1. Recommendations by Adolescents from Tea Estates of Assam
State Level Workshop with Adolescents on Protection of Child Rights in Tea Gardens of Assam, with a particular focus on the implementation of
The Plantation Labour Act, 1951
Venue: Thaneshwar Dutta Memorial Auditorium, Sivasagar, 29–30 August 2016.

2. A collaborative effort by The Assam State Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (ASCPCR), Department of Labour and Employment (DoLE) and District Children and Adolescent Cell (DCAC), Office of Deputy Commissioner, Sivasagar.
ASCPCR was supported by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and UNICEF Assam.
52 adolescents from Tea gardens across Assam participated in the workshop and made recommendations.
300 adolescents from the nearby tea gardens of Sivasagar town also participated in the inaugural session.
Introduction

3. To provide a platform to adolescents from tea gardens of Assam to voice their views with regard to various existing services available for children and adolescents in tea gardens of Assam;
Learn from the adolescents, what needs to be done to ensure all services and provisions as mandated under various statutes are available for children and adolescents in the tea gardens of Assam to ensure their rights;
To share the recommendations before key duty bearers in order to bring about necessary changes at all levels.
Objectives

4. Process
All the 52 adolescent participants were divided into 5 thematic groups.
Each group was led by a facilitator and a rapporteur.
Participatory facilitation methods like Force Field Analysis, Problem Tree Analysis, Resource mapping were used.
Through in-depth discussions in respective groups the adolescents identified the gaps and challenges in each of the thematic groups
Came up with concrete recommendations to address those gaps and challenges.

5. Recommendations :: Thematic area : Education
The Community members and the Tea Garden Management Committee can appeal the Sarba Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) through the Block Elementary Education Officer (BEEO) for the appointment of TET qualified teachers in the garden schools.
Create employment opportunities for local unemployed graduates from tea community.
Provision of housing facilities for teachers coming from remote areas.
School Management Committees should check the attendance of the teachers every day.
Appeal to the State Education Minister for setting up of upper primary schools (Class 6-8) within/nearby the tea gardens through concerned District Officials like Deputy Commissioners and District Mission Coordinators.

6. Converge with various line departments and key stakeholders and concerned authorities to ensure all services under the Government Schemes for renovation of the school infrastructures, electrification, installation of tube wells, water tanks, construction of toilets, etc.
Provision of dustbin or dug pit for safe disposal of sanitary pads in the schools.
Community members can collectivize or students may themselves develop gardens in school.
The SMC through awareness drives, street plays, community meetings and home visits can help in the sensitization of the parents on the importance of educating their child.
Regularization of the Mid-day meal (MDM) scheme.
Provisions of safe drinking water, toilet facilities for boys and girls in the primary and upper primary schools should be ensured.

7. Recommendations :: Thematic area: Child Protection
Formation of Adolescent Girls and Boys Clubs in every tea garden to identify and discuss the issues of Child Trafficking, Child Marriage, Child Labour through regular meetings.
Formation of Child Protection Committees for ensuring a protective environment for children in the communities.
Impart Life skill Education Sessions for the Adolescents Boys and Girls in the gardens.
Establishment of Information Centers in the gardens to address Child Trafficking.
Government should take strict action to abolish Child labour in the gardens.
Availability of functional creches and other facilities to be ensured.

8. Recommendations::Thematic area:Harmful Social Practices
Awareness campaigns and other events should be adopted by Government, District Administration, Tea Garden Management, Civil Society Organizations (CSO), NGOs, and Student Unions to change and change the outlook of the community towards superstitious ritualistic practices like Child Marriage and Witch Hunting.
People have to be educated against superstition and effective law can help in protecting innocent lives. Such evil acts should be condemned and discouraged.
The enactment of new law will also help in curbing evil and uncivilized practices.
Parental care and teacher’s guidance can help a child in overcoming fears and beliefs in superstitions.
Public meetings, Self Help Group meetings, Club meetings, Group discussions and lectures should be initiated on various topics and real life examples should be adopted to spread and inculcate the scientific outlook of the community people.

9. Active family and community involvement with support from District administration and Garden management together can reduce the commercial and social availability of alcohol.
Health Practitioners like Doctors, Nurses and ANM of the Tea Gardens, through regular health camps and discussions, can generate awareness among the communities on the ill-effects of alcohol and early marriage.
The Labour Unions of the Tea Gardens can contribute to a large extent to address the problem of Alcoholism in the tea communities.
The ChildLine services should be activated in each and every district and the emergency toll free number 1098 along with the office telephone number should be circulated in the tea garden schools, labour clubs, labour lines, hospitals to prevent child marriage, and corporal punishment.

10. Recommendations::Thematic area: Health and Nutrition
The Tea Garden Management can appeal concerned authorities of the NHM for the appointment of health professionals in the Estate Hospitals.
The Tea Garden authorities should appoint requisite medical practitioners as per the garden requirement.
The Tea Garden Management should provide and arrange necessary facilities to its workers including safe drinking water, clean toilets, hygienic food and requisite and separate beds for both males and females in the estate hospitals.
The Tea Garden Management through concerned authorities of the District can also request the State Health Minister for setting up of government hospitals within/nearby Tea Gardens.
The Garden Management should contact their respective Block Primary Health Centers for timely supply of requisite medicines.

11. Communities have to be educated on the harmful effects of Open Defecation and the importance of hand washing with soap to prevent diseases through behavior change communication activities.
Government should adopt measures to abolish the salted tea provided to the workers in the gardens.
The Tea Garden Schools teachers should be trained on healthy cooking and maintain cleanliness.

12. Recommendations:: Thematic area: Community Infrastructure, Sanitation and Hygiene
The Garden Management can also contact their respective PRI members for the improvement of roads under schemes like MGNREGA.
The individuals can contact their respective ward members and Gaon Panchayat Presidents to avail the government schemes like Prime Minister Awaas Yojana (PMAY).
Proper drainage system should be constructed and timely cleanliness should be maintained by the authorities as well as community people.
Provision of dustbin at various places including the labour lines.

13. People should construct own compost pit for decomposing the household waste and garbage.
The Garden Management should construct individual toilets for its permanent workers and contact the Nodal Person of the PHE Department for construction of toilets under the SBM programme for the casual workers.
Awareness should be created to keep cattle and other pets at a distance from the houses, and consumption of boiled and filtered drinking water.

14. We have provided our recommendations, now we request all concern stakeholders to deliberate and find ways to implement our recommendations. THANK YOU ALL