CHILD LABOUR

The single aim of my life is that every child is free to be a child, free to
grow and develop, free to eat, sleep, see daylight, free to laugh and cry,
free to play, free to learn, free to go to school, and above all, free to
dream.

NOBEL LAUREATE KAILASH SATYARTHI

Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives them of their
childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically,
socially or morally dangerous and harmful. In villages, it is a common sight to see children of poor
families working in fields or elsewhere to contribute to the family income. Such children are
deprived of opportunities of education and are also prone to health risks.

In a sense, child labour is open exploitation as it deprives children of education and pushes them
into exploitative situations. The side-effects of working at a young age are: risks of contracting
occupational diseases like skin diseases, diseases of the lungs, weak eyesight, TB etc.;
vulnerability to sexual exploitation at the workplace; deprived of education. They grow up unable
to avail development opportunities and end up as unskilled workers for the rest of their lives.

It has been observed that in villages especially, representatives of various industries lure children
with promises of jobs and wealth and bring them to the city where they are employed as bonded
labour in factories. Many children are also employed as household help where they are paid
minimum wages and are made to do maximum physical work.

Data suggests that while children are employed everywhere across India, some states have
significantly higher child employment rates and the nature of employment is changing drastically.
Across India in 2011, 3.9% of children under the age of 14 were engaged in child labour. The
proportion was, however, much higher in some states such as Nagaland (13.2 %), Himachal
Pradesh (10.3%) and Sikkim (8.5%).

Nationally, the percentage of working children fell from 5% in 2001 to 3.9% in 2011 but the bigger
change occurred in the nature of employment. Across the world, child labour tends to be
concentrated on farms—and this is true to an extent in India where 60% of working children are
engaged in agriculture-related activities. But, in India, the number of child farmers has come
down as an increasing number of children are doing non-farm work. Between 2001 and 2011, the
share of children engaged in non-farm work doubled to 40%.
 1. Between the age of 5-18, India has a whopping 33 million child labourers.
2. 80 percent of the child labour in India is concentrated in rural India. While we see children
indulge in various jobs in cities, it is mostly the children in rural areas who get pulled into
the vicious web of labour.
3. The agriculture, forestry, and fishing industries take up 62 percent of working children in
the country.
4. Uttar Pradesh is home to the largest number of child labourers in the country – over 6 lakh
children (Census 2011).
5. Child labour in India is inextricably linked to lack of education. Children between the ages
of 5-14 are accorded free and compulsory education by the government under the Right
to Education (RTE) Act.

6. While the RTE is a breath of fresh air, the other side of it is lack of any provision for
children in the age group of 15-18. As free education isn’t guaranteed to them, a number
of children from this age group drop out of school. These children are more vulnerable
and are easily led into the seemingly innocuous occupations of babysitting, working as
maids, in small-scale industries, and so on which are allowed by law, as these professions
are listed under non-hazardous. Do you think these aren’t strenuous tasks for children?
7. Now, there is a 25 percent reservation made in private schools for children from lower
economic backgrounds to avail free education. However, it is another discussion
altogether whether this privileged atmosphere is made congenial to children from
underprivileged backgrounds.
8. While the law states clearly that no child under the age of 14 will indulge in any kind of
labour, there is a big ‘but’ in the way that hinders this rule. The law has exempted children
under 14 if they are “helping” their families. If the children man the shop that their
parents run, start beading flowers or toys to be sold, what is wrong with that, one may
ask. We are depriving the children of their time to rest and play. We all know how “All
work and no play…” ends. Need we say more?
9. There are a few more exceptions when it comes to the kind of work children below 14 can
take up, such as if s/he is a child artist in the audio-visual entertainment industry,
including advertisement, films, television serials, or any such other entertainment or
sports activities except the circus. However, the point that we are driving home is that
they are still working in a largely unregulated environment.
10. Is child labour a punishable offence? Of course, yes. Whoever employs any child or
permits any child to work is punishable by imprisonment or a fine, or both. That said, how
often does this happen?

According to Article 23 of the Indian Constitution any type of forced labour is prohibited. Article
24 states that a child under 14 years cannot be employed to perform any hazardous work.
Similarly, Article 39 states that “the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the
tender age of children are not abused”. In the same manner, Child Labour Act (Prohibition and
Regulation) 1986 prohibits children under the age of 14 years to be working in hazardous
industries and processes.
Role of panchayat members in mitigating child labour

 Generate awareness about the ill-effects of child labour,

 Encourage parents to send their children to school
 Create an environment where children stop working and get enrolled in schools instead
 Ensure that children have sufficient facilities available in schools
 Inform industry owners about the laws prohibiting child labour and the penalties for
violating these laws
 Activate Balwadis and Aanganwadis in the village so that working mothers do not leave
the responsibility of younger children on their older siblings
 Motivate Village Education Committees (VECs) to improve the conditions of schools.

The government also seeks to address child labour through the National Child Labour Project
which identifies and rehabilitates child workers. In 2017-18, around 50,000 child workers were
rescued or rehabilitated from child labour—but it is still a small fraction of the overall child
labour force.

Child labour, though, is not a problem unique to India. According to data from the World Bank,
there are 168 million children employed across the world. India contributes 6% of these workers,
but in terms of proportion, it has the lowest rates of child labour in South Asia. Nepal, for
instance, has a 42% child labour rate—the highest in the region. Globally, the International
Labour Organization and UNICEF recommend a multi-pronged strategy to tackle child
employment that involves better enforcement of laws, increasing awareness and strengthening
education systems—India will need to do the same.