NEW DELHI, June 15: Acceding to a National Human Rights Commission (NHRC)'s recommendation, Tamil Nadu has amended its conduct rules to prevent government servants from employing children below the age of 14 years for any work.

Tamil Nadu has become the first state to accept the recommendation of the Commission by issuing a notification amending the State Government Servants (Conduct) Rules, 1973, by inserting a new rule, NHRC sources here said today.

The new rule lays down that ``No govt servant shall employ a child below the age of 14 years to do any work, including domestic work,'' the sources said, adding a copy of the notification was made available to the Commission. The Commission, in January, had asked the Centre to amend the Central Civil Services (Conduct) Rules, 1964 to prohibit the employment of children as domestic helps by government servants and make its breach a ``misconduct'' attracting a ``major penalty'', they said.

The recommendation was contained in a letter by the NHRC chairman, Justice M N Venkatachaliah, to Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions S R Balasubramoniyan.

Stating that employing children up to the age of 14 years for work was reprehensible and, more so, by a government employee, Venkatachalliah pointed out that such children were subjected to inhuman treatment and long hours of duty, the sources said.

Consequently, the Commission had also addressed the Chief Ministers of all states to amend the relevant service rules of the state government servants on similar lines, the sources said.

The recommendation came in the wake of the Commission noticing a specific instance of alleged torture of a young boy employee as domestic help by a government servant in Delhi, they said.

The idea, which was suggested by NHRC member Justice V S Malimath was approved by the Commission in a meeting on January 10, they said. The NHRC, which has been stressing the importance of providing all children with free and compulsory schooling during their formative years, has also received positive responses from many other state governments.

The sources said Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi had written to the Commission saying its suggestion was ``indeed laudable'' and that they had ``accepted the same.'' The governments of Mizoram, Himachal and Goa have informed the Commission that as and when the required amendments are made by the Centre, the same would become applicable to their employees also.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.