Social Relevance Project On

CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA

Submitted in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of

Master of Management Studies (MMS)

(Under University of Mumbai)

Submitted By

ANIKET DILIP VETA

( Roll No.11 )

Under The Guidance of

Prof. Prashant Mishra

2016-18

Rajive Gandhi College of Management Studies

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 Table of Contents

Sr. No Title Page

No.
1 Introduction to What is Child Labour 1-14
2 Research Design 15
3 Reason behind the Child Labour 16-23
4 Consequences / Effects 24-25
5 NGO’s working for Child Labour in India 26-31
6 Solution for Child Labour 32-33
7 Discussion 34
8 Suggestions 35-38
9 Conclusion 39
10 Bibliography 40

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Project Report on Child Labour in India

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Introduction-

What is Child Labour -

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives
children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school,
and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. This
practice is considered exploitative by many international organisations. Legislation
across the world prohibit child labour. These laws do not consider all work by
children as child labour; exceptions include work by child artists, family duties,
supervised training, certain categories of work such as those by Amish children,
some forms of child work common among indigenous American children, and
others.

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Child Labour has existed to varying extents, through most of history. During the
19th and early 20th centuries, many children aged 5–14 from poorer families still
worked in Europe, the United States and various colonies of European powers.
These children mainly worked in agriculture, home-based assembly operations,
factories, mining and in services such as news boys. Some worked night shifts
lasting 12 hours. With the rise of household income, availability of schools and
passage of Child Labour laws, the incidence rates of Child Labour fell.

In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, Child
Labour is still prevalent. In 2010, sub-saharan Africa had the highest incidence
rates of child labourwith several African nations witnessing over 50 percent of
children aged 5–14 working.] Worldwide agriculture is the largest employer of
child labour.Vast majority of Child Labour is found in rural settings and informal
urban economy; children are predominantly employed by their parents, rather than
factories.Poverty and lack of schools are considered as the primary cause of child
labour.

Globally the incidence of Child Labour decreased from 25% to 10% between 1960
and 2003, according to the World Bank. Nevertheless, the total number of child
labourers remains high, with UNICEF and ILO acknowledging an estimated 168
million children aged 5–17 worldwide, were involved in Child Labour in 2013.

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The 10 worst countries for child labor

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History of child labour

In the late 1700's and early 1800's, power-driven machines replaced hand labor for
making most manufactured items. Factories began to spring up everywhere, first in
England and then in the United States. The factory owners found a new source of
labor to run their machines — children. Operating the power-driven machines did
not require adult strength, and children could be hired more cheaply than adults.
By the mid-1800's, child labor was a major problem.
Children had always worked, especially in farming. But factory work was hard. A
child with a factory job might work 12 to 18 hours a day, 6 days a week, to earn a
dollar. Many children began working before the age of 7, tending machines in
spinning mills or hauling heavy loads. The factories were often damp, dark, and
dirty. Some children worked underground, in coal mines. The working children
had no time to play or go to school, and little time to rest. They often became ill.
By 1810, about 2 million school-age children were working 50- to 70-hour weeks.
Most came from poor families. When parents could not support their children, they
sometimes turned them over to a mill or factory owner. One glass factory in
Massachusetts was fenced with barbed wire "to keep the young imps inside."
These were boys under 12 who carried loads of hot glass all night for a wage of 40
cents to $1.10 per night.
Church and labor groups, teachers, and many other people were outraged by such
cruelty. The English writer Charles Dickens helped publicize the evils of child
labor with his novel Oliver Twist.
Britain was the first to pass laws regulating child labor. From 1802 to 1878, a
series of laws gradually shortened the working hours, improved the conditions, and
raised the age at which children could work. Other European countries adopted
similar laws.
In the United States it took many years to outlaw child labor. By 1899, 28 states
had passed laws regulating child labor. Many efforts were made to pass a national
child labor law. The U.S. Congress passed two laws, in 1918 and 1922, but the
Supreme Court declared both unconstitutional. In 1924, Congress proposed a
constitutional amendment prohibiting child labor, but the states did not ratify it.
Then, in 1938, Congress passed the Fair Labor Standards Act. It fixed minimum
ages of 16 for work during school hours, 14 for certain jobs after school, and 18 for
dangerous work. Today all the states and the U.S. government have laws regulating
child labor. These laws have cured the worst evils of children working in factories.

