`Sunle Maula’, a song against child labour launched

Odisha Channel Bureau Bhubaneswar: ‘Sunle Maula’, a music video against child labour by well-known playback singer Rituraj Mohanty, was released at an event that was jointly organised by Odisha State Commission for Protection of Child Rights and UNICEF on the occasion of the World Day Against Child Labour here on Sunday.The song in Hindi highlights inequities that affect children.The song is composed by young musicians from Odisha – Sudeep Prabhu, Biswajit Mahapatra and Sameet Pattnaik.The music video, directed by young film director Shuvendu Ghadai is supported by UNICEF.Odisha Ministers Debi Prasad Mishra and Prafulla Kumar Mallik, singer Rituraj Mohanty, Chairperson of OSCPCR Kasturi Mohapatra, District Magistrate of Mayurbhanj Rajesh Prabhakar Patil, and chief of UNICEF Odisha Yumi Bae were present on the occasion.While Mishra spoke of the importance of education in elimination of child labour, Mallik spoke of the government’s initiatives in curbing child labour in the State.Patil spoke of his initiative in addressing the issue of child labour and out of school children following a convergence model in the district.“Children who are compelled to work are robbed of childhood itself.The majority of child labourers are invisible and often beyond the reach of the law.Many of them are denied basic health care, education, adequate nutrition, and the protection and security of their communities and families.Combating child labour requires not only political leadership but broad-based partnerships,” said Bae.“The issue of child labour cannot be addressed in isolation.A child at risk of being trafficked may also be in conflict with the law or face violence at home.There is an urgent need to combine efforts to combat child labour, end violence against children, and strengthen systems for the protection of children holistically,” said Mohapatra.According to Census 2011, approximately 4 per cent of the child population is engaged in some form of child labour.In the context of rural and urban approximately 6.74 per cent children in rural areas work as child labourers as compared to 3.46 per cent children in urban areas in the age group 10-14 years.The vast majority of these children have little hope of gaining access to education or to shrug off the burden of illiteracy that threatens to undermine their future.