Reports on conditions of Labour, particularly Child Labour, in the brick production industries of South Asia - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan...
West Bengal
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Brickfield Schools continue in West Bengal after 15 years
40 open air brickfield schools are running in West Bengal under the Brickfield Schools Programme of the Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre in Kolkata. This NGO has been running schools for brick kiln children for the last 15 years since 2008. The schools, currently situated at Basirhat, Kalyani, Akra and Pujali, receive no help from W Bengal Govt which continues to ignore the needs of migrant brick kiln workers' children at the thousands of kilns in the state.
The NGO Athmik at Bandel, Hugli District continues to run 4 Brickfield Schools at Adisaptagram.
There are almost certainly other NGOs running brickfield schools in West Bengal and elsewhere. Send us news of them to post.
Most migrant workers at kilns in W Bengal come from Bihar (patheras - brick makers) and Jharkhand (rezas - brick carriers) with children who work from 8 years or so. Firemen who tend the kilns often come from UP, typically without families
Child Deaths at Brick Kiln
Chandni (3) and Swapna (10) Rajbansi burnt to death in the kiln at TEENA brick field, Pandua, Hugli District, West Bengal on 14 February 2016: Valentine's Day !
https://thewire.in/25952/life-and-death-at-the-brick-kilns-of-west-bengal/
Brick Kiln Schools
Several NGOs are running open air, semi-formal schools for migrant children in brickfields of West Bengal. Nearly all brick kiln owners in W. Bengal are happy to allow a school to run in their brickfield. Currently the Government provides no funds. Funds are foreign and from local Rotary Clubs etc.
60 Brickfield Schools of KMWSC
Kolkata Mary Ward Social Centre, the NGO of the Loreto Sisters, runs 60 open air brickfield schools (BFS) in the current season of 2017-18 at brick kilns of 3 districts :North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Hugli. The schools cater to an average of 50 children each, have 2 teachers and teach a planned curriculum aiming to make older children literate in their mother tongue (Hindi or Bangla) in 6 months.
The project is doing some follow up with BFS returned children in Nawada District of Bihar during the rainy season when brickfields close, mostly focused on ‘mainstreaming’ children in Govt schools in Nawada.
Brickfield Schools at Bandel
Atmik, an NGO based at Bandel in Hugli District, is running several open air BFS in brickfields near Bandel since 2014. They were previously part of the KMWSC programme (see above) . Posted - Feb 2018
Contact : dipteshchowdhury1@gmail.com
10 Education Support Centres at Malancha Brick Kilns, N.24 Parganas District
Development Research Communication and Service Centre (DRCSC) is active at 10 Brick Kilns of Minakhan Block, North 24 Parganas District. Minakhan Block, which includes Malancha, has a huge concentration of about 80 working brick kilns. Nearly all workers here are migrants from poor villages on the finge of the Sundarban, not far distant. Because children are mostly Bangla speakers they can be mainstreamed into local Govt schools. Their programme includes :
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10 Education Support Centres
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Bringing ICDS into brickfields
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Awareness on Child Rights
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Child Protection Mechanisms
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WaSH training on hygiene and training to use sewing machines and manufacture fish food.
Contact on : drcsc.ind@gmail.com website : drcsc.org