The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is a statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. The Commission works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child Development of the Govt. of India. The Commission became operational from 5th March 2007. The Commission is mandated under section 13 of CPCR Act, 2005 "to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child." As defined by the commission, child includes person up to the age of 18 years.
Cooperation in the Stone Industry: IGEP Trust works closely with NCPCR to ensure that industries follow strict government guidelines with regard to child labour. Both IGEP Trust and NCPCR periodically carry out inspections in various industries to ensure that strict government guidelines with respect to child labour are adhered to. Some of the most important studies relate to those carried out in the granite industry in 2017-2018 and the carpet industry in 2018-2019. The analysis was carried out by the NCPCR, UNICEF and IGEP Trust jointly.
The studies related to the granite industry was undertaken in the leading granite states of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka in two phases in Sept 2017 and in Feb 2018. Two reports covering Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, respectively Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were prepared by NCPCR comprising audits of quarries and processing units, interviews with villagers, local administration heads, teachers and other decision makers. For all controls and visits the ISES 2020 standard was used as the generally binding tool. IGEP provided the necessary technical advice and support.
Cooperation in the Carpet Industry: In 2018 the Carpet Export Promotion Council (CEPC) requested NCPCR and IGEP Trust to carry out a fact-finding study in the carpet belt to ensure that the industry follows strict guidelines with regard to child labour. The study covered 14 factories and it was observed that all the companies are aware of the legislation related to prohibition of employment of children in the factory. During the inspection and interactions with the workers it became clear that there is no practice of any forced labour or any kind of exploitation of the labourers. IGEP’s ISES 2020 standard was used as the monitoring tool to observe the compliance of social and environmental standards in these factories. At the opening day of the leading carpet fair Domotex in Hannover/Germany in January 2019, the results of this analysis were presented. Madan Lal Raiger, Indian Consul General, officially released the study. The report has strengthened India’s resolve to fight child labour issues and it shows that they intend to take strict legal action against organisations, agencies and film producers who create unreasonable and biased propaganda.
A report by NCPCR on Survey on Education and Wellbeing of Children in MICA Mining Areas of Jharkhand and Bihar
IGEP Trust together with the German company Merck are working together to improve the living conditions of the families in the mica mining areas of Jharkhand. IGEP Trust is running three schools financed by Merck in Jharkhand, where more than 500 children and adolescents are enrolled. Additionally, tailoring and carpentry courses are also offered in the schools to enable the chances for the children to gain a productive livelihood after they leave school.
In addition to the education efforts, IGEP Trust and Merck are also committed to improving local access to healthcare. In 2010, a health centre was inaugurated. It is being operated by IGEP Trust to serve the region’s approximately 20,000 residents. Two medical professionals work at the center and also provide regular health services to schools. Earlier there was no healthcare of any kind in this impoverished region.
India is one of the major exporters and supplier of handicrafts and gift products to the world market. The Indian handicrafts industry is highly labour intensive and decentralized, being spread all across the country in rural and urban areas. The sector is considered as the second largest employment-generating sector after agriculture with numerous artisans engaged in craft work on a part-time basis. The industry offers employment to over 6 million artisans, including a large number of women and people from the weaker sections of society.
The sector is economically important from the point of view of low capital investment, high ratio of value addition, and high potential for export and foreign exchange earnings for the country. The major handicraft products exported from India are art metalware, wooden artwares, hand printed textiles and scarves, embroidered goods, marble and stone craft, terracotta, zari and zari goods, papier machine craft, artistic leather goods and imitation jewellery. The European Union, USA, UK, Canada, Japan and South America are some of the major export destinations.
IGEP Trust has worked closely with the Export Promotion Council of Handicrafts (EPCH) to promote the growth of the Indian handicrafts industry. IGEP’s support has been in the form of marketing, training and product development. In terms of marketing assistance, IGEP Trust has organized several “Indian Pavilions” in major handicrafts and gifts trade fairs in Germany such as Cadeaux in Leipzig, Ambiente in Frankfurt and Heim + Handwork in Munich. As a result of these international exposures, Indian handicraft exports have been able to expand their presence globally. IGEP Trust has also assisted in setting up several training centres in major handicraft clusters. For example, IGEP Trust signed a cooperation with the Rajasthan Small Industries Corporation (RSIC) to operate their common facility centre for handicraft exporters in Jodhpur. IGEP set up a state of art word working and training centre - The National Training Centre for Woodcraft and Design (NTCWTD) in Jodhpur. This training centre boosted of the latest machines in wood working. The centre equipped with a faculty consisting of a German expert engaged through CIM/GIZ and two locally recruited wood working machine trainers. The centre has been conducting training for the rural youth in and around Jodhpur. Once training was over these trainees were absorbed by the local handicraft exporting units both in Jodhpur and Jaipur as well as in other states.
In terms of product development, IGEP Trust facilitated the engagement of several international experts routed through the CIM/GIZ program. These experts were based in Jodhpur, Moradabad and Delhi to work closely with Indian handicraft exporters and to guide them with design and quality requirements of the international marketplace.
India is one of the largest producers and exporter of granite stones in the world. With a market that has grown and modernized successfully since the early 70s, the Indian granite industry is a world-renowned supplier and manufacturer of granite countertops, statues, monuments and especially of grave- stones. Germany is the biggest European buyer. However, exports and the related employment generating opportunities to thousands of workers and their families are in danger, because it is alleged that granite grave-stones, etc. are made with child labour.
To avoid setbacks and losses to the trade, IGEP Trust developed an appropriate certification strategy to properly deal with these claims.
Today over 50 Indian stone exporters work with IGEP Trust to certify their mines and processing units using the ISES 2020 process. IGEP Trust is a regular participant in various International and National stone fairs and conferences to highlight and inform the use of the ISES 2020 standards and in the process, safeguard and promote the Indian stone sector. IGEP Trust also works very closely with the Indian Monument Manufacturers Association (IMMA) and its member companies.
The ISES 2020 is the revised and advanced former ISES 2000, which was developed in 1995 / 96. The ISES 2020, developed by the IGEP Trust comprises ten years of work and audit experience with the ISES 2000 with various companies of different sectors. The revised standard was mainly extended by environmental aspects. Further amendments in the field are tested at present and will be included after careful evaluation.
The ISES 2020 relies on the responsibility of the companies complying with the national regulations under labour, social and environmental law in India and relevant international conventions and declarations as mentioned below. The ISES 2020 covers eleven areas of requirements:
For companies and suppliers, the benefits of adopting ISES 2020 are significant. The widespread integrated management system of ISES 2020 based on the philosophy of a total quality management covers the fields of social accountability, health and safety as well as environment. It has a direct effect on the product, work and production quality of a company. It not only addresses relevant aspects to the employer but also addresses important issues for the employees of a company, customers and or other stakeholders. The improvement of working conditions and reduction of pollution has a direct effect on ameliorating production efficiency, leading to positive impacts on the competitiveness of the company.
A commitment in improving working conditions and environmental aspects can lead to various benefits for a company, including enhancing the reputation of the company, improving of the employee recruitment as well as benefits in quality, productivity and profitability. An increased organizational efficiency as well as the compliance with national and international laws and regulations are further advantages employers can gain by adopting the ISES 2020.
Benefits for employees and workers are better working conditions including the guarantee of minimum living wages, guaranteed times off for recreation, a more secure work environment, fewer accidents and an increased awareness of labour rights.
