facilities for bathing etcŸ Working with target schools and teachers, and equipping them with inclusive

learner-friendly teaching-learning skills through regular training Ÿ Carrying out regular health check-ups and linking children to medical support Ÿ Forming and strengthening an advocacy group on the rights of street children

'Street to Children' has also supported CRY's and Jago Foundation's work since January 2011, covering 45 villages in Jharkhand's Koderma and Giridih districts. The programme identifies specific issues affecting children belonging to Dalit community. The initiative raises awareness about child rights, encourages provisions of new government services and facilitates access to existing ones. It is working directly with 228 children in 45 villages and also touches 9,630 children in 51 other villages.

Apart from this, the Aviva Great Wall of Education generates publicity and creates a mass participation experience for the public. It has collected over 10,00,000 books for underprivileged children and charities since launch, and entered into the Limca Book of Records 2011.

Tweets of The Month

05

Naveen Jindal @MPNaveenJindal On #WorldDayAgainstChildLabour, let's take a pledge not to tolerate #childlabour. These kids deserve education & better future.State Bank of India @TheOfficialSBI

UNICEF South Asia

@UNICEFROSA

Let’s nurture the

innocence of

childhood with quality

education and end the

menace of child

labour.

#NoChildLabour

United Nations @UNThe journey from

bricks to books IS possible. Pledge to #StopChildLabour

richa anirudh

@richaanirudh

Friday's #NoChildLabour

Day calls for fighting child

labour w/ quality education

http://bit.ly/WDACL2015

#Action2015

Child Rights and You

@CRYINDIA

#ChildLabour

violates the rights of children 2

education, joys of childhood & to

normal physical & mental

development

ŸAccording to the ILO, 168 million children worldwide are engaged in child labour as of 2013.

ŸAgriculture accounts for 60 percent of child labour according to the ILO.

ŸThe sub-Saharan African region has the second highest number of child labourers in the world; about 59 million in 2012.

ŸChild labour among girls fell by 40% since 2000, compared to 25% for boys.

ŸAsia and the Pacific still have the largest numbers (almost 78 million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).

Food for Thought... Hear the Influencers Speak...Ÿ "Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at

stake here. A lot of work still remains, but I will see the end of child labour in my lifetime.”

-Kailash SatyarthiŸ

Ÿ "Some girls cannot go to school because of the child labour and child trafficking.”

-Malala YousafzaiŸ

Ÿ "There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children." -Nelson Mandela

Ÿ

Ÿ "All the problems of the world - Child Labour, Corruption - are symptoms of a spiritual disease: Lack of Compassion."

- Tenzin Gyatso (14th Dalai Lama)

Ÿ

Ÿ “Few human rights abuses are so widely condemned, yet so widely practised. Let us make (child labour) a priority. Because a child in danger is a child that cannot wait.”

-Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General

Desertification combined with climatic

changes is one of the greatest

environmental risks today. Increasing

risk due to desertification in vulnerable

part of the world is making the situation

even more miserable. Activities of the

p a s t d e c a d e s , m a i n l y h u m a n

interventions and unsustainable

practices have led to desertification at

an alarming rate, resulting in reduction

of land productivity and threatening

livelihoods of immediate stakeholders.

Rural households which are dependent

on dry land agriculture are most

vulnerable to drought because of low

adaptive capacity, higher sensitivity

and exposure to climatic stresses.

Desertification phenomenon is not just

confined to the desert areas. Since a

large part of the country is undergoing

the process of degradation and

desertification, there is an urgent need

to check and combat these challenges.

If we do not manage our land in a

sustainable manner in the next few

decades, there will be a billion or more

people with little choice to sustain their

livelihoods.

06

Fiinovation, a research based organization, is an integrated solution enabler in the CSR and sustainability domain. It is focused towards enhancing quality across organizational value chain through meaningful innovation thereby ensuring sustainability. It is Asia's first proposal research laboratory wherein research is focused primarily on four sectors, which include health, education, livelihood and environment. The practices CSR Portfolio Management (CPM), CSR-CSO Partnership, Initiative Design, Initiative Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Impact Assessment and Sustainability Reporting help provide simple solutions to their partners.

Fiinovation24/30, Ground Floor, Okhla Industrial Estate, Phase IIINew Delhi - 110020Phone: 011-42332200 | Fax : 011-42332205 website: www.fiinovation.co.in | Email: media@fiinovation.co.in

About Fiinovation

The environment provides essential

material assets and an economic base

for human pursuit. Almost half the jobs

worldwide depend on fisheries, forests

or agriculture. The non-sustainable use

of natural resources, including land,

water, forests and fisheries, can

threaten individuals as well as local

livelihood along with national and

international economies.

The emerging environmental issues of

dead zones in coastal waters, resulting

from excess nitrogen seeping into the

water, presence of plastic debris in the

mid ocean or the polar regions,

chemicals entering our food system

should definitely be an eye opener.

However, restricting development is not

a solution; rather, it is important to

ensure that it proceeds in the right

direction causing minimal impacts on

the environment. Moreover there has

been a current trend of businesses that

have adopted green technologies or

people looking for simple ways to save

the earth and do their bit for the planet.

Chhotu – “Chai Dena”, Gudiya- “Paani

Pila”, how often do we come across

these instances in our daily lives.

Chances are – everyday. Of course

living in cities we are inundated with

everyday images of child labour, from

the street side acrobat trying to draw

our attention, to the scrawny hands

trying to separate the tyre from the

wheel of our vehicle in a puncture kiosk,

or the little boy putting the glasses in

front of us in a dhaba, they are all there.

On May 13, 2015 the Cabinet approved

a ban on employment of children below

14 years, with a caveat that children can

p u r s u e f a m i l y b u s i n e s s e s ,

entertainment and sports activities

after school or in vacations. To put it

bluntly, children who work, fail to get

necessary education. They do not get

the opportunity to develop physically,

e m o t i o n a l l y a n d i n t e l l e c t u a l l y,

ultimately limiting their ability to

contribute to their own well-being as

well as to the community they live in.

World Environment Day

5�� June

World Day Against Child Labour

12�� June

World Desertification Day

17�� June

Fiinobservation of International Days