Child Labour

What is Child Labour?
There are many definitions for child labour. The most widely accepted definition is - "Any girl/boy below 18 who does full-time work to sustain self and family (and) or any child who works in an environment that's hazardous to his/her mental, physical, social, educational, moral and emotional development is a Child Labourer." But the simplest definition would be that – "every child out of school is a potential child labourer."
How many child labourers are there in India?
According to the 2001 census, India has 12.6 million children (highest in the world) working in very hazardous occupations. It is an increase of 1.4 million children compared to the 1991 census, which had 11.2 million child laborers. But these are just the official figures. Given the invisibility of so many children who work in the unregulated or informal sectors, a more accepted number figure is 44 million. And if the definition, ‘every child out of school is a potential child labourer,’ is accepted, the number rises to an alarming 80-100 million.
What kind of works do these children do?
Children are employed in almost all sectors and industries that make up 3.1% of the total workforce in India. They work as domestic workers, in factories, agriculture, tobacco industry, rag pickers, shoe industry, leather industry, construction, petty shops and some are even pushed into prostitution.
What are the causes of Child Labour?
Poor economic status, i.e., poverty is believed to be the first and foremost reason for child labour. The second is what could be called as 'Economic shocks' – These are incidents such as illness, accidents, disasters, and cultural and ceremonial customaries that requires a lot of money to cross over or get rid of, which in almost all cases comes through the form of borrowing. The other more common reasons would be Ignorance about the importance of education, Lack of interest in studies, Discrimination of the girl child etc...
Aren't there any legal provisions to curtail this?
Yes there is – "The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (1986) & Juvenile Justice Care and protection Act 2000." There are many other laws that address child labour and their exploitation like, The Factories Act (1948), The Indian Mines Act (1923), The Employment of Children Act (1938), The Plantations Labour Act (1951) and The Beedi and Cigar workers Act (1966). All of these, and other acts, regulate different aspects of child labour such as the minimum age of employment, banning certain industries and processes from the employment of children and setting minimum standards for workplace facilities.

Then why is child labour still so widespread?

There are many reasons why 'Child Labour' is still not curtailed.

• Lack of awareness.
• Non-implementation of existing laws.
• Poverty
• Access to quality education
• Lack of awareness and non-cooperation from the civil society, i.e., we the people...

Surprised?

What should I do to prevent/curtail Child Labour?

There are a lot of ways in which you could contribute to curtail Child Labour. The simplest of them are the following.

• Do not get any of your works or services done by a Child.
  For e.g. - your vehicle being repaired by a child at the mechanic shed, your groceries being delivered by a child, eating at a restaurant where a child is the waiter or cleaner, a child working as a domestic worker for you or for any of your friends/relatives etc...
• When you come across a Child labourer - Call the toll-free "Child Help Line Number-1098" (or) Go file a complaint at the nearest Police Station (or) Complain the incident to the Local Labour Officer.
• Avoid buying clothes, utensils, bags, shoes or any other materials from brands that have used Children as Labourers in any of their manufacturing processes.
• Whenever, wherever and however possible, educate your children, family, friends, peers and others on the issue of Child Labour and the ways to curtail them.

Let’s make a difference together!