Organized in six different locations across Kolkata, the street plays were enacted by child theatre groups Jagran and Rainbow Theatre Group, while the flash mob was performed by children from the target areas of World Vision India’s My City Initiative (MCI) Kolkata, at a popular mall.

Both the flash mob and the street plays aimed to spread awareness about child labour.

“It is of great importance that we raise awareness on this critical issue of child labour in our country. Despite all the progress that we have seen in recent years, India remains held back by this insidious practice, which forces children across the nation to abandon their childhood. The activities in Kolkata today are aimed at providing a glimpse into the realities of child labour from the eyes of children themselves and we hope that the audiences walk away with a realization of the cruelty that is child labour,” said Jayakumar Christian, CEO and National Director, World Vision India.

“There can be no exceptions – all forms of work by children under 18 needs to be banned. Also, the RTE Act needs to be implemented effectively, supported by a necessary budgetary allocation of 6% of the GDP for it,” points out Jayakumar Christian.