'Good morning everyone!

', today I want to talk about an important

topic which is a major threat to children’s rights and that is Child
labour.

Child labour is a crime in which children are forced to work at a very

young age. According to the International Labor Organization(ILO),
children working below the age of 15 are not allowed. Millions of
children around the world are forced to work which robs them of
having a happy childhood, education, and a good future. Child labor
remains to be a serious challenge to the happiness of children.

Child labour is a major problem in many developing countries which

includes India. According to the 2018 report of ILO, about 13 million
children between the age of 5-15 are engaged in child labour in India.

The age at which children should attend school is forced to work at

dangerous construction sites. The majority of these children are of
age 5-15 and they work almost 16 hours per day to help their
families make ends meet. In India, 20-30% of children aged 15 to 17
are involved in doing dangerous jobs which could be selling drugs or
cigarettes on the streets.

One-third of our country is in poverty which is considered to be the

primary reason for child labour. People living in such conditions
don’t have food to eat and that is the reason they make their
children work. These innocent and vulnerable children are then
forced to odd jobs that could range from selling drugs, cigarettes,
and even begging.

The Indian Government had passed a law against child labour in

1993, 2006 and in 2013 forbidding dangerous work that could cause
harm to children under the age of 18.

I wanna conclude this speech by saying that Government and the

citizens play an important role in ending child labour. Laws against
child labour should be tightened, free education and food should be
provided to children. As a citizen, it is important to report child abuse
to the nearest police station. Thank you.