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But some kinds of work are not regulated. Children of migrant workers, for
example, have no legal protection. Farmers may legally employ them outside of
school hours. The children pick crops in the fields and move from place to place,
so they get little schooling.
The Canadian provinces today have child labor laws similar to those in the United
States. Most other countries have laws regulating child labor, too. But the laws are
not always enforced. Starting in 1999, over 160 countries approved an
International Labor Organization (ILO) agreement to end the worst forms of child
labor. The ILO is a part of the United Nations and the agreement came into effect
in the year 2000. According to the ILO, the number of child laborers around the
world has been falling. However, as of 2006, there were still 218 million child
laborers worldwide; 126 million of them were engaged in hazardous work. The
ILO also runs the world's largest program to help countries eliminate child labor.

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21st century

Child Labour is still common in many parts of the world. Estimates for Child
Labour vary. It ranges between 250 and 304 million, if children aged 5–17
involved in any economic activity are counted. If light occasional work is
excluded, ILO estimates there were 153 million child labourers aged 5–14
worldwide in 2008. This is about 20 million less than ILO estimate for child
labourers in 2004. Some 60 percent of the Child Labour was involved in
agricultural activities such as farming, dairy, fisheries and forestry. Another 25
percent of child labourers were in service activities such as retail, hawking goods,
restaurants, load and transfer of goods, storage, picking and recycling trash,
polishing shoes, domestic help, and other services. The remaining 15 percent
laboured in assembly and manufacturing in informal economy, home-based
enterprises, factories, mines, packaging salt, operating machinery, and such
operations. Two out of three child workers work alongside their parents, in unpaid
family work situations. Some children work as guides for tourists, sometimes
combined with bringing in business for shops and restaurants. Child Labour
predominantly occurs in the rural areas (70%) and informal urban sector (26%).

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Contrary to popular beliefs, most child labourers are employed by their parents
rather than in manufacturing or formal economy. Children who work for pay or in-
kind compensation are usually found in rural settings, then urban centres. Less than
3 percent of Child Labour aged 5–14 across the world work outside their
household, or away from their parents.

Child Labour accounts for 22% of the workforce in Asia, 32% in Africa, 17% in
Latin America, 1% in the US, Canada, Europe and other wealthy nations. The
proportion of child labourers varies greatly among countries and even regions
inside those countries. Africa has the highest percentage of children aged 5–17
employed as child labour, and a total of over 65 million. Asia, with its larger
population, has the largest number of children employed as Child Labour at about
114 million. Latin America and Caribbean region have lower overall population
density, but at 14 million child labourers has high incidence rates too.

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Child Labour today (2017)

Global
Around the world, there are 151.6 million children aged 5 to 17 in child labour.

Hazardous Work
Slightly less than half of children in Child Labour —72.5 million of them— are
performing hazardous work that places their health, safety or moral development at risk.

Progress
The 16-year period starting in 2000 saw a drop in the number of children in Child
Labour of 94 million. We are clearly moving in the right direction, but the challenge is
still immense.

Gender
Estimates for boys involved in Child Labour are higher than those for girls. However,
these estimates don’t include household chores, for which responsibility falls more on
girls.

Region
One in five children in Africa is involved in child labour, making it the region where the
risk of Child Labour is greatest, followed by Asia and the Pacific.

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Income Level
Child Labour isn’t limited to low-income countries. Over half of affected children in fact
live in lower-middle and upper-middle income countries.

Fragility
Children in countries affected by conflict and disastersare more likely to be in child
labour. These fragile situations often involve income shocks, a breakdown in support
networks, displacement and disruptions in basic services, all of which can heighten the
risk of child labour.

Sector
Seven in ten children in Child Labour are working in agriculture. This work relates
mainly to subsistence and commercial farming and herding livestock, and is often
hazardous.

Weekly Hours
Some children in Child Labour are working grueling weeks of more than 43 hours.

Education
Nearly a third of children in Child Labour are completely outside the education system.
Those who are able to attend school tend to perform more poorly than their non-working
peers. The time and energy they spend working interferes with their ability to benefit
fully from classroom hours and to study outside the classroom.

Report
This information is based directly on the report Global estimates of child labour: Results
and trends, 2012-2016 that was developed by the International Labour Organization.

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Child Labour in India –

In 2015, the country of India is home to the largest number of children who are
working illegally in various industrial industries. Agriculture in India is the largest
sector where many children work at early ages to help support their family.  Many
of these children are forced to work at young ages due to many family factors such
as unemployment, a large number of family members, poverty, and lack of parental
education. This is often the major cause of the high rate of Child Labour in India.

