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Pankaj
Pande & Sweta Pande are working with IT firm & staying in plush
locality in Pune. This couple has been arrested on charges of child labour and
allegedly torturing a 12-year-old boy. Police also confirmed that the boy's
body bore brutal marks of physical abuse. The minor boy was brought from native placed
to take care of couple’s child. However this boy was forced to perform the home
chores.
As
mentioned in the report, Dr Anuradha Sahasrabudhe, Director of Childline Pune,
said, "It is a known fact that children are employed as domestic help.
They stay with the family, have to be available for work 24x7, and are at the
mercy of their owners completely.
Now
put your child in the place of this 12-Year –old boy and what will be your
reaction? Pankaj Pande and Sweta Pande must be qualified and educated. They may
also be aware what is wrong and what is right. This couple is not the first example,
there are lot of examples where poor children are brought as a domestic help,
they are tortured and abused over petty issues. And what was the cost couple
was paying, food & hardly Rs. 2,000/-!
This
is illegal and inhuman. I think law will take care of this couple and there
will be huge impact on the child. Such children are forced to move out of the
system and such couples make them criminals when they are grown…
I am curious to know what action this IT firm will take
against the monsters.
I
think, if your employees are ethical and respect humanity, then only the organization
can be ethical. Your code of business conduct should also include such issues.
Somebody
may argue that it is the personal matter of employees, but as an organization,
will you allow your employees to trade drugs, involve in murders and theft? Will
you allow your employees to take bribe? I think you will not…. It is not the
personal matter of employees. This is not only the reputation issue but also
the commitment of the organization to follow the law of the land & do the business
in an ethical way.
There
are responsible organizations which carry regular audit of suppliers and
vendors to ensure that their partners are also carry the business in fair
manner and they are not involved in illegal activities like Child Labour,
Bonded Labour. But when this comes to
the employees, actions are taken after the incidents.
I
think, companies can play the active role to stop such malpractices. This
should follow with sensitization and awareness on what is right and what is wrong. Making employees aware on the issues and if
they still indulge such malpractices enforcing consequence management policy
will also help your organization to set the example.
What
do you say?
(Views expressed in this article are personal.)
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