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[In-depth] Child Labour – India’s Hidden Shame

From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic

One of the most unfortunate consequences of the pandemic and its wide range of restrictions has been the higher vulnerability of children to different forms of abuse and deprivation. Moreover, the second wave of COVID-19 has left several children without both or one of their parents. This situation exposed them to hopelessness, financial hardships and increased risk of child labour, exploitation, and trafficking.

Who is a child?

Child and Adolescent Labour (prohibition and regulation) Act 1986 defines the child as a person who has not completed the age of 14 years.

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What is Child Labour?

• Child Labour as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a work that takes away children their childhood, their potential and their dignity which is harmful to their physical as well as mental development.
• ILO also explains child labour in its most extreme forms involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities — often at a very early age.
• But Children or adolescents who involve in works that do not impact their health and personal development or affect their schooling is not child labour. For instance, helping their parents at home, helping family or earning pocket money outside school hours and on holidays. copyright©iasexpress.net

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How children are exploited for Labour in India?

Instead of being in school or at play or other constructive activities, they are put to work on a range of activities that span repetitive low-skill work that doesn’t aid development for future employment opportunities, they are forced to be exposed to conditions devastating to health and safety in the agriculture, industry and service sectors.

The work involves long hours on a bewildering range of tasks such as transferring pollen in cotton plants, picking the crop with their bare hands, indentured on tea or tobacco plantations and brick making factories and construction sites; being sent down dangerous mines for extracting gold and diamonds, or confined to cramped workshops for cutting and polishing gemstones; working at slaughterhouses and tanneries with minimal protection or under life-threatening conditions at fireworks factories.

Children are very commonly employed in the murky underbelly of the fashion industry in yarn and spinning mills, and garment factory sweatshops, put to work from handling silkworms in scalding water to doing painstaking embellishment work. They are on the streets picking rags – carrying an entire recycling industry on their shoulders, or in homes doing domestic work either as employees of others or in the case of girls in their own homes where they are treated as free labour and not considered as deserving of education as their brothers. copyright©iasexpress.net

The worst of all is the human trafficking situations of modern-day slavery that children are thrown into, facing horrific abuse and lifelong trauma as bonded labourers or sold into sexual exploitation . Alongside the physical implications of this work, can we even begin to imagine the mental health consequences for these children and adolescents forced into labour?

What is the statistics of child labour in India?

According to the 2011 census,

• there were more than 10.2 million children in the age group of 5-14 working as child labourers.
• Child labour has increased rapidly in urban areas and declined in rural areas.
• The overall decrease in child labour is only 2.2% per year from 2001-2011.
• India’s biggest child labour employers are – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

What is the nature of child labour in India?

Change in work location: There has been high involvement of children in home-based works and in the informal sector.

Rural-Urban areas:

• In urban areas, a huge number of children are involved in manual domestic work, rag picking, restaurants, motor repair shops, etc.
• Agriculture including cotton growing,
• Matchbox industries,
• Brass, and lock-making factories,
• Embroidery,
• Rag-picking,
• Beedi-rolling, copyright©iasexpress.net
• Carpet-making industry,
• Mining and stone quarrying,
• Brick kilns,
• Tea gardens etc.

Gender specific: The division of labour is gender-specific with girls being engaged in more domestic and home-based work, and boys working as wage labourers.

Bonded Child labour: refers to the employment of a person against a loan, debt or social obligation by the family of the child or family as a whole. Bonded child labourers are mostly found in the agriculture sector or helping their families in brick kilns, and stone quarries. There are around 10 million bonded child labourers in India.

Migrant Children: Children who are migrating to other locations with family are often forced to drop-out schools and unavoidably put to work at work-sites.

What are the causes of Child Labour in India?

Poverty and Indebtedness:

• Poverty is the greatest cause of child labour. For impoverished households, income from a child’s work is generally important for his or her own survival or for that of the household.
• Children are also bonded to labour because of the family indebtedness.
• Rural poverty and urban migration often expose children to being trafficked for work.

Adult unemployment and under-employment : high prevalence of adult unemployment and under-employment often force children to work to support the family. copyright©iasexpress.net

Illiteracy and Ignorance of parents:  Illiteracy of the child’s parents further worsens the crisis. Illiteracy and Lack of awareness of the harmful consequences of child labour make them violate the law and put their children under the risk of inhuman exploitation.

Lack of access to basic and meaningful quality education and skills training:

• The current educational infrastructure is highly unsuitable to children of economically deprived families.
• Furthermore, the deteriorating quality of education has resulted in increasing dropout rates and forced children to engage in work.
• Compulsory education (RTE) does not cover the 15-18 age group (adolescents). However, being illiterate or school dropouts, these children are vulnerable and most exploited for the informal, unskilled and casual workforce.

Demand for child labour :

• Rising demand for child labour particularly in urban areas is an important cause for the prevalence and increase in child labour.
• Children are employed as they are cheap and flexible with respect to the demands of the employer and not aware of their rights.

Cultural factors:

• An expectation that children should contribute to the socio-economic survival of the family and community, as well as the existence of large families,  contribute to the prevalence of child labour.
• Children mostly take up family’s traditional work from an early age. For instance, a Goldsmith’s son takes to gold-smithery, or a carpenter’s child takes up carpentry from an early age. copyright©iasexpress.net

Social factors:  There is a strong correlation between India’s differentiated social structure and child labour. The majority of child labourers in India belong to the so called lower castes (SCs), the tribal and Muslim religious minority.

What are the impacts of child labour?

• Affect childhood: Child labour takes away a child of his/her childhood. It not only denies his/her right to education but also right to leisure.
• Affect adult life: Child labour prevents children from gaining the skills and education they require to have opportunities for decent work when they become an adult.
• Major health and physical risks: as they work long hours and are needed to do tasks for which they are physically and mentally unprepared. Working in hazardous situations adversely impacts a child’s physical and mental health and affects intellectual, emotional and psychological development.
• Poverty: Child labour is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Household poverty makes children enter the labour market to earn money = they miss out on an opportunity to get an education = further continuing household poverty across generations in a vicious cycle.

• Affect country as a whole: Existence of a large number of child labourers has long term effect on the economy and it is a serious obstacle to the socio-economic welfare of the country. copyright©iasexpress.net

What are the International Safeguards against Child Labour?

International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions:

• The two Core Conventions directly related to child labour are that of ILO Convention 138 (Minimum age convention) and 182 (Worst forms of Child Labour Convention).
• India has ratified both the Core Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions.

Declaration of Rights of Child, 1959:

• Universal declaration of human rights 1948 –  mentions (under article 25) that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance.
• The above principles along with other principles of a universal declaration concerning child were incorporated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989

It sets out different rights of children- civil, political, economic, cultural, social and health. Article 32 states that the government should protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or their education.

What are the measures taken by India?

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 

Based on the recommendations of the Gurupadaswammy Committee (1979), the Act was passed in 1986. It has the following objectives:

• to prohibit the engagement of children in some employment.
• and to regulate the conditions of work of children in certain other employment.

Salient features:

• The Act prohibits children from working in any occupation listed in Part A of the Schedule; for example: Catering at railway establishments, construction work on the railway or anywhere near the tracks, plastics factories, automobile garages, etc. copyright©iasexpress.net
• The act also prohibits children from working in places where certain processes are being undertaken, as listed in Part B of the Schedule; for example beedi making, tanning, soap manufacture, brick kilns, and roof tiles units, etc.
• Part III of the act outlines the conditions in which children may work in occupations/processes not listed in the schedule.
• Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of section 3 of the Act is liable for punishment with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 3 months but which may extend to one year or fine.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016

• The Amendment Act completely prohibits the employment of children below 14 years.
• The amendment also prohibits the employment of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes and regulates their working conditions where they are not prohibited.
• The amendment also provides stricter punishment for employers for violation of the Act and making the offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the Act by an employer as cognizable.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017

• The rules provide a broad and specific framework for prevention, prohibition, rescue, and rehabilitation of child and adolescent workers. copyright©iasexpress.net
• It also clarifies on issues related to helping in family and family enterprises and definition of family with respect to the child.
• It states that the child shall not perform any tasks during school hours and between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• It also provides for safeguards of artists which have been permitted to work under the Act, in terms of hours of work and working conditions.
• It states that no child shall be allowed to work for more than 5 times a day, and for not more than 3 hours without rest.

National Policy on Child Labour (1987)

• It contains the action plan for tackling the problem of Child Labour.
• It focuses more on the rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention.
• The policy consists of three main attributes:
• Legal Action plan –Emphasis will be laid on strict and effective enforcement of legal provisions relating to a child under various Labour laws.
• Focusing on general development programmes- Utilisation of various on-going development programmes of other Ministries/Departments for the benefit of Child Labour wherever possible.
• Project-based plan of Action – Launching of projects for the welfare of working child in areas of high concentration of child labour.

National Child Labour Project Scheme copyright©iasexpress.net

• For rehabilitation of child labour, the Government had initiated the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme.
• The NCLP Scheme seeks:
• To eliminate all forms of child labour through identification and withdrawal children from child labour and preparing them for mainstream education along with vocational training
• To contribute to the withdrawal of all adolescent workers from Hazardous Occupations / Processes and their skilling and integration in suitable occupations.
• Creation of a Child Labour Monitoring, Tracking and Reporting System.

Pencil:  The government has launched a dedicated platform viz. pencil.gov.in to ensure effective enforcement of child labour laws and end child labour.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 and Amendment of the Act in 2006

• It includes the working child in the category of children in need of care and protection, without any limitation of age or type of occupation.
• Section 23 (cruelty to Juvenile) and Section 26 (exploitation of juvenile employee) specifically deal with child labour under children in need of care and protection.

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009):  The Act made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children aged six to 14 years are in school and receive free education.

Many NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, ChildFund, CARE India, Talaash Association, Child Rights and You, Global march against child labour, RIDE India, Child line, Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation etc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India. copyright©iasexpress.net

What are the Challenges in reducing child labour in India?

Issues with Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016:

• The list of hazardous industries has been drastically decreased, this may allow the employers in industries like chemical mixing units, cotton farms, battery recycling units, and brick kilns, etc. to employ adolescent labour, which they may even get at a much cheaper price.
• Further, the amendment allows a child to be employed in “family or family enterprises”.This raises a question over a large number of child labour in agrarian rural India where poor families are trapped in intergenerational debt-bondage.

Definitional issue:  One of the biggest challenges in eradicating child labour is the confusion around the definition of a child, in terms of age, in various laws dealing with child labour.

Lack of identification:  Age identification of children is a difficult task in India due to the lack of identification documents. Child labourers often lack school registration certificates and birth certificates, creating an easy loophole in the law to exploit. Most often the children of migrant workers working as labourers and those employed in domestic work go unreported.

Weak enforcement of law and poor governance: Weak enforcement of the law, lack of adequate deterrence and corruption is a major hurdle in eradicating child labour.

What is the way forward?

• Child labour is a vicious circle of poverty, unemployment, underemployment, and low wages. There should be a concerted effort towards social protection programmes and cash transfers to improve the economic situation of families and to reduce the “need” to send children to work.
• There is an urgent need to revamp educational infrastructure- to ensure access to educational institutions, improvement in quality and relevance of education
• There is a need to bring uniformity in existing Indian laws dealing with child labour. The laws must expand the definition of a child by prohibiting the employment of and ensuring free and compulsory education (RTE, Act, 2009) for children below 18 years
• There is a need to launch a national campaign to invoke public interest and large-scale awareness on the exploitation of children and the menace of child labour.
• The government should take adequate measures to raise awareness among families and communities. Parental literacy can play an important role in ensuring the rights of children are upheld.
• Elimination of child labour demands commitment from the society e.g. family, state, civil society and those who employ children in any enterprises.

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Essay on Child Labour for Students in English [500 Words Essay]

December 10, 2020 by Karan

Essay on Child Labour: Illegal exploitation of a child for financial or other gains is known as Child labour. It is a crime to employ children below the age of 14 years. According to UNICEF, 13% of the total workforce in India are children. Child labour is not only illegal but also detrimental & unfortunate for a society.

