Chennai, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has appealed to people not to employ children below the age of 14 at their workplaces and asked the parents to take a pledge that they will not send their children to work.

In a statement on the World Day Against Child Labour, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister said that sending children to work at a young age would rob them of their childhood.

Stalin in the statement said, "Taking away the freedom of children and turning them into child labourers is a serious social crime and everybody should refrain from it and it should be condemned."

He also called upon people not to employ children between the age of 14 and 18 in hazardous industries. The Chief Minister said, "Every child has enormous potential and it should be harnessed through education which should not be denied to them. Each child should be ensured of his/her right to safety, education and better future."

The Chief Minister said that the Tamil Nadu government has been taking several measures to eradicate child labour. He said that the state government has been providing free books, uniforms, noon meal schemes and free bus travel to ensure that children reach school.

However, in many firecracker units of Virudhunagar district of Tamil Nadu, several children under the age of ten years are employed, throwing to wind the caution and care taken by the Tamil Nadu government. The textile industry is also employing child labour in dyeing and stitching areas, again not caring about the state government's measures in eradicating child labour from the state.