A gruesome explosion at a fireworks manufacturing unit  near Madurai, Tamilnadu, claimed 18 lives including 3 children. It functioned very close to a school. This accident has once again brought into focus the issue of using child labour in hazardous industries. It is said that despite stringent rules prohibiting child labour, fireworks units in the region employ children, flout statutory requirements and, sadly, the enforcement authorities neglect their supervisory and preventive roles.  

Police arrested the owner of the unit and registered a case under IPC sections 304 A, 286, 337 and 338 for causing death by negligence using explosive substances.  Madurai Police said a report was forwarded to the government to recommend cancellation of license for the unit for violating various rules including employment of children.

“To escape the provisions of the notoriously permissive Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, which defines a child as a human being under 14 years of age, this fireworks manufacturer employed 14-year-old and 15-year-old children. But the unit fell foul of the Explosives Act, 1884, which prohibits the manufacture, possession, sale or transport of explosives, including fireworks, by any one below 18 years of age. Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (to which India is a party) recognises “the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.” The fact that three of those killed and seven of those injured were below 18 years of age, and that four of the injured were under 16, is a shocking indictment of rising India’s permissive attitude towards the exploitation of children — with scant regard for their safety and wellbeing.”   - The Hindu Editorial, Jul 10, 2009