The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labourers,
aged 6 to 14, to be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in
the 5 to 14 age group. However, in 2009–10 a nationwide survey found the
prevalence of Child Labour had reduced to 4.98 million children (or less than 2%
of the children in the 5 to 14 age group). The 2011 national census of India found
the total number of child labourers, aged 5–14, to be at 4.35 million.

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Child labour in India and rest of the world, during 2003 in 10–18 age group, per
World Bank India with an estimated 11%, is in green with 10-20% incidence
levels, along with countries in red (30%–40%) and black (40%-100%).

In India, millions of children are forced into child labor due to poverty, high
illiteracy rates due to lack of education, unemployment, overpopulation, etc.

As reported by Save the Children, children between the ages of 14–17 years
engage in hazardous work and account for 62.8% of India’s Child Labour
workforce in which more boys than girls (38.7 million vs. 8.8 million) are forced
into doing more hazardous work. Child Labour used to be most ubiquitous in rural
India in which 80% of working children found work. Recently, however, child
labor has relocated from rural areas to urbanized areas where the big cities are
located. Larger cities provide more opportunity for work compared to smaller,
rural areas. As reported by UNICEF, there has been a 54% increase in child labor
in urbanized areas for children between the ages of 5-14. In addition, according to
a Campaign Against Child Labour study, India has approximately 1,26,66,377
child laborers total. Uttar Pradesh, a state in northern India, has 19,27,997 child
labourers. Dehli, the capital of India, has over 1 million child labourers. Other

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leading states with similar figures include Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

According to 2005 Government of India NSSO (National Sample Survey Org.),

Child Labour incidence rates in India is highest among Muslim Indians, about 40%
higher than Hindu Indians. Child Labour was found to be present in other minority
religions of India but at significantly lower rates. Across caste classification, the
lowest caste Dalit children had Child Labour incidence rates of 2.8%, statistically
similar to the nationwide average of 2.74%. Tribal populations, however, had
higher Child Labour rates at 3.8%. India has the highest number of children stunted
because of malnutrition (48.2 million) equivalent to Colombia's population,
according to Save the Children's 'Stolen Childhoods' report.31 million of children
are part of India's workforce, the highest in the world.

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Objective-

To study what is child labour.

To study reason behind the child labour.

To study Consequences / Effects of child labour

NGO’s working for Child Labour in India

To find out solution for chiledlabour

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Research design-

The nature of this report is Descriptive Research.

3.2. Data sources

The data is collected from secondary sources like books, journals,

websites and newspapers.

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Reason behind the child labour-

Child Labour in India happens because of two main reasons. The first one is the
high poverty levels across the country. These levels are so high that it is even hard
to afford food. The poverty level is attributed to the exploitation of the employees
by their employers across most industries. As a result of this poverty, children
usually have to try to get some extra coin at least for the purpose of getting some
food. The other reason for this type of labour is the low quality of education
system in India. This system does not equip children with skills that can help them
earn a decent living. Therefore, parents and the children themselves are not
motivated to attend school. Even though Child Labour is still a challenge in India,
the government and some NGOs are really trying to control the situation. One way
these two are using is the non-formal education program. This program allows
children to work for some hours during mornings and attend classes later. This
way, the children are able to get some income and something to eat, while still
being able to learn.

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Primary causes

International Labour Organisation (ILO) suggests poverty is the greatest single

cause behind child labour. For impoverished households, income from a child's
work is usually crucial for his or her own survival or for that of the household.
Income from working children, even if small, may be between 25 and 40% of the
household income. Other scholars such as Harsch on African child labour, and
Edmonds and Pavcnik on global Child Labour have reached the same conclusion.

Lack of meaningful alternatives, such as affordable schools and quality education,

according to ILO, is another major factor driving children to harmful labour.
Children work because they have nothing better to do. Many communities,
particularly rural areas where between 60–70% of Child Labour is prevalent, do
not possess adequate school facilities. Even when schools are sometimes available,
they are too far away, difficult to reach, unaffordable or the quality of education is
so poor that parents wonder if going to school is really worth it.

Young girl working on a loom in AïtBenhaddou, Morocco in May 2008.

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Cultural causes

In European history when Child Labour was common, as well as in contemporary

Child Labour of modern world, certain cultural beliefs have rationalised Child
Labour and thereby encouraged it. Some view that work is good for the character-
building and skill development of children. In many cultures, particular where the
informal economy and small household businesses thrive, the cultural tradition is
that children follow in their parents' footsteps; Child Labour then is a means to
learn and practice that trade from a very early age. Similarly, in many cultures the
education of girls is less valued or girls are simply not expected to need formal
schooling, and these girls pushed into Child Labour such as providing domestic
services.

