INTRODUCTION:- Child labour is the term used to describe the use of children in any type of

job that robs them of their youth, prevents them from attending regular school, and is physically,

intellectually, socially, or morally detrimental. According to the Census of India 2011, there are

10.1 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 who are working, 8.1 million of them live in

rural regions and work mostly as cultivators (26%) and agricultural labourers (32.9%). There are

several legal provisions and legislatures to prohibit child labour in india.

The constitution of India under article 23 prohibits any type of child labour. There exists some

more articles to take care of the problem of chilad labour and work for their betterment. Article

24 provides that no child below the age of 14 can be employed to perform any hazardous work.

The directive principles of state policies under article 39 also states that “the health and strength

of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused”. In pursuance of

Artcile 24,  Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation) 1986 was enacted to prohibit working

of children under the age of 14 years in hazardous industries and processes. Indian Government

ratified the International Labour Organization Conventions Nos. 138 and 182 in 2017 showing

its commitment to the elimination of child labour including those engaged in hazardous

occupations.

Name of respondent:- Mohit

Age of respondent:- 16

Education:- Studying in Tenth grade

Native:- Noida
Occupation:- works in a mechanic’s shop

Place of interview:-

BACKGROUND:- Mohit is sixteen years old now, his father passed away even before he was

born. After 9 years of his birth, his mother also passed away due to illness. He only had his elder

brother left with him to take his care. The financial condition of the family was not very stable

from the start, his mother used to work as maid. They lived in poverty in a small congested house

with one room and a small kitchen area, and an income which barely sufficed them. She

somehow managed the finances, but after her demise both the brothers were left with nothing but

darkness. Their handful of relatives were also not well off to take proper care of these two.

Taking the responsibility of his younger brother, Rohit started to work full time in a dhaba and

managed the household. Rohit was as old as fourteen when his mother died, used to go to

government school but had to drop out after this incident. He sent his younger brother to a

government school and managed his education. To help his brother in finances, Mohit started

working in a mechanic’s shop fixing puncture and stuff at the age of twelve. He was good at

studies but never made any future plans because of his financial condition.

CURRENT SITUATION:- He works in mechanic’s shop and earn a meager amount of 3000

rupees. He manages his school expenditure form the salary he receives as he does not want to

trouble his brother. The poverty in itself is a big struggle and in Mohit’s situation it is even

worse. The sorrow of being orphan, unfortunate to get love and care of parents is the biggest

mental trauma that a child has to deal with everyday. Seeing around other children with their
parents hurts a child to his core. It sometimes leads to depression. The financial crunch that

Mohit faces adds to his daily struggles. Cutting costs on many things which others can easily

afford affects a child’s mental health seriously. Mohit goes to school and immediately after

returning heads to his work giving him no time to enjoy the very essential years of his childhood.

The financial crunch allows for no nutritious food, only the basic food comprising Dal (usually

of one or two type), Rice and Chapati.