World Day against Child Labour - June 12,
2007
Ending
child labour – a rights based approach
Child labour is an issue of
restoring children’s rights. Every
child has the right to grow up in a safe and nurturing environment with
protection and guidance from their family and society. Whether in home,
school, streets or workplace, a child is always a child and deserves a
childhood free form harm and abuse. Yet millions of children are being put
to labour at the cost of their childhood.
According to the
census 2001, there are 12.59 million working children in the age group of
5 - 14 years. Others estimate the figure higher and accurate enumeration
poses a major challenge. Available information reported in the Census
indicates that children under fourteen constitute around 3.6% of the total
labour force in India.
Of these
children nine out of ten work in their own family settings. Nearly 85% are
engaged in traditional agricultural activities, less than 9% work in
manufacturing, services and repairs and while about 0.8% work in
factories.
World
Vision believes that all non school going children are child workers in
one form or the other. Our experience in working with the communities for
over five decades indicates that parents are eager to have their children
to be educated. However, poor
access to schools, and poor infrastructure facilities are other factors
that contribute to child labour.
It is also a fact that many invisible children particularly girls
are involved in domestic labour which is exploitative for which there is
no official data. More
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Stories
Dreaming
again.... Fourteen-year-old Geetha
lived a bookworm’s dream: She spent her whole day around books. But she
did not get to read even one of them.
Towards
enlightened childhood: Eight-year-old Arvind cannot
stop once he gets started about school. He loves being there and enjoys
all that comes with it. |
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Briefing
Papers |
| Educating
Girls - ending child labour
Child labour is a
societal issue that does not lend itself to easy solutions.
According to the Census 2001, poverty has trapped over 12.59
million children in labour in India. Untold numbers of these are girls like Vinita who because of
age-old traditions and discrimination against her gender are doubly
marginalized. In a family
living in a poverty situation, it is easy to decide that the girl will be
the one to drop out of school, help in the kitchen, take care of her
siblings and give up her childhood. Just
like the mother had to. Why
is it that we still have to grapple with basics like protecting our
children, even after 59 years of Independence? More |
| |
At the cost
of childhood - a strategy to end child labour
World Vision is committed to eliminating
child labour in all its forms in the communities where we work. This
document outlines World Vision's principles, approach, and objectives for
the program staff, Community Based Organizations where we work, and the
civil society at large, and in particular its sponsors and donors. More |
| |
Government
bans child working as domestic labour
The Government of India has ordered a ban
on the employment of children under the age of 14 years as domestic
servants or servants in dhabas (roadside eateries), restaurants, hotels,
motels, teashops, resorts, spas or in other recreational centres. More |