Agriculture deploys 70% of the world's child labour. Above, child worker on a rice
farm in Vietnam.

Macroeconomic causes

Biggeri and Mehrotra have studied the macroeconomic factors that encourage child
labour. They focus their study on five Asian nations including India, Pakistan,
Indonesia, Thailand and Philippines. They suggest that Child Labour is a serious
problem in all five, but it is not a new problem. Macroeconomic causes encouraged
widespread Child Labour across the world, over most of human history. They

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suggest that the causes for Child Labour include both the demand and the supply
side. While poverty and unavailability of good schools explain the Child Labour
supply side, they suggest that the growth of low-paying informal economy rather
than higher paying formal economy is amongst the causes of the demand side.
Other scholars too suggest that inflexible labour market, sise of informal economy,
inability of industries to scale up and lack of modern manufacturing technologies
are major macroeconomic factors affecting demand and acceptability of child
labour.

Poverty and child labor

Poverty problem can be considered as one of the foremost reasons of child labor.
Because according to the World Bank more than 1.29 people are living under
extreme poverty. There is no doubt that among these people around 60-70% living
in developing countries where the average income of families remained very low.
For many of these families child labor issue is a very painful truth to deal with. In
most of the cases poor families force their children to work in order to stay alive or
to live a better life. Now two prominent factors of poverty that encourage the child
labor are given below:

1. Low parental Income causes child labor:

In every poor family parents earning are very less due to different reasons.
Now the question is on whether every poor family sends their child to work
or not. Answer is certainly not. Because of strong campaign against child
labor now days some families in developing countries send their child to
work. But obviously the amount is not negligible.

2. Children work secretly:

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 To support family some children run away or furtively work outside of the
home. In this exceptional case most of the children show over maturity by
thinking that family needs his or her help. So these children from poor
families furtively go to work instead of school. 

Now from humanity point of view we cannot actually blame these poor parents for
child labor. Because when survival is the main issue the child labor issue obviously
should not bear any importance to them. So here we can blame the country’s
economic condition and government actions strongly.

Children are cheap source of labor:

It’s very understandable that cheap labor source is important for business growth.
But using children as cheap labor source is very unethical. Although some owner
in developing countries always use children to get things done easily and cheaply.
Because giving 10 bucks to a child and 100 bucks to an adult worker can make a
huge difference in profit. Therefore to cut the labor cost owners go for child
worker instead of adult worker.

Over Population causes child labor to increase:

If a country is over populated then child labor is a regular problem to deal with.
South Asian countries like Bangladesh are the best example to give in this regard.
Over population creates unemployment and the ultimate result is poverty. As I
have told before that poverty is one of the main reasons of child labor.

Now amusingly it’s not always true that excess of population create child worker.
Because if a country has enough resources and job opportunities to feed the mouth
of all then poverty issue should not bear any importance. But if the resources and
job opportunities are limited then to feed the excess population cheap source of
labor like children can be employed in different forms of work.
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Unemployment of elders encourages child workers:

If the elder members of a family become unemployed then untold miseries are
unavoidable. Most of the cases families suffer to fulfill the basic human needs if
senior members are unemployed. Therefore some parents send their child to work
instead of school. Interestingly children get work easily because they can be paid
less than adults. Children are also more submissive and easier to exploit.

Parental Illiteracy and child labor:

Illiterate Parents also cause child labor to increase. An uneducated parent never
realizes the harmful effect of child labor. Some parents bear the false believe that
working makes a child perfect. So from their point of view children should be sent
to work as early as possible. Some parents develop their false believe even further.
They think that children don’t have the right to become educated only because they
are illiterate. So these parents send their children to work without considering their
age. Because of illiteracy some parents don’t realize that their child is working
outside secretly instead of going school. And those who have their own business
force their children to involve in family business instead of sending them to school.

Child Labour is caused by several factors. Some of them include:

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1. Poverty: 

Children who come from poor families may be forced to work to support their
siblings and parents or supplement the household income when expenses are more
than the parents’ earnings. It is a huge problem especially in developing countries
where parents are unable to generate income due to the lack of employment
opportunities or education. Children can be found employed in mines or hawking
in the streets to earn money that is used to provide basic necessities such as food
and clothing for the family. Children may also be employed in factories to generate
income for the family instead of attending school. Such a practice is a common
phenomenon in poverty-stricken regions with large factories set up by international
companies.

