Do not employ them; Empower them After agriculture (54%), highest number of children is employed in homes & hospitality sectors (18%) as labour. Even in Delhi, as per the Govt. census report 2001, there were 41,899 children working as domestic help. In 2007, 327 fresh cases were reported from various parts of Delhi, the actual figure could be much higher as majority of cases go unreported due to the indifference and apathy of the privileged class towards the underprivileged. Smile Foundation children set off an awareness campaign titled ‘Do not employ them: Empower them’ in New Delhi on March 29, 2008.   Awareness Campaign: Right to Education of Children Theme: Do not employ them; Empower them The awareness drive aimed to sensitize privileged masses particularly about the plight of children who are employed as domestic maids. Venue: Jantar Mantar, New Delhi Date: Saturday, 29th of March, 2008 Time: 11.30 PM to 12.30 PM  Do Not Employ Them; Empower Them Chotu, Bahadur, Munna – If any Indian is asked, what do these names remind him of; the answer in majority of cases would be – A Servant. Do we ever realise that the possessors of these titles are also humans many of them children who are not there to just serve us like robots? If we try to answer this one honestly then probably the answer could range from a big and straight ‘NO’ to ‘Never’ really bothered to think about it’.   Perhaps that is why around 17 million Indian children work as child labour under most inhuman and deplorable conditions. The worst part is that after agriculture, highest number of children is employed in homes and hospitality sectors. The objective of this awareness campaign is to sensitize people on the plight of the children belonging to the domestic maid servants. Most often, these innocent children are caught in the vicious cycle of poverty and ignorance and the plight continues to another generation. So, what’s the solution? Empower them with the power of education. Smile believes that whether you are addressing healthcare, poverty, population control, unemployment or human rights, there's no better place to start than in the corridors of Education. Because education is both the means as well as the end to a better life: means, because it empowers an individual to earn his/her livelihood and the end because it increases one's awareness on a range of issues – from healthcare to appropriate social behaviour to understanding one's rights - and in the process evolve as a better citizen. Let’s join hands and start taking some positive steps in our immediate neighbourhood; as a little step forward!sss