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Essay on Child Labour 500 Words in English

Below we have provided Child Labour Essay in English, written in easy and simple words for class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 school students.

“Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at stake here. A lot of work still remains, but I will see the end of child labour in my lifetime”. – Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Laureate

Child Labour is defined as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development,” by Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child. It refers to the illegal exploitation of a child for financial or other gains. Data from UNICEF shows that more than 10 million children in India are part of the workforce. This constitutes 13% of the total workforce.

The term is often used by news channels or movies to talk about children who are forced to work from a budding age.  Children from poor families are forced to work and fend for themselves and their families. It is a crime to send or employ children below the age of 14 in any industry or factory. Thus, various restrictions and limitations have been put on children who work. The legally acceptable age for employing children is 15.

Child Labour is not only unfortunate but also detrimental to society. It robs from children, the opportunity to go to school, and getting an education. The right to education is a fundamental right of every child. It also prevents them from growing up in a conducive environment. Further, such children are burdened by responsibilities and hence cannot have a proper childhood. Research has also proven that their physical and mental development is hampered. Though illegal, the menace is far from being eradicated.

Causes of Child Labour

It is important to identify the causes of child labour to be able to deal with it effectively. Some causes are region-specific, while others are universal. Here are a few common causes of child labour:

• Increasing levels of unemployment and poverty, especially in developing countries, are the primary causes of child labour. About 1/4th of the world’s population is currently categorised under the global poverty line. When families do not have enough money to sustain, they force children into work. If adults cannot find work or are sick, the responsibility of earning a livelihood comes down to children.
• Lack of social security pushes people into a cycle of poverty, which inevitably leads to child labour. The increasing rich-poor divide and privatisation of the organisation have led to the concentration of wealth in the hands of few. Small children are in situations where they must work in order to earn two meals a day.
• The lack of awareness about the importance of education and very little accessibility has also played a role in contributing to child labour. Without the opportunity to obtain an education, children are pushed into working. Uneducated parents think of short-term benefits and send their children to work so they can survive in the present.
• Industries are not efficiently regulated. Multiple factories prefer children as labourers because they have to pay lesser to children than to adults for the same work. This decreases labour expenses for those industries. Many factories which possess significant health hazard, like the firecrackers industry also prefer children. Children are also easier to manipulate and influence. Thus, factory owners often take advantage of children’s circumstances for their profit.
• Children are also sent to work for non-monetary payments like rice or wheat. This is due to the vicious nature of hunger. Often, after the death or illness of a parent, the eldest children are forced to take up the burden of the rest of the family. Most of the social welfare schemes in developing and developed countries do not reach the poor due to factors like corruption. Thus, the poor are often left directionless, with child labour being necessary for their survival.
• Another major reason is the lack of effective implementation of child labour related laws. Many industries openly indulge in employing children without fear of law. The police and law enforcement agencies have failed miserably at being able to create fear about the use of children for labour. Even if the state tracks down child labour rackets, it is unable to provide an alternative to child labour for those families. This pushes children back to work.
• Due to the increased demand for child labourers, child trafficking rackets often sell children to people who will extract work from them. Begging is yet another form of child labour that is often forced and ignored.

Measures to Eradicate Child Labour

As a society, it is our collective responsibility to find methods by which we can get closer to eradicating child labour. This requires significant support and effort from the government, law enforcement agencies, NGOs, and the general public. Here are some ideas to think about:

• Creation of communities or unions that are specifically aimed at eradication of child labour can be effective. This can be a citizen initiative supported by the government. These communities’ sole objective will be to identify child labourers and find ways to rehabilitate them. It can also further indulge in involving law enforcement agencies to ensure that the guilty are punished.
• Creating social awareness about the presence and downfalls of child labour is necessary. Once people understand the problems of child labour, they can be instigated to boycott any shop or establishment that hires children. This way, these industries can be discouraged from employing child labourers.
• Education should be a nation’s priority. Economic and military development should not come at the cost of social wellness schemes. The poor should be made aware of the benefits of education, along with ensuring that every village and town has access to free and compulsory education.
• Creation of employment opportunities is also essential to combat child labour. If an adult can earn sufficient income for the family, the need to send the children to work is reduced. This involves, in particular, the creation of unskilled labour. A country must also take measures to reduce the rich-poor divide.
• Population control measures are also necessary in order to ensure that we reduce family sizes. This leads to a family having lesser mouths to feed. NGOs and the government must give family planning attention.
• Effective and strict implementation of laws is necessary to ensure that factory owners do not try to hire child labourers. Measures to combat child trafficking are also significant. The government must focus on the depth and long-term impact of the problem and create practical and enforceable laws.

“When the lives and the rights of children are at stake, there must be no silent witnesses,” said Carol Bellamy. It is true that we cannot estimate the real number of child workers in the country. But it is important that we, as a society, take responsibility to acknowledge, identify, and combat the problem.

10 Lines on Child Labour Essay

• Child labour refers to the exploitation of children by forcing them to work or taking advantage of poor children.
• It interferes with their ability to have a normal happy childhood and can lead to trauma.
• A lot of child labourers are victims of child trafficking and are also exposed to abuse.
• Although child labour is illegal, it still takes place in sectors that are unmonitored or left unregulated.
• A lot of the work that child labourers are forced to do can be dangerous and detrimental to their physical and mental health .
• In such cases, businesses are basically taking advantage of helpless and engaging in immoral acts.
• A lot of these businesses choose child labourers because they either have to pay them very less or sometimes not at all.
• The people put in charge of making sure the children work are often very cruel to them and hand out punishments if they do not work according to their requirements.
• Because it is unmonitored, the children are forced to work for long hours without breaks and are fed very little food.
• Child labour is still a prevalent issue in society today, and that’s why it is important to monitor business practices carefully.

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“Child Labour: Global estimates 2020, trends and the road forward” , a report by ILO and the UNICEF , has stated that progress to end child labour has stalled for the first time in 20 years.

• It is released ahead of World Day Against Child Labour (12th June) in the United Nations International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour ( 2021 ).
• The Report warns that progress is reversing the previous downward trend that saw child labour fall by 94 million between 2000 and 2016.

Findings of the Report

• Child labour: It compromises children’s education, restricting their rights and limiting their future opportunities, and leads to vicious inter-generational cycles of poverty and child labour.
• Global Rise: The latest global estimates indicate that the number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide – an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years. In sub-Saharan Africa, population growth, extreme poverty, and inadequate social protection measures have led to an additional 16.6 million children in child labour over the past four years. 
• Recent Reasons : This rise is due to two years of global lockdowns, school closures, economic disruptions and shrinking national budgets, due to job and income losses etc.
• Sector-wise Data: The agriculture sector accounts for 70 percent of children in child labour (112 million) followed by 20 percent in services (31.4 million) and 10 percent in the industry (16.5 million). The prevalence of child labour in rural areas (14 per cent) is close to three times higher than in urban areas (5 per cent).
• Additional Risks: Globally, nine million additional children are at risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Nearly 28 per cent of children aged 5 to 11 years and 35 per cent of children aged 12 to 14 years in child labour are out of school.
• Decreasing Safety: The number of children aged 5 to 17 years in hazardous work – defined as work that is likely to harm their health, safety or morals – has risen by 6.5 million to 79 million since 2016. 
• More male Child Labour: Child labour is more prevalent among boys than girls at every age. 63 million girls and 97 million boys were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020, accounting for almost 1 in 10 of all children worldwide.

Image Courtesy: UN

• The 2020 ILO-UNICEF global estimates indicate a critical juncture in the worldwide effort against child labour. 
• The recent trends suggest we are falling far behind on the collective commitment to end child labour in all its forms by 2025. 
• The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has clearly heightened the risk of child labour, above all through a sharp rise in poverty that may increase families’ reliance on child labour.
• The school closures are forcing vulnerable families to send their children to work. 
• The governments are grappling with restricted fiscal space due to the COVID-19 crisis. Thus, sound policy choices and resource allocation decisions would be critical. 

Child Labours in India

• Developing countries like India contribute maximum towards child labour. 
• According to the census of 2011 , 259.64 million children belonged to the age group of 5-14 years of which 10.1 million were child labourers . 
• According to UNICEF, it amounts to approximately 13% of our workforce, or in other words, 1 in every 10 workers in India is a child .
• In India, children from unfortunate sections are forced to be involved in manufacturing of firecrackers, bangle making industry, roadside eateries and restaurants, construction sites or even the house help.
• Children in poor and disadvantaged households in India are now at a greater risk of negative coping mechanisms such as dropping out of school and being forced into labour, marriage and even falling victim to trafficking.

Image Courtesy: UNICEF

Child Labour Laws/ Policies in India

• Article 21 A (Right to Education): The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years in such manner as the State, by law, may determine.
• Article 23: Any type of forced labour is prohibited. 
• Article 24: It states that a child under 14 years cannot be employed to perform any hazardous work in any factory or mine.
• Article 39 : It states that “the health and strength of workers, men and women, and the tender age of children are not abused”. 
• Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation) 1986 – It prohibits children under the age of 14 years to be working in hazardous industries and processes.
• A legislative action plan
• Focusing and convergence of general development programmes for benefiting children wherever possible, and
• Project-based action plan of action for launching of projects for the welfare of working children in areas of high concentration of child labour.
• Government had initiated it in 1988 to rehabilitate working children in 12 child labour endemic districts of the country and expanded with time. 
• This is the major Central Sector Scheme for the rehabilitation of child labour.
• Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour (PENCIL) – It is an electronic platform that aims at involving Centre, State, District, Governments, civil society and the general public in achieving the target of child labour free society.

Suggestions

• Social Protection: Extending social protection for children and their families to mitigate the poverty and economic uncertainty that underpin child labour. 
• Good-quality Schooling : Ensuring free and good-quality schooling at least up to the minimum age for entering employment to provide a viable alternative to child labour and afford children a chance at a better future. 
• Promoting Decent Work: It would deliver a fair income for young people (of legal working age) and adults, with a particular emphasis on workers in the informal economy, in order for families to escape poverty-driven child labour. 
• Rural Livelihoods: Promoting adequate rural livelihoods and resilience, including through supporting economic diversification, investing in basic services infrastructure, extending social protection and devising agricultural extension policies for crop diversification. 
• Register Child’s Birth: Guaranteeing that every child’s birth is registered so that children have a legal identity and can enjoy their rights from birth. 
• Laws and Regulations : Ensuring that necessary laws and regulations are in place to protect children, backed by enforcement machinery and c hild protection systems. 
• Eliminate Discrimination: Addressing gender norms and discrimination that increase child labour risks, particularly for girls, related to domestic work and unpaid household chores. 
• Investment in agricultural development, rural public services and infrastructure should also come through.
• To reverse the upward trend in child labour, the ILO and UNICEF are calling for adequate social protection for all , including universal child benefits. 
• They have also called for increased spending on free and good-quality schoolin g and getting all children back into school, including those who dropped out before Covid-19.
• In this United Nations International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour, all stakeholders must act with renewed urgency to put progress back on track. 

Sources : HT+ILO

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Child Labour in India: An In-Depth Analysis of a Persistent Social Issue

Relevant for UPSC Mains GS 2 – Social Justice

Introduction: Child labour is a pressing social issue in India, with millions of children engaged in work that deprives them of their childhood, education, and future prospects. Despite legal frameworks and numerous initiatives to eradicate child labour, the problem persists, with children working in various sectors, often in hazardous conditions. In this comprehensive blog, we will explore the issue of child labour in India, examining its causes, consequences, and potential solutions to this deeply rooted problem.