2. Low Aspiration:

 It is important for parents and children to understand that they can work hard and
make something great of themselves. Low aspirations by parents and children is a
major cause of Child Labour because in such a situation, being employed in a local
factory, or selling grocery in the streets is the normal way of life. To these types of
children and parents, success only belongs to a certain region or group of people.
They do not aspire to become professionals in the society or great entrepreneurs. It
is a mindset that forms the very foundation of child labour.

3. Huge demand for unskilled labourers:

 The demand for unskilled labourers is another cause of child labour. Children are
mostly unskilled and provide a cheap source of labour, making them an attractive
option for many greedy employers. Child labour, by virtue of being cheap,
increases the margin of profits for such entrepreneurs whose only objective is
profit maximization even if it comes at the expense of ethics and good business
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practices. These types of employers can also force children to work under
unfavorable conditions through manipulation or blatant threats.

4. Illiteracy:

 A society with many educated people understands the importance of going to

school and pursuing dreams. Children have the ability and time to become
whatever they aspire to be. Illiteracy, on the other hand, makes it difficult for many
people to understand the importance of education. Illiterate people view education
as a preserve of the privileged in the society. They will therefore not provide
support to children so that they can go to school and build solid foundations for
future success. The same view of life is seen among illiterate parents who prioritize
children contributing to the upkeep of the family over going to school.

5. Early Marriages: 

Marrying at an early age is a major contributing factor to overpopulation. Young

parents are able to sire a lot of children because they remain fertile for a long time.
Having many children with little or no resources to support them leads to child
labour. Older children are forced to work in order to help their parents support the
family.

6. High cost of education: 

Quality education is expensive. To many parents who live in abject poverty,

priority is given to providing food for the family because education is too
expensive to afford especially when there are many children to pay school fees for.
Instead of letting children stay at home because there is lack of money to send
them to school, parents opt to have them working as unskilled labourers to help
support the family. Some parents can also only afford basic education which means

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that children will be forced to look for work since they cannot pursue their
education further.

Consequences / Effects:

Child Labour has several negative impacts. Some of them include:

1. Loss of Quality childhood:

 It is important for human beings to enjoy every stage of their development. A
child should play with friends and make memories for a lifetime. Youths should
explore life and form strong foundations that would define their adult lives. Child
labour, therefore, leads to loss of quality childhood as children will be deprived of
the opportunity to enjoy the amazing experiences that come with being young.

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Children are often encouraged to play because it helps in their growth and
development. A child forced to work will miss many of the good things associated
with childhood.

2. Health issues: 

Child Labour can also lead to health complications due to undernourishment and
poor working conditions. It is highly unlikely that people who employ children
also have the moral capacity to ensure that they have good working conditions.
Working in places such as mines and badly conditioned factories may result in
lifetime health issues for children employed to work in these places. A child
assigned physically demanding duties may suffer physical trauma that may scar
him or her for life.

3. Mental trauma:

 It is not a pleasant experience to be kept working as a child while your age-mates
are out playing and going to school. Children also lack the ability to shield
themselves from most of the challenges that occur in the workplace. Issues such as
bullying, sexual exploitation, and unfavorable working hours may result in mental
trauma in these children. They will find it hard to forget the past and may become
societal misfits because of bad childhood experiences. Child Labour may also
result in the lack of emotional growth and thus insensitivity.

4. Illiteracy:

 Children that are employed do not have the time to go to school. They spend a lot
of time in their workstations as the days and years go by. The lack of education and
illiteracy makes them individuals with limited opportunities as far as employment
is concerned. Education also prepares a person for several challenges in the society

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and without it, one may turn out to lack the basic skills required to overcome many
of life’s problems. An individual who has gone to school may be aware of how to
approach certain situations in life without resorting to brute force. An illiterate
person, on the other hand, considers force to be the only answer to nearly all of the
challenges experienced.

NGO’s working for Child Labour in India-

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1. Child Rights And You (CRY)

One of the leading and most well-known organisations, CRY has worked since the
1970s towards the eradication of child labour. Based on the motto that each of us
can be a small instrument of change, you can donate, volunteer, and work for them
towards the cause. You can volunteer, donate online, send a cheque and be part of
making someone's life better somewhere.

2. CHILDLINE India Foundation

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Ms. JerooBillimoria was a professor at TISS when on an experimental basis
the CHILDLINE was initiated by the Department of Family and Child Welfare
there. But as the calls started pouring in from various parts of Mumbai, she realised
she was on to something. Today, it's a nationwide helpline for children in distress.
You can contribute via cash towards different aspects of child welfare and even
volunteer to work for their cause. 

