Kohima: Nagaland faces a hidden crisis of child labor. Children aged 7 to 14, primarily from eastern Nagaland and Myanmar, are working as domestic help in households across Kohima and Dimapur. Enrollment data from Government Primary Schools shows these children are often placed in classes 1 to 5, far below their appropriate age levels. Teachers report these children dread holidays because they prefer the classroom over the grueling chores awaiting them at home.
Employers often frame this exploitation as charity, claiming they provide food, clothing, and shelter in exchange for labor. Research by the VV Giri National Labour Institute, which interviewed 302 children, found most receive no pay or are severely underpaid. Fr Innocent Panmei, SDB, Principal of Don Bosco Higher Secondary School, said, “Once you keep them, it is our responsibility to give them a happy childhood and to make sure that once they leave our house, they have something to hold on to.” He urged families to treat these children with dignity, providing adequate rest, medical care, and proper living conditions.
The issue remains largely invisible, hidden behind closed doors. A 2013 study identified Kohima and Dimapur as primary transit points for trafficked or migrated children. Most children in domestic roles get less than an hour for study at home. Advocates argue that the system relies on the assumption that employers provide a service, while in reality, they simply seek an extra pair of hands.
The Kohima Aor Telongjem, led by T Chubayanger, is fighting back. Since 2021, the union has enforced a resolution prohibiting its members from hiring child domestic help. Under Chubayanger, the organization has refused to settle abuse cases privately, instead backing law enforcement. In one instance, a government servant was jailed and suspended after being reported for abusing a child worker. Chubayanger maintains that legal consequences remain necessary because “a wrong is a wrong and punishment should be there.”
Experts are calling for urgent legislative reform and better enforcement of child protection policies. They want local leaders, church heads, and community groups to undergo training to identify and address child labor. The goal is to ensure social schemes reach families in poverty so that children are not forced into labor to survive.
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