Child Labour Free Zone (CLFZ)

The Right to Education Act 2009 mandates free and compulsory education to all children of 6 to 14 years. In our areas of operation, we consider any child between the ages of 6 and 14 who is not attending school as a child labourer, and we implement universal access interventions such as child surveys, weekly headcounts, attendance tracking, and bridging centres to ensure that all children are enrolled in school and are progressing towards completing grade 10.

CLFZ process

When all children between the ages of 6 and 14 in a habitation are enrolled in school, government hostels, residential bridge course centres, or non-residential bridge course centres, and the average school attendance for the last three months is around 85%, Aspire staff members call a meeting at the habitation level. During the meeting, the community and gram panchayat members are informed of this achievement, they discuss and verify the data, and finally, declare the habitation as a Child Labor Free Zone (CLFZ). A local event is planned to celebrate this achievement, and a board or marker is installed to declare the date of the CLFZ achievement. Every three months, members of the community child rights forum and school management committee track and update the CLFZ status.
When all habitations in a gram panchayat are declared CLFZ, the sarpanch declares the gram panchayat itself as a child labour free zone. As all gram panchayats and urban wards become free of child labour, the entire block is declared a CLFZ. The community and gram panchayat are the only ones authorised to determine an area as a CLFZ by surveying the habitations and examining the school attendance register.

Impact

So far,