Ranchi : Uninor, India�s fastest growing telecom operator, observed the World Day Against Child Labour, with an outreach and awareness campaign against child labour across housing societies, stores and malls in Gurgaon. The campaign carried out in association with the NGO partner, CHILDLINE saw overwhelming support from the general public as �Uninor Unites� volunteers reached out with conducting awareness sessions creating awareness against exploitation of children as workers in households, manufacturing sectors, road side eateries (dhabas) and construction sites.
�It�s been over 25 years since the child labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act has been introduced in the country but still accounts for the largest number of working children in the world. Uninor takes pride on its commitment towards sustainable business practices and strong Supplier Conduct Principles. We continue to be vigilant against child labour in our supply chain management.
Its even more important to generate conversation against this practice to create some sensitivity amongst people as largely this is also driven by middle class who engage domestic workers.” – said Pooja Thakran, Chief Communication Officer and Head of Corporate Responsibility, Uninor.
�India is sadly home to the largest number of child labourers in the world- our estimate is that 11 % of India�s work force are children of 18 years or below. It is important for the corporate citizens to ensure that the future of India�s children by keeping them away from having to work for a living. We are delighted that Uninor is committed to make India free of child labour,� says Nishit Kumar, Head, Communication & Strategic Initiatives (CSI) CHILDLINE India Foundation.
�’Uninor Unites’ has been envisioned by the company to be a focused approach towards creating a volunteering platform for our employees, partners and associates to do meaningful and measurable community building. Our campaign aims at spread awareness against the evils of Child Labour, taking into account of the key areas of Uninor�s parent company, Telenor�s group corporate responsibility strategy � �Safe� and �Enable� and combines that with the chosen beneficiary group � Children,�added Pooja.
The slew of activities conducted by Uninor employees from 11th to 13thJune include awareness drives in various public places like shopping malls, residential societies, local markets, railway stations and traffic signals through engaging conversations as well as distribution of hand-outs. Around 400 employees of Uninor have gone out in the cities that include Gurgaon, Noida,Lucknow, Gorakhupr, Patna, Ahmedabad, Pune, and Hyderabad to touch 6000 shops, residential flats, Offices and around 50000 individuals.
The company also raised funds from its vendor partners including Alcatel Lucent, Spice Digital and employees to sponsor education for children rescued by CHILDLINE.