• Understanding Child Labour in India: Child labour refers to the employment of children below the legal age, in activities that are mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. In India, child labour is widespread across various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and the informal sector. Children often work long hours in hazardous environments, with little or no access to education, healthcare, or basic rights.
• Poverty: Poverty is the primary driving force behind child labour in India. Families living in poverty often rely on the income generated by their children to meet basic needs, forcing children to work instead of attending school.
• Lack of Access to Quality Education: Inadequate access to quality education, particularly in rural areas, leads many children to drop out of school and enter the workforce. Additionally, the lack of infrastructure, resources, and trained teachers in many schools contributes to poor learning outcomes, further discouraging children from continuing their education.
• Social and Cultural Factors: Traditional beliefs, social norms, and cultural practices often perpetuate child labour in India. In some communities, child labour is considered a part of the social fabric, with children expected to contribute to their family’s income or learn a trade from an early age.
• Ineffective Legal Framework and Implementation: Although India has a legal framework in place to combat child labour, implementation and enforcement of these laws are often weak. Corruption, lack of resources, and inadequate monitoring systems contribute to the limited effectiveness of existing laws and policies.
• Impact on Child Development: Child labour has a profound impact on a child’s physical, mental, and emotional development. Long hours of work in hazardous conditions can lead to injuries, chronic health issues, and psychological trauma.
• Loss of Education and Future Opportunities: Children engaged in labour often miss out on education, limiting their future opportunities and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Lack of education also hinders their ability to contribute to the nation’s development in the long run.
• Perpetuation of Poverty and Inequality: Child labour contributes to the perpetuation of poverty and inequality in society, as children who work instead of attending school are more likely to remain trapped in a cycle of poverty throughout their lives.
• The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016: This Act prohibits the employment of children below 14 years of age in all occupations and processes, with certain exceptions for family enterprises and child artists. The Act also regulates the working conditions of adolescent workers (aged 14-18) and prohibits their employment in hazardous occupations and processes.
• The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009: The RTE Act guarantees free and compulsory education for all children aged 6-14 in India, ensuring that every child has access to quality education, which is crucial in preventing child labour.
• National Child Labour Project (NCLP): The NCLP is a government initiative aimed at rehabilitating child labourers through the provision of education, vocational training, and healthcare. The project also raises awareness about child labour and its adverse effects on children, families, and society.
• Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS): The ICPS is a comprehensive scheme aimed at creating a safe and protective environment for children through the establishment of child protection services at national, state, and district levels.
• Poverty Alleviation: Tackling the root cause of child labour – poverty – is essential in the fight against child labour. Implementing policies and programs aimed at poverty alleviation, such as income-generation schemes, skill development initiatives, and social security measures, can help reduce the reliance on child labour for family income.
• Ensuring Access to Quality Education: Improving access to quality education, particularly in rural and marginalized communities, can help prevent child labour. Investments in school infrastructure, teacher training, and the development of contextually relevant curricula can improve learning outcomes and encourage children to stay in school.
• Strengthening Legal Framework and Enforcement: Enhancing the effectiveness of existing laws and policies is critical in the fight against child labour. This can be achieved through better monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, increased resources for inspections and prosecutions, and the establishment of dedicated child labour courts.
• Collaboration between Stakeholders: Combating child labour requires a coordinated effort among various stakeholders, including the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and local communities. Collaborative initiatives, such as public-private partnerships and community-based programs, can help pool resources and expertise to address the issue more effectively.
• Raising Awareness and Advocacy: Raising awareness about the adverse effects of child labour and promoting a change in societal attitudes towards the issue is crucial. Advocacy campaigns, community mobilization efforts, and engagement with the media can help challenge prevailing norms and practices that perpetuate child labour.

Conclusion: Child labour in India is a deeply entrenched social issue, with its roots in poverty, lack of access to quality education, social and cultural factors, and ineffective legal frameworks. Addressing the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, involving various stakeholders and focusing on strategies that tackle the root causes of child labour. With concerted efforts and collaboration, it is possible to eradicate child labour in India, ensuring a brighter future for millions of children who are currently deprived of their basic rights and opportunities.

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Essay on Child Labour for Students and Children

500+ Words Essay on Child Labour

Child labour is a term you might have heard about in news or movies. It refers to a crime where children are forced to work from a very early age. It is like expecting kids to perform responsibilities like working and fending for themselves. There are certain policies which have put restrictions and limitations on children working.

The average age for a child to be appropriate to work is considered fifteen years and more. Children falling below this age limit won’t be allowed to indulge in any type of work forcefully. Why is that so? Because child labour takes away the kids opportunity of having a normal childhood, a proper education , and physical and mental well-being. In some countries, it is illegal but still, it’s a far way from being completely eradicated.

Causes of Child Labour

Child Labour happens due to a number of reasons. While some of the reasons may be common in some countries, there are some reasons which are specific in particular areas and regions. When we look at what is causing child labour, we will be able to fight it better.

Firstly, it happens in countries that have a lot of poverty and unemployment . When the families won’t have enough earning, they put the children of the family to work so they can have enough money to survive. Similarly, if the adults of the family are unemployed, the younger ones have to work in their place.

Moreover, when people do not have access to the education they will ultimately put their children to work. The uneducated only care about a short term result which is why they put children to work so they can survive their present.

Furthermore, the money-saving attitude of various industries is a major cause of child labour. They hire children because they pay them lesser for the same work as an adult. As children work more than adults and also at fewer wages, they prefer children. They can easily influence and manipulate them. They only see their profit and this is why they engage children in factories.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Eradication of Child Labour

If we wish to eradicate child labour, we need to formulate some very effective solutions which will save our children. It will also enhance the future of any country dealing with these social issues . To begin with, one can create a number of unions that solely work to prevent child labour. It should help the children indulging in this work and punishing those who make them do it.

Furthermore, we need to keep the parents in the loop so as to teach them the importance of education. If we make education free and the people aware, we will be able to educate more and more children who won’t have to do child labour. Moreover, making people aware of the harmful consequences of child labour is a must.

In addition, family control measures must also be taken. This will reduce the family’s burden so when you have lesser mouths to feed, the parents will be enough to work for them, instead of the children. In fact, every family must be promised a minimum income by the government to survive.

In short, the government and people must come together. Employment opportunities must be given to people in abundance so they can earn their livelihood instead of putting their kids to work. The children are the future of our country; we cannot expect them to maintain the economic conditions of their families instead of having a normal childhood.

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Child Labour: A Necessary Evil in India - Essay, UPSC MAINS - UPSC Mains Essay Preparation

Child Labour: A Necessary Evil in India

(1) Opening    —    Reference from Manusmriti and Arthasastra.

(2) Body    —    Child Labour is a global problem.

    —    Conditions of working child-ren.

    —    Exploitation of child labour-ers.

    —    Constitutional provisions

    —    Child labour and the diffe-rent five year plans.

(3) Closing    —    Steps to be taken for the gradual elimination of Child Labour.

The problem of child labour is an unfortunate manifestation of economic compulsions as well as socio-cultural perceptions. Child Labour is not a new phenomenon in India. From ancient times, children were required to do some work either at home or in the field along with their parents. However, we find in Manusmriti and Arthasastra that the king made education for every child, boy or girl, compulsory and Kautilya prohibited the trade of children, who were purchased and converted to slaves by some people. The problem of child labour was identified as a major problem in the 19th century when the first factory was started in mid 19th century and legislative measures were first adopted as early as 1881. Since independence there has been several laws and regulations regarding child labour.

Children constitute the most important asset of any nation. Each child is an asset to the society, and the future welfare of society is closely related to the welfare of the child. Children are the future of the nation. They are flowers of our natio-nal garden. It is our duty to protect these flowers of our garden. Child Labour has been defined as any work done by the children in order to economically benefit their family or themselves directly or indriectly, at the cost of their physical, mental or social development. Child is the most lovely creation of nature to nurture in roses but when circum-stances force them to hard labour, so as to earn livelihood from early childhood, disrupting their optimal development – the nation suffers a net loss of his capacity as mature adult.

Child Labour is a global problem. It is more common in under-developed contries. Child labour, by and large, is a problem of poor and destitute families, where either parents canot afford education of their children or have to depend on the earning of their children.

The prevalence of child labour is a blot on the conscience of society. It is a national disgrace that millions of children in this country have to spend a major part of their daily routine in hazardous works while millions of youth and able-bodied men go without employment. The problem of child labour in India may seem to result from traditional attitudes, urbanisation, industriali-sation, migration, lack of schools and so on. However, its causes are extreme poverty and the fact that agriculture is the man occupation of the majority of the opulation. Alfred de Souza and UNICEF have observed that India is said to have the largest number of world’s working children. Over 90% of them live in rural areas. The participation rate in rural urban areas is 6.3% and 2.5% respecively. According to a recent report 17 million children in our country are engaged in earning their livelihood. This constitutes 5% of the total child population of the nation and about 1/3 of the total child labourers of the world.

In India working children are engaged in different organised and unorganised sectors viz-rural and urban. In rural sector children are engaged in fields plantations, dom-estic jobs, forestry, fishing and cottage industry. In urban sector they are employed at houses, shops, restaurants, small and large indust-ries, transport, communication, gar-rages etc. In India working children are also self employed as news-paper boys, milk boys, shoeshine boys, ragpickers, rickshaw-pullers, etc. 78.71% of child workers are enga-ged in cultivation and agriculture, 6.3% are employed in fishing, hunting and plantation, 8.63% in manufacturing, processing, repairs, house industry, etc. 3.21% in construction, transport, storage, communication and trade and 3.15% in other services.

Child Labour is exploited in several ways. Preference of child labour by many employers is mainly due to the fact that it is cheap, safe and without any liability. Many children take up the job just because of the non-availability of schools in their areas and thus rather than sitting idle, they prefer to go to work. Illiteracy and ignorance of parents is also an important factor. These parents do not consider child labour as evil. The child workers have to work for much more time than adult workers whether in the agricultural or non-agricultural sectors. All the reports on Child Labour also indicate that the wages paid to the children are exploitatively low. Poor educational status amongst the working children is due to poor socio-economic conditions, poor educational background of their parents, over-work, exhaustion, lack of physical and mental fitness due to chronic illness and malnutrition and sheer encouragement to take up jobs instead of going to school. Lastly, ineffective laws also contribute to the problem of child labour.

Our Constitution specially protects working children. Article 24 clearly states that no child shall be employed in any factory or mine, or engaged in any other hazardous employment. Article 39(e) of the Directive Principles of State Policy states that the tender age of children should not be abused and citizens should not be forced by economic necessity to enter vocations unsuited to their age and strength. Article 39(f) states that children should be given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity. Article 45 also states that the States shall endeavour to provide, within a period of 10 years from the commen-cement of this constitution, free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years. The main instrument relating to the exploitation of child labour is the factories Act of 1948 which extends for the whole of India and applies to estab-lishments employing 10 or more workers working with the aid of power or 20 or more working without the aid of power. At present there are 14 major legislative enactment to provide legal protection to the children in various occupa-tions. Inspite of these sets the evil of 

child labour is flourishing because of the non-conformity and various loopholes in these laws.

In April 1974, India adopted a resolution on National Policy for Children. On 2nd October, 1975, the Government of India introduced the Integrated Child Development Services. The Draft Five Year Plan 1978-83 prepared by the Planning Commission stated that “Special attention would be devoted to the problem of children, including prevention of the exploitation of the child labour. Economic backwardness necessitating recourse to child labour to supplement the family income and lack of educational facilities are primarily responsible for employment of children. Greater emphasis in the plan on universal primary education and increasing employment opportunities for the adults would enable parents to allow the children to devote more time to school”. The National Committee on child labour in 1979 had even recommended more and more surveys to be carried out on child labour to help under-stand the problem and suggest remedial measures. The Draft Sixth Five Year Plan had held the view that total abolition of child labour with all its socio-economic remifications does not seem to be a feasible proposition in the immediate future. It felt that child labour has to be seen distinctly in the categories of wage earning employment, paid family workers and apprentices in traditional crafts. The Seventh Five Year Plan also observed that since it is not feasible to eradicate the problem of child labour at the present stage of economic development, attention has to be focussed on making the working conditions of child labour better and more acceptable socially. Improve legislation coupled with better enforcement machinery are called for. The ultimate goal of abolition of child labour can only be achieved when there is sufficient improvement in the conditions of the families whose children are compelled to work. During the the focus was on compulsory schooling and strong regulatory and administrative measures to prevent exploitation of child labour.

