India: Petitions on Child Labour policy

India: Petitions on Child Labour policy & Vedanta mining company

Stop Child Labour petition

On the 10th and 11th of May a Global Child Labour Conference will be held in The Hague, The Netherlands. The focus will be on the worst forms of child labour. However, the campaign 'Stop Child Labour -School is the best place to work'1 and her partners worldwide believe this is not ambitious enough.

Our partners organizations in countries with child labour have proven that it is not only theoretically desirable but also practically feasible to eliminate all forms of child labour and get every child into school - provided political will and concerted action are mobilized. Moreover, a world without child labour and the right to education is something that we have promised to all children!

While governments have the main responsibility to make this happen, also employers have to guarantee that they do not make use of child labour, including in their supply-chain. We therefore need a Global Action Plan against all forms of child labour. National action plans by all ILO members and a binding commitment by employers not to benefit from child, should be an integral part of such a Global Plan. Therefore, the campaign 'Stop Child Labour -School is the best place to work' kindly invites you to sign the petition and support our call for more coherent action to realize all children's rights.

To join the online petition against child labour, please go here: http://www.stopchildlabour.eu/petition/
Please visit MV Foundation to learn about the campaign.

Petition on Vedanta mining company

There is another petition o a very serious issue to which I would like draw your attention. It is by Amnesty International and relates to the UK-based mining company Vedanta which is creating havoc in Orissa, India. Amnesty writes:

'' Indigenous and marginalised communities in south-west Orissa, India have been protesting against the abuse of their human rights by UK-based mining company - Vedanta Resources PLC.

Vedanta Resources, through its subsidiary companies plans to mine for bauxite in the Niyamgiri Hills, considered sacred by the Indigenous Dongria Kondh community. The proposed mine will threaten the community's rights to water, food, health and work. Additionally, despite its failure to address pollution complaints associated with its alumina refinery in nearby Lanjigarh, Vedanta is proposing a six-fold expansion of the facility. Vedanta has failed to provide full information and to adequately consult with and seek the consent of local communitiesfor its mining and refinery-expansion plans.

Please sign the petition below and support the campaign to stop Vedanta's attempts to ride roughshod over the rights of some of the poorest communities in India. We will submit the petition to Vedanta's management at its 2010 AGM which is expected to be in July.

Please go to the link below to join the petition against Vedanta mining project:
http://www.protectthehuman.com/petition_actions/protect-rights-of-communities-in-orissa
A profile on Vedanta can be found here: http://www.banktrack.org/show/companyprofiles/vedanta_resources

Please see a short film on Vedanta mining project and tribals of Orissa here:
http://www.survivalinternational.org/films/mine

About AHRC: The Asian Human Rights Commission is a regional non-governmental organisation monitoring and lobbying human rights issues in Asia. The Hong Kong-based group was founded in 1984. The above statement has only been forwarded by the AHRC.

ENDS

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