Campaigns Against Child Labour & Child Marriage Launched at SGRR Inter College
Dehradun – The District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Dehradun, in collaboration with the State Legal Services Authority, Nainital, launched two awareness campaigns — Child Labour Free Uttarakhand and Child Marriage Free Uttarakhand — on Tuesday at Shri Guru Ram Rai Inter College, Patel Nagar.
The Child Labour Free Uttarakhand campaign will be conducted over two days, while the Child Marriage Free Uttarakhand campaign will continue for three days.
Seema Dungarkoti, Secretary of DLSA Dehradun, addressed the students, emphasizing that child labour and child marriage are grave social issues that violate legal provisions and obstruct the physical, mental, and social development of children. She underlined that these practices deprive children of education and adversely affect their well-being. “An educated and self-reliant child lays the foundation of a strong society. If we want to develop our state and nation, we must eradicate child labour and child marriage,” she said.
Dungarkoti also spoke to students about responsible social media usage, the harmful effects of drug abuse, and the provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act. She held a discussion with school principal Rajesh Arora regarding future programs to raise awareness among students.
As part of the campaign, students took part in poster-making and painting competitions centered around the themes of child labour and child marriage. They also organized a rally to spread awareness in the local community, during which they distributed informative pamphlets.
Over the next three days, paralegal volunteers will conduct awareness camps in rural and remote areas of Dehradun district, including Vikasnagar, Rishikesh, Doiwala, and Mussoorie, to educate the public on these critical issues. Citizens were urged to report instances of child labour and child marriage to the police, relevant authorities, or through the child helpline number 1098.
Paralegal worker Umeshwar Singh Rawat participated in the campaign, along with school teachers Kapil Gogia, Vijay Sharma, Alpi Rana, and Tanvi Singh. The event saw participation from over 150 students and benefited more than 250 individuals in total.