In recent years administration acts swiftly and punish the law breakers. Compulsory education and mid-day meal in the schools through out the country substantially reduces the numbers.

The problem of child labour in India is on the increase inspite of the legal enactments. The most important cause for it is poverty. Recognising the vast magnitude of prevalence of child labour in every sphere of the society and considering the economic cons-traints and social exploitation which lead to continuation of child labour in the society, child labour seems an indispensible social evil. Child labour cannot be totally eradicated at present by legislation alone unless supplemented by comprehensive socio-economic programmes and educational uplift of the under privileged sections of the society and by a total change in the attitude of the society toards child labour. Acknowledging the spectrum of laws, the legislations related to child labour and the rights of the child should receive wider coverage by the mass media to increase public awareness and the legislation regarding child labour should be implemented in the spirit of the law in every sphere of child labour. It also needs closer co-ordination between the departments and agencies implementing the laws. It is essential to frame norms for working environment of child labour and extension of compulsory basic and need-oriented education to all working children. The general improvement in socio-economic conditions of people will result in gradual elimination of child labour.

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• Child Labour Prohibition Act

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act - Facts for UPSC

According to the International Labour Organisation, founded in 1919, there are more than 152 million children working in the world as child labourers. Out of this, around 10 million child workers are found in India. Despite strict legislative rules and efforts, the engagement of children in various occupations hasn’t stopped.

This topic is therefore important for students preparing for the IAS Exam and other Government Exams. Child labour and the government’s efforts to stop the atrocities can be linked to UPSC Social Issues and Indian Polity of the UPSC Syllabus .

Table of Contents:

What is Child Labour?

Child labour can be defined or explained as a practice where children are forced to engage or employed in any sort of economically beneficial activity on a part-time or a full-time basis. Children engaged in this are generally deprived of basic childhood experiences such as schooling and are physically and mentally scarred. 

The primary reasons leading to Child Labour can be traced to poverty, lack of decent schooling and education and growth of the informal economy.

Child labour results in the victimised child being deprived of a healthy and nurturing environment in which to grow. He/she also generally suffer physical and mental trauma which can be scarring for life. Apart from not getting an education, the child is also subjected to various kinds of abuse and this prevents him/her from blossoming into a happy and healthy adult.

Child Labour and India

Child labour practice is a hindrance to the mental as well as physical development of children as it deprives them of the most important phase of their life – their childhood.  Children of or below the age of 14 years are strictly prohibited from being employed in hazardous occupations, as per the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 . The list of hazardous occupations is curated under the act itself. 

Government initiatives include:

There are several operations that happen in India like Operation Smile, Operation Muskaan wherein there are a lot of raids that happen in the unorganised sector, manufacturing units and other factories.

India has a very strong system of dealing with rescued children in terms of rehabilitating and repatriating them with the family with certain support to the family as well, to come out of the poverty trap.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

• The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 designates a child as a person who has not completed their 14th year of age. It aims to regulate the hours and the working conditions of child workers and to prohibit child workers from being employed in hazardous industries.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016

• “ An Act to prohibit the engagement of children in all occupations and to prohibit the engagement of adolescents in hazardous occupations and processes and the matters connected therewith or incidental thereto .”
• According to this amendment in the Act, the Government of India will provide stricter punishments for employers who violate the Act.
• It will also make the employer employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the Act cognizable .
• The Act also allows the government to bar the employment of adolescents that are working in any hazardous conditions.

To know what other laws come under the Indian Penal Code , visit the linked article

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules,2017

The Government of India decided to make further amendments in the Act after extensive consultation with the stakeholders. Provisions under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules are as follows:

• A broad and specific framework for prevention, prohibition, rescue and rehabilitation of children and as well as adolescent workers.
• Clarity on issues related to family enterprises.
• Safeguards for creative workers or artists that have been permitted to work under the Act, with respect to working hours and working conditions.
• Set of specific duties and responsibilities for law enforcement agencies to ensure effective implementation and compliance of the Act. 

Click the link to read about  the  National Child Labour Project Scheme .

Also, read about the  National Skills Qualifications Framework (NSQF)

Aspirants can refer to the linked articles mentioned below which are similar to a topic, ‘child labour protection act:’

Child Labour constitutes the following

• All forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery including but not limited to the sale or trafficking of children, debt bondage, and forced or compulsory labor.
• It also means the forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflict.
• The use of a child for prostitution, for the production of pornography, or for pornographic performances.
• The use of a child for illicit activities in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs as defined in the relevant international treaties.
• It also includes work, by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, that is likely to harm the health, safety, and morals of children.

Child Labour does not include the following work

• It is also important to know that not all work done by children should be classified as child labor targeted for elimination. In fact, children’s or adolescents’ participation in work that does not affect their health and personal development or interfere with their schooling, is generally regarded as being something positive.
• This includes activities such as helping their parents around the home, assisting in a family business, or earning pocket money outside school hours and during school holidays. These activities are in fact believed to contribute to children’s development.

International Laws on Child Labour

• The Convention considers that childhood is separate from adulthood, and lasts until 18; it is a special, protected time, in which children must be allowed to grow, learn, play, develop and flourish with dignity.
• The Convention became the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history and has helped transform children’s lives.
• International Labour Organizations Conventions on the minimum age for admission to the employment of the year 1973 (ILO convention 138) and on the worst forms of child labour of the year 1999 (ILO convention 182).

UNICEF’s work against Child Labour in India

• UNICEF has also been working for a long against child labour in India.
• Most of its programs in India focus on children in specific types of work, for example, cotton production in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, metalwork and carpets in Uttar Pradesh and tea gardens in Assam.
• These programs reach tens of thousands of children and their families in areas with high levels of child labour.

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act:- Download PDF Here

UPSC Questions related to Child Labour

Q 1. what is an act to protect children from sexual offenses, q 2. what is the main objective of the child labour act, q 3. when was the child labour prevention act amended.

Ans. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,1986 was amended in the year 2016 and enacted as the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act.

There are more articles and UPSC-related preparation materials to choose from with the links given in the table below:

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All About Child Labour: An Indian Perspective

