As hi-tech Hyderabad preens itself on emerging as a global IT hotspot, its swanky and glitzy exteriors hide an ugly underbelly - the city that houses the facilities of global IT giants is also home to the highest number of child workers anywhere in urban India.
Lending the city this dubious distinction is a UN agency report, which has found that as many as 96,892 workers in the age group of 5-14 years are employed in different types of low paid or unpaid menial works in the city (only Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation areas).
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Unicef's State of Child Workers in India report, which is based on the 2011 Census data, states that Hyderabad stood out as a 'striking child labour hotspot' in urban India with an incidence of 9.2%. The incidence of child workers is defined as the percentage of children working in the corresponding (5-14) age group.
"The city, which has seen considerable development and migration in recent years, is absorbing child workers in large numbers in domestic work, construction and for manual jobs in the hotel and restaurant industry," reads the report, which was published this month.
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When it comes to child labour incidence, the twin city of Secunderabad (Cantonment Board) too finds itself in the hall of shame, ranking second in the country only after Ballia in Uttar Pradesh. While Ballia had the highest incidence (10.9%) of child labour, Secunderabad came next with a 10.7% incidence, whereas Lucknow in UP had the lowest incidence of 5.9%.
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The report states that the growth in the number of child workers in urban areas indicates a growing demand for children in menial jobs. "The increase in the number of child workers in urban areas is indicative of their higher demand in different types of low paid or unpaid menial work that are unskilled and monotonous. Such work does not contribute to the intellectual development of children." However, experts attribute the rise in child labour in city to influx of migrants from other states, especially Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
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"There is a mafia operating in the city that brings in children from various parts of the country and puts them to work in bangle making units, hotels. Some are also sold as domestic helpers," says child rights activist Achyuta Rao, who heads the state commission for protection of child rights and also runs an NGO called Balala Hakkula Sangham.
Others argue that despite several proactive policies in place, the state government had failed to eliminate the menace.
"The identification and rescue mechanisms are a failure in the city. While the authorities have tried to get to the root of human trafficking when it comes to prostitution, it has failed to do the same as far as child labour is concerned. There is a need to have multiple plans in place to curb the menace," said Isidore Phillips, a child rights activist who runs an NGO called Divya Disha.
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Considering the gravity of the situation, the Telangana government has planned to eradicate child labour from the state by 2021. It has outlined an action plan by constituting a high-level committee headed by the principal secretary of the labour department. "The new guidelines in the action plan have been discussed at length and are in tune with the central government's Act to eliminate child and adolescent labour," said E Gangadhar, T deputy commissioner of labour.