Updated on 14 November, 2019

Target 2020 GS1 Social issues & Justice

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A new report by UN indicates that a significant share of child labour and human trafficking in global supply chains occurs at their lower tiers, in activities such as raw material extraction and agriculture, making due diligence, visibility and traceability challenges. Key-Findings: Amongst those in child labour, the percentage in global supply chains varies across regions: 26 per cent in Eastern and South-Eastern Asia. 22 per cent in Latin America and the Caribbean. 12 per cent in Central and Southern Asia. 12 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa. 9 per cent in northern Africa and Western Asia. Child labour was more pronounced in domestic production processes than global supply chains , the study suggested. Most of the child labour in supply chains is deployed in countries of origin, known as the ‘upstream reaches’ of a chain . This part accounted for 28-43 per cent of the total child labour engaged by the sector. According to the report, 97 per cent of the estimated child labour contributing to the export of agricultural goods comes from children working in the agricultural sector itself The report also outlines a broader preventive approach focused on root causes, including child and family deprivation, particularly in the upstream and outsourced segments of global supply chains. It considers not only the risk factors and policy interventions related to addressing the vulnerability of people but also the unique complexity of global supply chains. Definition of Child: The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 defines a child as a person who has not completed fourteen years of age. The Factories Act, 1948 and Plantation Labour Act 1951 states that a child is one that has not completed fifteen years of age. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 has changed the definition of child to any person who has not completed 18 years of age. POCSO Act 2012 defines a child as any person below eighteen years of age.  Child Labour:  UNICEF has categorized child work into three categories: Within the family: Children are engaged in domestic household tasks without pay. Within the family but outside the home: Example- agricultural laborers, domestic maids, migrant laborers etc. Outside the family: Example- commercial shops in restaurants and jobs, prostitution etc Cases of Child Labour: Global Scenario: Worldwide 218 million children between 5 and 17 years are in employment. Among them, 152 million are victims of child labour; almost half of them, 73 million, work in hazardous child labour. Almost half of child labour (72.1 million) is to be found in Africa; 62.1 million in the Asia and the Pacific; 10.7 million in the Americas; 1.2 million in the Arab states and 5.5 million in Europe and Central Asia. Almost half of all 152 million children victims of child labour are aged 5-11 years. 42 million (28%) are 12-14 years old; and 37 million (24%) are 15-17 years old. Among 152 million children in child labour, 88 million are boys and 64 million are girls. Child labour is concentrated primarily in agriculture (71%); 17% in services; and 12% in the industrial sector, including mining. Data for India: Between 2015 and 2018, authorities were able to attain conviction in only 25 per cent of the cases where a violation of the Child Labour Act was recorded. In February 2019, a study revealed that 10,826 cases of violation of the Child Labour Act were reported across the country in the past four years. Of these, only 56 per cent cases (6,032) went to the stage of prosecution. Among states, Odisha had the most number of violations (4,517) - nearly 42 per cent of the national figure. This was followed by Uttar Pradesh (1,416), Telangana (747), Punjab (898) and Gujarat (422) The census for 2011 entails that over 80 per cent of children below 14 years of age engaged in child labour are based in rural areas.  The Census 2011 data revealed that 53.69 lakh children aged 5-14 years were working as agricultural labourers and cultivators in India. The overall number of child labourers (marginal and main workers put together) was estimated to be around 1.3 crore. International Labour Organisation (ILO) in a report on child labour in India said while the nearly 4 per cent of India's child population (5-14 years) is working as child labour (either main worker or marginal worker) Causes of Child Labour: Poverty: Due to poverty, parents cannot afford the studies of their children and make them earn their wages from a tender age. They are made to work to increase the income of their poor families at the earliest.  Lack of educational resources: There are thousands of villages in our country where there are no proper facilities for education. And if there is any, it is miles away.  Administrative Laxity: Administrative laxity is also responsible for child labor. The worst sufferers are the poor families for whom getting their children educated is a dream. Addiction, disease or disability: In many families, due to addiction, disease or disability, there is no earning, and the child’s wages are the sole means of family’s sustenance.  Rising Population Growth: Population growth is also increasing unemployment, which has an adverse impact on child labor prevention. Sexual Exploitation: In 2005, a study was conducted by the National Human Rights Commission of India (NHRC) found that India was fast becoming a source, transit point and destination for traffickers of women and children for sexual and non-sexual purposes.  Illegal Activities: Children, over adults are often chosen to be trafficked for illegal activities such as begging and organ trade, as they are seen as more vulnerable.  The lure of cheap labor: In the greed of cheap labor, some shopkeepers, companies and factory owners employ children so that they have to pay less to them and it amounts to employing cheap labor.  Consequences / Effects: Loss of Quality childhood:  Child labour leads to loss of quality childhood as children will be deprived of the opportunity to enjoy the amazing experiences that come with being young.  Health Complications: Due to poor working conditions and undernourishment, child labour leads to health complications. Working in places such as mines and badly conditioned factories may result in lifetime health issues for children employed to work in these places.  Mental trauma:   Issues such as bullying, sexual exploitation, and unfavorable working hours may result in mental trauma in these children.  Illiteracy:  Children that are employed do not have the time to go to school. The lack of education and illiteracy makes them individuals with limited opportunities as far as employment is concerned.  Indulgence into Crime Field: Uneducated/ Unguided children who work in society sometimes get influenced by criminal activities and commit crimes at a low age. Measures taken so far: Constitutional provisions: Through various articles enshrined in the Fundamental Rights and the Directive Principles of State Policy , lays down that: No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment (Article 24); The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age six to 14 years. (Article 21 (A)) The State shall direct its policy towards securing that the health and strength of workers, men and women and the tender age of children are not abused and that they are not forced by economic necessity to enter vocations unsuited to their age and strength (Article 39-e) Children shall be given opportunities and facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of freedom and dignity and that childhood and youth shall be protected against moral and material abandonment (Article 39-f); The State shall endeavor to provide within a period of 10 years from the commencement of the Constitution for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years (Article 45). National Legislations: National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR): It was established by an Act of Parliament, thus is a statutory body. The commission works under the aegis of Ministry of Women and Child development, GoI.  The commission established with an objective to ensure that all Laws, Policies, Programmes, and Administrative Mechanisms are in consonance with the Child Rights perspective as enshrined in the Constitution of India and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. PENCIL for Child Labour: It is an online portal has launched for the better monitoring & reporting system to ensure effective implementation of the provisions of the amended Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986 and National Child Labour Project scheme. National Child Labour Project: NCLPS is a central sector scheme where 100% of the funding is provided by the Government of India through the Ministry of Labour and Employment. The NCLP Scheme seeks: To eliminate all forms of child labour through Identification and withdrawal of all children in the Project Area from child labour, Preparing children withdrawn from work for mainstream education along with vocational training; Ensuring convergence of services provided by different government departments/agencies for the benefit of child and their family; The scheme focuses on: All child workers below the age of 14 years in the identified target area. Adolescent workers below the age of 18 years in the target area engaged in hazardous occupations / processes. Families of Child workers in the identified target area POCSO Act:  The POCSO Act is a gender-neutral Act which has been enacted to strengthen the legal provisions for the protection of children from sexual abuse and exploitation. The act also prohibits child sex labor. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (1986), “ to prohibit the engagement of children in certain employments and to regulate the conditions of work of children in certain other employment” (preamble of the CLPR Act).  National Policy on Child Labour (1987), with a focus more on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention. Amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act of 2000: Amendment to the Juvenile Justice Act of 2000 was amended in 2015 with a provision allowing for Children in Conflict with Law (CCL) to be tried as adults under certain circumstances. It defines a child as someone who is under age 18. For a CCL, age on the date of the offence is the basis for determining whether he or she was a child or an adult. The J S Verma Committee stated that it was not inclined to reduce the age of a juvenile from 18 to 16. The amendment was made in 2015. The Right to Education Act of 2009 has made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children aged six to 14 years are in school and receive free education.  Along with Article 21A of the Constitution of India recognizing education as a fundamental right, this constitutes a timely opportunity to use education to combat child labor in India.  Draft National Child Protection Policy: The Child Protection Policy aims to protect the children in the country from violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. The draft policy has been placed by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) on its website to invite comments from stakeholders until January 4. It is the first policy dedicated to the protection of children, an area that until now was only a part of the broader National Child Policy, 2013. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the Central Bureau of Investigation(CBI) to investigate allegations involving 17 shelter homes for children, destitute women, beggars and senior citizens in Bihar following the case of sexual abuse of more than 30 girls in a shelter home in Muzaffarpur in the State. The apex court had also asked the Centre to consider framing a national policy on the protection of children. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016: The central legislature of India had promulgated a legislation Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 (" CL Act ") to regulate the child labor practices in India.  The central legislature has made substantial changes in the provisions of the CL Act in the year 2016 and the said amendments have been made effective from July 30, 2016.  A complete prohibition has been imposed on employment of child labor (i.e. a person below the age of 14 years) in any establishment whether hazardous or not.  A child is permitted to work only to help the family , in a family enterprise or as child artist after school hours or during vacations.  The amendment has introduced the concept of adolescent labor for the first time.  The number of hazardous occupations and processes has been reduced from 83 to only 3.  The offenses under the Act have now been made compoundable and cognizable notwithstanding the provisions of the Criminal Procedure Code.  The CL Act provides for rehabilitation of children and adolescent who have been victims under the provisions of the CL Act.  It provides for setting up of the Child and Adolescent Labour Rehabilitation Fund in which all the amounts of penalty have to be realized.  Liability has been affixed to the parents and guardian of the affected child/children separately from the employers.  The Act provides for increased penalty and imprisonment which shall not be less than 6 months and may extend up to 2 years and fine which may vary between Rs.20, 000 to Rs. 50,000.  The following offences/behaviours are punishable by law and it is the duty of every adult citizen to abide by these laws: Offences/Behaviours Laws Sexual assault, sexual harassment, use of a child for the pornographic purpose Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012 Production, dissemination and use of child sexual abuse materials  The Information Technology Act, 2000 Disclosing the identity of the child victim to anyone other than the appropriate authority  Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act 2012, JJ Act 2015 Sale and procurement of children for any purpose including illegal adoption, trafficking of children for sexual exploitation, use of children by militant groups, giving children intoxicating liquor, narcotic drug or tobacco products or psychotropic substances, offences against disabled children, trafficking of children for sexual exploitation/exploitative labour/other reasons and, kidnapping  JJ Act 2015; Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act 1956; Human trafficking (section 370 & 370A IPC), after the creation of specific section in IPC by the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013 Corporal punishment in child care institutions  JJ Act, 2015 Corporal Punishment in schools Adopting a child without due procedure through CARINGS and child welfare committees/ promoting or facilitating such illegal adoption  Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 Employment of children below 14 years in any occupation or industry  JJ Act, 2015 Employment of children 15-18 years in hazardous occupation or industries  Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 International Law: The concept of equality of all human beings, as embodied in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of I948. The above principle along with other principles of the Universal Declaration concerning child was incorporated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child of 1959. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights under Articles 23 and 24 and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights under Article 10 made provisions for the care of the child.  The International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) is a global program launched by the International Labour Organization in December 1991.  India was the first country to join it in 1992 when it signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ILO.  The long-term objective of IPEC is to contribute to the effective abolition of child labor. IPEC-India has, during the period 1992-2002, supported over 165 Action Programs. Way Ahead: Free education:  Free education holds the key to eliminating child labor. It has already proved to be a success in many places around the globe and with more effort, the cases of child labor will greatly reduce.  Mid-day meals schemes : Mid-day meals schemes can also be used as a motivating factor for children whose parents can barely afford a meal to learn.  Moral Polishing:  Child labor should not be entertained at all. It is legally and morally wrong. Children should not be allowed to provide labor at the expense of getting an education and enjoying their childhood.  Create demand for skilled and trained workers:  By creating the demand for skilled and trained workers, child labor cases will reduce since almost all child laborers fall under the unskilled worker category. Awareness:  Creating awareness about the illegality of child labor can also help in stemming from the practice.  Empowerment of poor people:   The poor living standards and financial constraints sometimes make them unwilling participants in this vice. Empowering poor people through knowledge and income-generating projects would go a long way in reducing cases of child labor.  Apart from this, the following could be the best solution to prevent the lacunae of child Labour- To prevent child labor, the incidence of poverty needs to be reduced first , so that poor people do not have to send their children to earn their bread and butter. To prevent child labor, we need proper implementation of laws that prescribe strict punishment to vendors, shopkeepers, and mill owners in case they engage children on cheap wages. Parents should not make any difference between boys and girls . By this practice, the number of girl child labor can be reduced to a great extent. Spreading literacy and education is a potent weapon against the practice of child labor because illiterate persons do not understand the implications of child labor. Identifying the root causes which force families and communities to allow children to be engaged in labor. Addressing these underlying issues by interacting with parents, community leaders. Now, it is important for, as a society, to support the child, to facilitate access to a range of services including medical, legal, psychological and counselling support. Elimination of Child Labour is a responsibility of the whole society. Other stakeholders such as District Administrations, local communities, civil society groups, NGO‟s, academicians and enforcement agencies have an important role to play.  

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• Education /

Essay on Child Labour

• Updated on  
• Dec 21, 2021

Essay writing is an integral part of various scholastic and competitive exams like SAT , UPSC , etc. Generally, the essay topics in such exams are extempore as they aim to test the student’s writing proficiency as well as analytical and problem-solving skills. For essay writing, topics can range from social issues to current affairs or contemporary problems on a global level. Amongst the different essay topics on social issues and awareness, an essay on Child Labour is a common question you might get in your exam like causes of child labour. This blog brings you a detailed guide on how to write an essay on Child Labour, key tips and tricks along with useful essay samples and article on child labour.

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This Blog Includes:

What is child labour, child labour in india, what to include in an essay on child labour, essay writing tips, essay on child labour in 100- 150 words, essay on child labour in 200- 250 words, essay on child labour in 1000 words, article on child labour.

Before actually dwelling on the essay on child labour, let us first explore and understand what does this term means. The term “child labour” is typically described by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as work that:

• deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and is destructive to their physical and mental development. It refers to employment that is risky and damaging to children on a mental, physical, social, or moral level; and/or
• interferes with their education by denying them the opportunity to attend school; forcing them to leave school early, or causing them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

As per the International Labour Organisation, Child Labour is defined as:

“Work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.”

Referred to as a social evil, child labour in India is an imperative issue that the country has been tackling for years. While writing an essay on child labour, it is important to familiarize yourself with the topic and its related aspects so that you will be able to formulate it in a better way. Toiling in mines, factories or doing petty jobs to earn some pennies, you might have come across many children left out in the world in harsh situations just to get some money and feed their families. What are the causes of child labour? Does this peril arise from the need to earn the bread for one’s family or is it beyond just this factor? Let’s first explore the key causes of Child Labour:

• High unemployment and poverty levels which lead to poor families sending children to work
• Inadequate laws and rules and regulations against child labour
• Violation of the existing labour laws on child labour
• Access to compulsory education is still limited in rural areas
• Increasing numbers of dropouts of school students from poor communities and areas

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Now that you have an overview of why child labour is prevalent in a developing country like India, the next step is to note down the key pointers you must explore in your essay and article on child labour. Below we have enlisted the major factors you must include in your essay on Child Labour:

• Give an overview of what child labour is [add the definitions provided by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) or UNICEF] and mention the prominent countries it is prevalent in, etc.
• Include the key causes of child labour as well as its harmful impact on a child’s development as it deprives children of their basic fundamental right to education as well as tampers with their holistic development, a balanced childhood and impacts them physically and mentally. 
• Elaborate upon the child labour law statistics and laws in India and on a global level as well as provide suitable examples of social workers and organisations working against child labour like Kailash Satyarthi in your article on child labour.
• Before concluding your essay on child labour, suggest steps and policies that can be carried out against eliminating this social peril.

Must Read: Labour Law Courses

Apart from the pointers mentioned above, here are some useful tips to help you craft an analytical and insightful essay on child labour and article on child labour:

• Before starting your essay, bifurcate the maximum time you are given into outlining, writing and revising your essay and article on child labour as well.
• Highlight/underline key pointers throughout the essay
• Mention authentic and factual data from verified sites
• Analyse the laws or measures taken by the government for the eradication of child labour. 
• After completing your essay, proofread it thoroughly to minimise the scope of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

Now that we have familiarized with the key points and factors to include in your essay on Child Labour, take a look at the following sample to understand the format of the essay:

Childhood is truly the greatest and happiest phase of everyone’s life, during which one learns about the basic strategy of life from parents, loved ones, and nature, as it has always been repeated in bedtime stories, ads, and by our adults. Childhood is the most memorable stage of life, and everyone has the right to experience it from the moment they are born. Children have the right to play with their friends, go to school, feel their parents’ love and care, and experience nature’s beauty.

Children are regarded as the most valuable asset of their country, yet their parents’ lack of understanding and poverty makes them the country’s weakness rather than its strength. Even after the government’s awareness initiatives and the future welfare of the society for the child’s well being, the majority of children living in poverty are forced to do daily child labour. Children are a nation’s power, but certain people are continuing to try to damage it and the country’s future in order to make a quick buck by illegally involving growing children. They’re tampering with the morals of youngsters and innocent people.

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It is not inaccurate to assert that child labour is a human rights violation that has turned into a scourge to society, with substantial concerns impeding the country’s growth and development. Child labour refers to youngsters aged five to fourteen who work on a regular basis. Many children in underdeveloped nations are compelled to work long hours for very little compensation in order to survive.

Poverty, parents, society, low salaries, unemployment, poor living conditions and understanding, social injustice, lack of schooling, backwardness, and inadequate regulations are the main reasons for child labour around the world. Having said that, child labour is prevalent in developing nations due to poverty, a lack of educational awareness, and limited educational options.

To sum up this essay on child labour, this awful and cruel practice is ruining the lives of many innocent youngsters every day. It is a high level of criminal activity that should be penalised, yet it is occurring concurrently owing to insufficient rules and laws, and it has become one of India’s most pressing social issues that must be addressed on a regular basis. It is critical to recognise that healthy children represent a country’s bright future and power, and that child labour harms degrades and ruins children’s futures, as well as the country’s.

Imagine the plant you water every day, it has a springing bud that will become a beautiful flower filling your balcony with a mesmerising fragrance. Suppose that you wake up the next morning and the springing flower bud has been completely destroyed and throttled. The amazing possibility of the bud sprouting into a flower is gone. Similarly, when the children in our society are bound to work at an early age snatching away the basic essence of their childhood, their future gets trampled in the same way as the flower bud. 

In simple words, Child Labour mainly refers to the inhuman practice of forcing young children to do menial labour thus depriving them of their basic rights to education as well as holistic physical as well as mental growth. They are bereaved of educational opportunities and forced to become the breadwinners of the family. Hence, children are refrained from gaining the required skills and academic opportunities to grow as matured and learned individuals.

Considered as the little gifts of God, children stuck in the vicious circle of child labour can be seen working at restaurants, households, factories, constructions, etc. In India, you might have come across small children selling pens, candies, flowers and other things on the streets and traffic lights as well. Due to financial issues in their families, they are forced to pursue menial jobs and step into the harsh realities of the world at an early age.

Lack of educational opportunities, inequality, traditional and cultural expectations and stagnant demographic transitions majorly foster child labour in India. As per the 2011 Census, there are 10.1 million working children between the age of 5-14. With more and more children being pushed to work every now and then, child labour has been a constant stigma to tackle. Several interlinked factors contribute to the persistence of this social evil in the country. Skyrocketing prices of the basic utilities and high unemployment and poverty levels are the basic reasons why children are forced to earn for their families.

It’s also critical to comprehend and learn how to distinguish between child labour and non-child work. Having said that, it is important to recognise that not all employment done by children is considered child labour and should be targeted for removal. Participation in work by children or adolescents that does not harm their health or development or interfere with their education is typically considered a positive thing. Helping their parents around the house, assisting in a family company, or earning pocket money outside of school hours and during school holidays are examples of such activities. These types of activities aid in the development of children and the well-being of their families by providing them with skills and experience, as well as preparing them to be useful members of society as adults.

Based on Census 2011, the total child population in India in the age group (5-14) years is 259.6 million, out of which they are either working as a ‘main worker’ or as a ‘marginal worker’. To extract the children out of these harsh situations, the Indian Government has laid down various laws including the restriction of employment of children below the age of 14 in any of the factories or mines.

Despite many government departments and commissions working on the eradication of this practice, it is still prevailing in urban and rural areas. Thus, in order to fight this social evil, we must ensure that children are provided with their basic right to education for free and awareness about the perils of child labour should be spread in rural and urban areas to exterminate it at its roots.

Child Labour is one of the dark social issues that are prevalent in our society. At a tender age when one is supposed to expand their learning horizons, the burden of labour clouds the aspirations of some children. One of the major causes of child labour is poverty, lack of employment opportunities and poor job diversity. Here is an article on child labour:

Child labour is one of the social issues in India. Child Labour is often described as work that deprives children of their childhood, dignity and potential. It refers to labour that is harmful to the physical and mental development of children. One of the major causes of child labour, despite economic growth in India, is the nation faces a poverty problem. More than a third of the country’s population is below the poverty line. Due to poor living standards, low levels of income, and a lack of employment opportunities and poor job diversity, impoverished families send their children to work instead of educating them to contribute to the family’s additional income required to sustain. Children worldwide are routinely engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work that are not harmful to them. More than one out of four children (ages 5 to 17) are involved in labour considered dangerous to them in the least developed countries. The leading cause of child Labour in India is the high poverty rate, where children work to earn bread for a day. As per UNICEF’s report, children from the impoverished and rural parts of the world have no available alternatives such as teachers and schools. Children stuck in the vicious circle of child labour can be seen working at restaurants, households, factories, constructions, etc. In India, you might have come across small children selling pens, candies, flowers and other things on the streets and traffic lights as well. Due to financial issues in their families, they are forced to pursue menial jobs and step into the harsh realities of the world at an early age.

While writing an essay on child labour or an article on child labour, it is essential to highlight its prevalence in a developing country like India and how it can be eliminated to ensure a brighter future for our younger generation. Gearing for a competitive exam like IELTS , TOEFL or SAT ? Reach out to our Leverage Edu experts and we will assist you in crafting the best preparation strategy along with providing you with quality study material and guides to ace your exam with flying colours.

Sonal is a creative, enthusiastic writer and editor who has worked extensively for the Study Abroad domain. She splits her time between shooting fun insta reels and learning new tools for content marketing. If she is missing from her desk, you can find her with a group of people cracking silly jokes or petting neighbourhood dogs.

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Child Rights – POSCO, Child Labour Laws, NAPC, etc.

Child labour in india.

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level : National Child Labour Project (NCLP)

Mains level : Persistence of child labour in India

The Centre does not have any data on child labour in the country and a reason for this is the drying up of budgetary provisions meant for the National Child Labour Project (NCLP).

What is Child Labour?

• The term “child labour” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.
• It refers to work that:
• is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; and/or
• interferes with their schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.

National Child Labour Project (NCLP)

• The NCLP Scheme is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Labour.
• Under this Scheme the District Project Societies (DPS) are set up at the district level under the Chairmanship of the Collector/District Magistrate to oversee the implementation of the project.
• Under this Scheme, the children in the age group of 9-14 years are withdrawn from work and put into NCLP Special Training Centres .
• They are provided with bridge education, vocational training, mid-day meal, stipend, health care etc. before being mainstreamed into formal education system.
• The children in the age group of 5-8 years are directly linked to the formal education system through a close coordination with the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan.
• A dedicated online portal named PENCiL (Platform for Effective Enforcement for No Child Labour) is developed for better monitoring and implementation.

Why in news now?

• No ministry had any data regarding the status of child labour in our country.
• The NCLP’s schools for child labourers work for three to four years and they have also more or less stopped functioning due to scarcity of funds.
• Education Ministry also does not have a mechanism to find out the number of children engaged in child labour.

Grave concerns of the issue

• This is a serious situation.
• It is for the first time that a parliamentary panel is engaged in a detailed examination of the national policy on child labour.
• Though we have legislation, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, since 1986 the menace of child labour is continue unchecked.

Various provisions against Child Labour

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

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Child Labour Essay in English [150 Words]

Most of the time students get a topic to write an child labour essay so here we are providing short and long essays on child labour. Learn to write an essay on child labour through this post.

Table of Contents

Child Labour Essay

A child labour essay is an integral part of the students who are in the school. Most of the time students write an essay on child labour so here we are providing short and long essays on child labour. Before writing an essay on child labour we will understand in brief about child labour.

The term “child labour” is typically described by the International Labour Organisation as work that

• destroys a child’s physical and mental development and robs them of their innocence, potential, and dignity. It refers to work that puts children at risk and harms them on a mental, physical, social, or moral level.
• It may also interfere with their education by preventing them from going to school, requiring them to leave early, or pushing them to try to balance school and overly heavy work.

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Short Essay on Child Labour in 100-150 words

Childhood is undoubtedly the best and happiest stage of life for everyone. It is during this time that one learns the fundamentals of living from parents, close friends, and nature, as has always been emphasized in bedtime tales, advertisements, and by our elders. Everyone has the right to experience childhood from the minute they are born because it is the most memorable era of life. Children have the right to go to school, play with their friends, feel their parents’ love and care, and enjoy the beauty of nature. Although children are seen as their nation’s most important resource, their parents’ ignorance and poverty make them the country’s weakness rather than its strength. Even with government awareness campaigns and future societal welfare for children, the majority of children living in poverty are still required to work as children on a daily basis. Children are a nation’s strength, but some people continue to try to undermine it and the future of the country by illegally involving developing children in order to earn fast cash. They are interfering with children’s and innocent people’s values.

Essay on Child Labour

It is correct to say that child labour is a serious worry for society and a serious human rights violation that is preventing the growth and development of the nation. The term “child labour” refers to children who regularly work between the ages of five and fourteen. In order to live, many youngsters in underdeveloped countries are forced to work long hours for meagre pay. The main causes of child labour around the world are poverty, parents, society, low wages, unemployment, subpar living conditions and understanding, social injustice, lack of education, backwardness, and insufficient restrictions. However, because of poverty, a lack of educational awareness, and a lack of educational opportunities, child labour is a problem in developing countries. This horrible and cruel practice is harming the lives of countless defenceless children every day. Due to insufficient norms and laws, there is a high level of criminal behaviour that should be punished, and because it is occurring simultaneously, it has become one of India’s most urgent social problems that need to be handled on a regular basis. It is crucial to understand that happy, healthy children are a nation’s greatest asset and that child labour destroys both the prospects of the nation and the children who work there.

Child Labour Essay English in 1000 words

Imagine that the plant you water every day is about to bloom into a stunning flower that will fill your balcony with a spellbinding smell. Imagine waking up the following morning to see the budding blossom entirely ruined and choked. The bud no longer has the great potential to develop into a flower. Similar to how a flower bud is crushed, a child’s future is similarly destroyed when they are forced to work at a young age in our society, stealing away the fundamental aspects of their youth. Simply said, child labour refers to the cruel practise of pushing young children to perform menial labour, robbing them of their fundamental rights to education and to the full development of the body and mind. They are deprived of the chance to pursue an education and are compelled to support the family financially. Children are therefore prevented from developing the necessary abilities and academic opportunities to develop into mature, educated adults.

Considered as the little gifts of God, children stuck in the vicious circle of child labour can be seen working at restaurants, households, factories, constructions, etc. In India, you might have come across small children selling pens, candies, flowers and other things on the streets and traffic lights as well. Due to financial issues in their families, they are forced to pursue menial jobs and step into the harsh realities of the world at an early age.

Lack of educational opportunities, inequality, traditional and cultural expectations and stagnant demographic transitions majorly foster child labour in India. As per the 2011 Census, there are 10.1 million working children between the age of 5-14. With more and more children being pushed to work every now and then, child labour has been a constant stigma to tackle. Several interlinked factors contribute to the persistence of this social evil in the country. Skyrocketing prices of the basic utilities and high unemployment and poverty levels are the basic reasons why children are forced to earn for their families.

It’s also critical to comprehend and learn how to distinguish between child labour and non-child work. Having said that, it is important to recognise that not all employment done by children is considered child labour and should be targeted for removal. Participation in work by children or adolescents that does not harm their health or development or interfere with their education is typically considered a positive thing. Helping their parents around the house, assisting in a family company, or earning pocket money outside of school hours and during school holidays are examples of such activities. These types of activities aid in the development of children and the well-being of their families by providing them with skills and experience, as well as preparing them to be useful members of society as adults. Based on Census 2011, the total child population in India in the age group (5-14) years is 259.6 million, out of which are either working as a ‘main workers’ or as a ‘marginal workers’. To extract the children out of these harsh situations, the Indian Government has laid down various laws including the restriction of employment of children below the age of 14 in any of the factories or mines. Despite many government departments and commissions working on the eradication of this practice, it is still prevailing in urban and rural areas. Thus, in order to fight this social evil, we must ensure that children are provided with their basic right to education for free and awareness about the perils of child labour should be spread in rural and urban areas to exterminate it at its roots.

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Child Labour in India Essay in Hindi

यह कहना सही है कि बाल श्रम समाज के लिए एक गंभीर चिंता और मानवाधिकारों का गंभीर उल्लंघन है जो राष्ट्र के विकास और विकास को रोक रहा है। शब्द “बाल श्रम” उन बच्चों को संदर्भित करता है जो नियमित रूप से पांच और चौदह वर्ष की आयु के बीच काम करते हैं। जीने के लिए, अविकसित देशों में कई युवा अल्प वेतन के लिए लंबे समय तक काम करने के लिए मजबूर हैं। दुनिया भर में बाल श्रम के मुख्य कारण गरीबी, माता-पिता, समाज, कम मजदूरी, बेरोजगारी, निम्न जीवन स्थितियों और समझ, सामाजिक अन्याय, शिक्षा की कमी, पिछड़ापन और अपर्याप्त प्रतिबंध हैं। हालाँकि, गरीबी, शैक्षिक जागरूकता की कमी और शैक्षिक अवसरों की कमी के कारण विकासशील देशों में बाल श्रम एक समस्या है। यह भयानक और क्रूर प्रथा हर दिन अनगिनत रक्षाहीन बच्चों के जीवन को नुकसान पहुंचा रही है। अपर्याप्त मानदंडों और कानूनों के कारण, उच्च स्तर का आपराधिक व्यवहार होता है जिसे दंडित किया जाना चाहिए, और क्योंकि यह एक साथ हो रहा है, यह भारत की सबसे जरूरी सामाजिक समस्याओं में से एक बन गया है जिसे नियमित आधार पर संभालने की आवश्यकता है। यह समझना महत्वपूर्ण है कि खुश, स्वस्थ बच्चे देश की सबसे बड़ी संपत्ति हैं और बाल श्रम राष्ट्र की संभावनाओं और वहां काम करने वाले बच्चों दोनों को नष्ट कर देता है।

कल्पना कीजिए कि जिस पौधे को आप प्रतिदिन पानी देते हैं, वह एक तेजस्वी फूल के रूप में खिलने वाला है जो आपकी बालकनी को मंत्रमुग्ध कर देने वाली गंध से भर देगा। कल्पना कीजिए कि अगली सुबह उठने के बाद यह देखने के लिए कि नवोदित फूल पूरी तरह से बर्बाद और घुटा हुआ है। कली में अब फूल के रूप में विकसित होने की बहुत अधिक क्षमता नहीं है। जिस तरह एक फूल की कली को कुचल दिया जाता है, उसी तरह एक बच्चे का भविष्य तबाह हो जाता है जब हमारे समाज में उन्हें कम उम्र में काम करने के लिए मजबूर किया जाता है, उनकी युवावस्था के मूलभूत पहलुओं को चुरा लिया जाता है। सीधे शब्दों में कहा जाए तो बाल श्रम का तात्पर्य छोटे बच्चों को छोटे-मोटे काम करने के लिए धकेलने की क्रूर प्रथा से है, जिससे शिक्षा के उनके मौलिक अधिकारों को छीन लिया जाता है और शरीर और दिमाग का पूर्ण विकास किया जाता है। वे शिक्षा प्राप्त करने के अवसर से वंचित हैं और आर्थिक रूप से परिवार का समर्थन करने के लिए मजबूर हैं। इसलिए बच्चों को परिपक्व, शिक्षित वयस्कों में विकसित होने के लिए आवश्यक क्षमताओं और शैक्षणिक अवसरों को विकसित करने से रोका जाता है।

भगवान के छोटे उपहारों के रूप में माना जाता है, बाल श्रम के दुष्चक्र में फंसे बच्चों को रेस्तरां, घरों, कारखानों, निर्माण आदि में काम करते देखा जा सकता है। भारत में, आपने पेन, कैंडी, फूल और अन्य बेचने वाले छोटे बच्चों को देखा होगा। सड़कों और ट्रैफिक लाइट पर भी चीजें। अपने परिवारों में वित्तीय मुद्दों के कारण, उन्हें कम उम्र में ही नौकरी करने और दुनिया की कठोर वास्तविकताओं में कदम रखने के लिए मजबूर होना पड़ता है।

शैक्षिक अवसरों की कमी, असमानता, पारंपरिक और सांस्कृतिक अपेक्षाएं और स्थिर जनसांख्यिकीय परिवर्तन भारत में बाल श्रम को प्रमुख रूप से बढ़ावा देते हैं। 2011 की जनगणना के अनुसार, 5-14 वर्ष की आयु के बीच 10.1 मिलियन कामकाजी बच्चे हैं। अधिक से अधिक बच्चों को समय-समय पर काम पर धकेलने के साथ, बाल श्रम से निपटने के लिए एक निरंतर कलंक रहा है। कई परस्पर जुड़े कारक देश में इस सामाजिक बुराई के बने रहने में योगदान करते हैं। बुनियादी सुविधाओं की आसमान छूती कीमतें और उच्च बेरोजगारी और गरीबी का स्तर बच्चों को अपने परिवारों के लिए कमाने के लिए मजबूर करने के मूल कारण हैं।

बाल श्रम और गैर-बाल कार्य के बीच अंतर करना समझना और सीखना भी महत्वपूर्ण है। यह कहने के बाद, यह पहचानना महत्वपूर्ण है कि बच्चों द्वारा किए गए सभी रोजगार बाल श्रम नहीं माने जाते हैं और उन्हें हटाने के लिए लक्षित किया जाना चाहिए। बच्चों या किशोरों द्वारा काम में भागीदारी जो उनके स्वास्थ्य या विकास को नुकसान नहीं पहुंचाती है या उनकी शिक्षा में हस्तक्षेप नहीं करती है, आमतौर पर एक सकारात्मक बात मानी जाती है। घर के आसपास अपने माता-पिता की मदद करना, किसी पारिवारिक कंपनी में सहायता करना, या स्कूल के समय के बाहर और स्कूल की छुट्टियों के दौरान पॉकेट मनी अर्जित करना ऐसी गतिविधियों के उदाहरण हैं। इस प्रकार की गतिविधियाँ बच्चों के विकास और उनके परिवारों की भलाई के लिए उन्हें कौशल और अनुभव प्रदान करने के साथ-साथ उन्हें वयस्कों के रूप में समाज के उपयोगी सदस्य बनने के लिए तैयार करने में सहायता करती हैं। 2011 की जनगणना के आधार पर, भारत में (5-14) आयु वर्ग के बच्चों की कुल आबादी 259.6 मिलियन है, जिनमें से या तो ‘मुख्य कार्यकर्ता’ के रूप में या ‘सीमांत श्रमिकों’ के रूप में काम कर रहे हैं। इन कठोर परिस्थितियों से बच्चों को निकालने के लिए, भारत सरकार ने 14 वर्ष से कम उम्र के बच्चों के किसी भी कारखाने या खदान में रोजगार पर प्रतिबंध सहित विभिन्न कानून बनाए हैं। इस प्रथा के उन्मूलन पर कई सरकारी विभागों और आयोगों के काम करने के बावजूद, यह अभी भी शहरी और ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में प्रचलित है। इस प्रकार, इस सामाजिक बुराई से लड़ने के लिए, हमें यह सुनिश्चित करना चाहिए कि बच्चों को मुफ्त और जागरूकता के लिए शिक्षा का उनका मूल अधिकार प्रदान किया जाए। बाल श्रम के खतरों के बारे में ग्रामीण और शहरी क्षेत्रों में फैलाया जाना चाहिए ताकि इसे जड़ से खत्म किया जा सके।

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Child Labour Essay QNA

Q. what is child labour.

Ans. Child labour is a type of crime in which young children are forced to work and do adult-like tasks by imitating adult behaviour in commercial endeavours. Children are deprived of childhood, adequate literacy, and mental, physical, and social well-being when used for financial gain. This practise is outright illegal in certain nations, but because it severely harms children’s futures, it has gained worldwide attention in the majority of governments.

Q. What are the causes of child labour?

Ans. Causes of child labour are

• The margin of poverty and unemployment is very large
• Unavailability of free education
• Violation of laws and codes of conduct
• Inadequate laws and enforcement
• Suppression of worker’s rights

Q. How can you prevent child labour?

Ans. National child labour laws should be updated. Consider your customers’ requirements Check your employees’ ages.

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Ans. Child labour is a type of crime in which young children are forced to work and do adult-like tasks by imitating adult behaviour in commercial endeavours. Children are deprived of childhood, adequate literacy, and mental, physical, and social well-being when used for financial gain. This practise is outright illegal in certain nations, but because it severely harms children's futures, it has gained worldwide attention in the majority of governments.

The margin of poverty and unemployment is very large Unavailability of free education Violation of laws and codes of conduct Inadequate laws and enforcement Suppression of worker’s rights

Ans. National child labour laws should be updated. Consider your customers' requirements Check your employees' ages.

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Child Labour in India and Unavoidable Dilemma Essay

Essay on child labour in india and unavoidable dilemma for class 10, 12, mains exam (upsc, psc, ssc).

How Children are exploited in India?

Children in India are forced to do rigorous low skill work which affect their health conditions, their studies and does not help in building their future career objectives. They are exposed to bad working conditions and are not given any safety measures. They are also treated like slaves to work extra at a very low wage rate.

Most of the children are forced to work in hazardous conditions, like in a firecracker making firm or rag picking for recycling industry, or to work on heavy machinery in big factories for long hours, making them fall prey and also risking their lives under these circumstances.

The worst conditions where most of todays children work in is human trafficking situations, also facing abuse and long-term trauma and are sexually exploited. They undergo a lot of mental stress and are not able to build a brighter future for themselves. Most of these children also work at railway platforms selling eatables or other small items like gifts, chocolates, etc. where most of the money earned is taken by the person employing them, while they are barely left with anything.

Causes of Child Labour in India

Poverty: One of the root causes of child labour in India is poverty, due to which children are forced to work by their parents as they expect the child to work and bring money to run their livelihood. Due to high poverty levels in remote villages. Most of the children move to urban areas expecting to get better wages, but are exploited with low wage rate and are given long hours of work with no extra wages.

Illiteracy: Illiterate parents cause further impact on child’s future, unawareness about labour laws, put their children under more strain to work at a very early age in order to support their families. As their families are un-ware about the consequences their child will face through early labour.

Demand for Child Labour: The rising demand for child labour in the urban areas, as they are employed at cheaper wage rate hence there exist high prevalence of child labour.

Challenges faced in reducing child labour in India

Definitional Issue: One of the biggest problems in removing child labour is that the is no proper definition that of a child, in terms of age, as per various laws dealing with child labour issues.

Improper Identification: Most of the children from the remote villages lack birth certificates, hence most of them are able to manipulate their identification cards in terms of age, this has caused rise in child labour.

Lack of strict law enforcement: Corruption and lack of law enforcement agencies in regards to child labour also causes massive exploitation of children and lead them to bonded labour.

FAQ’s on Child Labour in India

What are the main problems of Child Labour in India?

Ans. Illiteracy, poverty, lack of employment and migration of labour to urban areas.

How can we improve child labour awareness?

Ans. Create awareness among parents specially in the remote villages. Encourage participation against movement for child labour. Raise voices against persons recruiting child labour.

What is the Government doing to stop child labour?

Ans. The Government has introduced the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986 to prohibit the engagement of children in certain employment and enhance the working conditions for other children in other employment.

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Child Labour Essay – Infinity Learn

Table of Contents

Child Labour Essay: Child Labour refers to the employment of children aged 5 to 17 years to deprive them of their childhood and force them into a life of deprivation and illiteracy. The main factor behind child labour is poverty; therefore, it is more rampant in developing or underdeveloped countries. Children in these countries are often forced into labour to supplement the daily income of their families.

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Short and Long Essay on Child Labour

For your information and knowledge, we have provided a short and long essay on Child Labour in English. These Child Labour essays have been written in simple yet effective English for you to make it easy to remember them and present them when required.

After going through the essays, you will learn a lot about child labour and its vital statistics. You will also know about the industries employing child labour in India; the negative effects of child labour on children; ways to tackle child labour; how child labour is related to poverty; the history of child labour; types of child labour in India, and statistics of child labour in India 2019.

These Child Labour essays will be extremely useful in your school/college assignments and competitions like speech giving, debate, and essay writing competitions.

Child Labour Essay 1 (100 Words)

• Child labour is the employment of children, often aged 5 to 17 years. At such a young age, children are a lot less demanding and could be very easily managed by the employees. For this reason, many unorganized sectors worldwide prefer to work with child laborers.
• There are nearly 152 million child labors worldwide, most driven by poverty. Low-income families unable to meet daily nourishment requirements are forced to send their children to manual work in different sectors. This way, the children could supplement their family’s income apart from fending for their vital requirements.

Child Labour Essay 2 (150 Words)

• Child labour is defined as the employment of children in such a way as to deprive them of their childhood, education, and growth opportunities. Many unorganized small sectors worldwide prefer to employ children for they are less demanding and easily manageable.
• Sometimes, the families of the children themselves push them into child labour for want of money, or they cannot feed the children. Such children often live in unhygienic and deprived conditions, with no medical aid and no education opportunity.
• Child labour forces a child into the vicious cycle of deprivation, illiteracy, and poverty. Such children cannot find a decent and suitable job as adults and are often regarded as socially backward. They live solitary lives of isolation and often take to unwanted and unethical means.

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Child Labour Essay 3 (200 Words)

• Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors worldwide. It cludes mining, production industries, farming, and other unorganized sectors. Chil ren is often employed in these sectors for they are paid less and easy to manage.
• Child labour is widely practiced worldwide and deprives children of their childhood, education, and other growth opportunities. Chil ren is forced to engage in hazardous working conditions to support their families by supplementing their income.
• They work under a verbal or written contract between their employer and parents. Sometimes, it is to repay a debt taken by their families from the employer. Chil labour is more common in developing and underdeveloped nations. Love ty is the main driving factor behind child labour as the children are forced into child labour by their own families to fend for their everyday requirements for food and other necessities.
• There are many strict laws against child labour, and many countries, including India, have norms of imprisonment and fine if a person and organization is found involved in child labour. Deep te all the laws, we still need to forcibly implement them if we want child labour to be eliminated.

Child Labour Essay 4 (250 Words)

• The term “Child Labour” refers to the employment of young children in various sectors like industries, hotels, farming, etc. The time is used mainly to denote the employment of children falling in the age group of 5 – 15 years.
• Child labour deprives the children of their childhood and proper physical and mental growth opportunities. It a so considerably reduces a child’s possibility of getting educated and progressing in life.
• Worldwide, around 218 million children aged 5 to 17 years are employed as child labour. The children are subjected to live in poor hygienic conditions and are deprived of the basic necessities of life.
• They never get an opportunity to go to school, forcing them into decades of poverty and labour. Working in poor health conditions, they also become susceptible to various diseases, and their conditions are rarely addressed.
• Such children are also subjected to living in isolation and are not allowed to interact with people socially and make friends or play. Such a poor work environment is stressful for a child and often results in several mental conditions like depression. Such children often take drugs and other substances, resulting in further physical and mental damage.
• There is a need to strictly supervise the sectors prone to employing children and impose harsh penalties with money and imprisonment on them for doing so.

Child Labour Essay 5 (300 Words)

Introduction

Child labor is the employment of children for different works to interfere with their normal mental, physical, and social growth opportunities. T al o deprives the children of the much-needed education.

Industries Employing Child Labour in India

There are five major sectors in India employing children as child labors. ey an e as described below-

• Garment Industry – Child labour constitutes a considerable workforce in the Indian garment industry. E industries operate in small owner-managed setups mainly operated from homes. Ads of children in Delhi are employed by the garment industry and are subjected to loud noise, extensive working hours, and sharp tools.
• Unorganized Sectors – This sector is one of India’s greatest employers for children. It every easy to spot a child working in dhabas, roadside eateries, tea shops, and other businesses. Children are also employed in small shops as servants or help. Based businesses prefer to employ children as they are easily manageable and cost less.
• Brick Kilns – The brick kiln industry of India has long been witnessing child labour. E children in brick kilns work for long hours with their parents. Working in the brick kiln are exposed to hazardous conditions and toxic fumes, and heated temperatures.
• Fireworks – The fire sector is India’s most significant employer for children. N this sector often work in cramped spaces and are exposed to dangerous chemicals and hazardous substances, posing a risk to their health and life, and so forced to work for long hours during the festive season.
• Agriculture – The agriculture sector might be the biggest employer of children in India. E hired in cotton, sugarcane, paddy, and other agriculture-related fields. C il e working in agriculture have to work for longer hours, are paid less, and work in unhygienic conditions.

Children are forced into child labour due to poverty and to supplement their family’s income. E s d to identify these sectors and make necessary policies and laws to prevent the employment and exploitation of children in these sectors.

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Child Labour Essay 6 (350 Words)

The engagement of children as manual labors in different organized and unorganized sectors is termed child labour. Derives t children of their educational opportunities, growth opportunities, socialization, and health. D bo I physically and mentally harmful to the students.

Adverse Effects of Child Labour

• Child labour has many negative impacts on children. D e wo n as child labour often works in challenging and life-threatening conditions with no one to care for them. Re pai e than an adult doing the same job; moreover, they are underfed.
• Their employers do everything to keep them cut off from the other parts of the world, forcing them to live a life of isolation and labour; re not n allowed to talk to or meet anyone. An io like this often results in mental disorders like depression, drug addiction, substance abuse, etc.

How can we Help to Stop Child Labour?

We can take a few simple steps to help stop child labour. s ould be an Sf the child labour laws in the country and must always diligently follow them.

Also, keeping an eye on the businesses employing children and reporting the same to competent authorities will prove helpful in eliminating child labor.

A workplace risk assessment for the dangers it poses to the children must also be carried out. Hiring chi e for work should be immediately stopped at any cost.

Child Labour and Poverty

One of the main factors behind child labour is poverty. D en e forc i o labor mainly to supplement their families’ income. e the are gi c actual labour by the family to the employer in exchange for money, or the family employs them in any of its traditional businesses.

For instance, poor farmers in India are forced to use their children as labor because it would be difficult to pay for adult laborers.

Child labour is a severe threat that impedes a nation’s growth and the world. O er, i depriv t child deprives childhood, love, and education and forces them into arduous, hazardous, nonsociable, and pathetic conditions.

Child Labour Essay 7 (400 Words)

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors to deprive them of their childhood, education, and other growth opportunities and cause physical and mental harassment. p ime reason beh Pild labour is poverty, and more often than not, the children are employed to supplement their family’s income.

History of Child Labour

• During the preindustrial societies, the concept of childhood was in existence. Den as ung as 1 year was engaged in hunting, woodcutting, farming, etc. though it wasn’t child labour in the true sense, the children did these jobs to facilitate the survival of their group or family.
• Low productivity and low life expectancy were two of the main characteristics of the preindustrial area. e preven ng the l en from engaging in productive work would mean stalling their progress and lowering their survival chances. An ion in t se days s t considered necessary for survival than skills.
• The exploitation of children as child labour began in the late 18 th century with the industrial revolution. Br tain, cities like Birm gham and Liverpool fast grew into big industrial cities, attracting millions from villages and other rural areas. S situation was the same S the develop same economies.
• The Victorian era in Britain ranged from 20 June 1837 to 22 January 1901. It was the most infamous for child labor as you as your ar are employed in factories and mines in the Victorian era and worked in unimaginabl rd us and life-threatening conditions.

World Statistics on Child Labour

World Statistics reveal that nearly 218 million children worldwide are employed. E children f l in the g of 5 to 17 years, and approximately 152 million are, in the true sense, employed as child labour.

Statistics also reveal that nearly 73 million children worldwide work in hazardous and life-threatening conditions.

By the numbers, Africa has around 72.1 million children employed as child labour, nearly half of the world’s figure of 152 million. The Pacific has 62 million child labors; America has 10.7 million child labors, while Central Asia, Europe, and Arab states have 5.5 million and 1.2 million, respectively.

Child Labour has existed for centuries, even in some of the world’s developed economies. t mes the rea n is to ma the child employable, and sometimes it is to supplement their family’s income; nevertheless, in both cases, it interferes with the child’s ability to grow, get educated, and be happy.

Child Labour speech 8 (500 Words)

Child Labour refers to the physical exploitation of children by engaging them in work that deprives them of their childhood, education, growth, and development and is physically and mentally harmful. c laws prohib ing child ou are in place in countries worldwide, including India, but there is a need to implement them more effectively than before.

Causes of Child Labour in India

The UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children around the world, states poverty is the biggest cause of child labour in India and other developing and underdeveloped countries around the globe.

Due to poverty, children are subjected to labour to supplement their family’s income. the absence of good e at nal infrastructure in rural India and a lack of awareness are reasons behind child labour in India.

Types of Child Labour in India

Two types of Child Labour exist in India: debt bondage child labour and the employment of children to supplement their family’s income. r less, in bo kin of c d bour, the will of others is partially or fully forced upon the child.

In debt bondage child labour, a child is employed for work through a verbal assurance or written agreement, specifically to clear the debt taken by his parents from the creditor. g the legislation bans the s ci tion of child labour in India, the instances of bonded child labour continue even today.

Another form of child labour is where the parents of a child agree with the employer to employ their child to supplement the family’s income. v r, poverty is t main facto eh d all the types of child labour in India and other parts of the world.

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Child Labour in India Statistics 2019

Statistics provided by UNICEF revealed that nearly 10.1 million children in India engaged in child labour. Children fall in the age 14 years 4.5 million girls and 5.6 million boys. 0% of child labors employed n ral India.

Child Labour in India is more prevalent in Uttar Pradesh (2.1 million), Bihar (1 million), Madhya Pradesh (0.7 million), Maharashtra (0.72 million), and Rajasthan (0.84 million).

Indian industries employing a major share of child labors in India are the cotton industry, matchbox making industry, agriculture sector, and other small unorganized sectors.

Child Labour Laws in India

Several laws enacted in India prohibit the engagement of children in the workforce. m jor laws are the Juvenile Justi (c e and protection) of Children Act -2000 and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act -1986. e acts form the basis of all other il labour laws in India.

Child Labour a serious hindrance to the growth of a nation and its social and economic development. There are many la to eliminate il labour, they must effectively implemented.

A range of students studying in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc., classes can use any of the above-given essays on child labour. a e worded to let students understan wit ut any difficulty. t from the child labo essay, you ca et ther related essays and information such as:

• Slogans on Child Labour
• Paragraph on Child Labour
• Speech on Child Labour
• Child Labour in India
• Child Rights Day
• National Girl Child Day
• Children’s Day
• Essay on Bal Swachhta Abhiyan
• Essay on Poverty
• Essay on Corruption
• Essay on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
• Essay on Beggars

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Home » Social Justice » Issues related to children » Child Labour » Situation of Child Labour in India

• The number of children working as child labourers came down by 100 million in last two decades ( 1991 to 2011) which demonstrates that the right combination of policy and programmatic interventions can make a difference ; but COVID-19 pandemic has undone a lot of gains
• The Covid-19 crisis has brought additional poverty to these already vulnerable populations and may reverse years of progress in the fight against child labour- ILO
• A report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF warns that 9 million additional children are at the risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022 globally , as a result of the pandemic.
• In India, the closure of schools and the economic crisis faced by the vulnerable families , triggered by the pandemic, are likely drivers pushing children into poverty and thus, child labour and unsafe migration.
• There has been a significant increase in the proportion of working children from 28.2% to 79.6% out of the 818 children who were surveyed , mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools, reveals a study conducted by Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL).
• The coronavirus pandemic is forcing India’s children out of school and into farms and factories to work, worsening a child-labour problem that was already one of the direst in the world.
• Orphaned children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and other exploitation like forced begging, or child labour. In such families, there is also the likelihood of older children dropping out of school to support their younger siblings.
• Children are seen as a stop-gap measure to fill jobs left vacant by migrant labourers who fled cities for their rural homes during the lockdown.
• According to the CACL survey , more than 94% of children have said that the economic crisis at home and family pressure had pushed them into work. Most of their parents had lost their jobs or earned very low wages during the pandemic.
• A total of 591 children were rescued from forced work and bonded labour from different parts of India during the lockdown by Bachpan Bachao Andolan , a civil society group on children’s rights

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