3. Save The Children India

Started in 2008 and registered as Bal Rakhsa Bharat, the institution strives towards
policy making in collaboration with Indian and international government bodies to
improve health and education systems. The funds received by the organisation are
used to get children out of child labour, child marriage, child pregnancies, abuse
and emergency situations. Donations are accepted and if you hold the power and

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knowledge to help them with partners or can be one, you could be a hero to many
lives. 

4. SOS Childen's Villages, India

Working with abandoned children and orphans, this institution tries to bring
children under a protected umbrella. One can donate towards a child's particular
needs like clothes or a particular extracurricular activity, and a progress report will
be sent to the donor accordingly. It can be an open or a closed donation, meaning
you can personally interact with your ward, if you wish to.

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5. BachpanBachaoAndolan

An example of grass root movements, BachpanBachaoAndolan has been the aid of

83,500 victims. Established in 1980, the organisation works towards rescuing and
rehabilitating children who've been subjected to trafficking and child
labour. Donations from Indian and foreign residents are welcome. 

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6. Uday Foundation

There are various ways to react to tragedy. When a baby boy was born to Tullika
and Rahul, they wanted the world for him but their hands were tied as the child
was born with multiple congenital defects. But the resolve was to make sure no
other child goes through the same, which is why healthcare is the main prerogative
of the Uday Foundation. You can donate in cash and in kind, like old clothes.

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7. Pratham Education Foundation

Pratham believes in addressing the root cause of Child Labour - lack of quality

education. It works towards ensuring that higher levels of education are available
to those who cannot afford it and they use outcome-oriented methods and not rote
learning - which is the practice in the most high-end educational institutions of the
country. You can donate to the cause here.

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Solution for Child Labour-

1. Free education:

 Free education holds the key to eliminating child labour. Parents that do not have
money for school fees can use this as an opportunity to provide their children with
education. It has already proved to be a success in many places around the globe
and with more effort, the cases of Child Labour will greatly reduce. Mid-day meals
schemes can also be used as a motivating factor for children whose parents can
barely afford a meal to learn. Even if they will be attending school because of the
free meals, they will still be able to learn and create a good education foundation
for themselves.

2. Moral Polishing: 

Child Labour should not be entertained at all. It is legally and morally wrong.
Children should not be allowed to provide labour at the expense of getting an
education and enjoying their childhood. Factory owners, shopkeepers, and
industries among others should not employ children. The society should be
educated on the negative impacts of Child Labour so that it becomes an issue that
is frowned upon whenever it occurs. This type of moral polishing would act as a
deterrent to people who intend to employ children and use them as a source of
cheap labour. Many of the ills that go on in the society do so because people turn a
blind eye or fail to consider their moral impacts. With this kind of approach, cases
of Child Labour will greatly fall among our communities.

3. Create demand for skilled and trained workers:

 By creating the demand for skilled and trained workers, Child Labour cases will
reduce since almost all child labourers fall under the unskilled worker category. It

35
will lead to adult employment as the demand for skilled labour rises. Establishing
skill-based learning centers, vocational training centers, and technical training
institutions improves literacy and contributes to the availability of skilled and
trained workers in the job market. Creation of job opportunities by the government
is also another way that cases of unemployment can be reduced and household
income for the population increased. Such government policies improve living
standards and eliminate the need for children to seek work in order to support their
families.

4. Awareness:

 Creating awareness about the illegality of Child Labour can also help in stemming
the practice. Parents should be made aware that sending their children to work has
legal ramifications and the law would take its course if they are found to be aiding
and abetting this vice. It is the ignorance among many parents and members of the
society that makes them participate in Child Labour practices. Conducting a
campaign to create awareness about its harmful effects would eliminate the
practice. The government, together with non-governmental organizations and the
civil society, can create a strategy to make such an initiative a success.
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5. Empowerment of poor people: 

Poor people are the most affected by child labour. The poor living standards and
financial constraints sometimes make them unwilling participants in this vice.

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Discussion-

Child Labour is a big social problem. Very often we see some minor boys and girls
are working in the tea stalls, restaurants, and hotels and in the small shops. In some
big industries also, minor boys and girls have been working for full working hours.

At present in the agricultural sector, they were working with their parents or other
workers. These minor workers are called child labourers.

The poverty is the main reason which has forced the children to work. As a result,
the children do not get the time for education. As they have to accept hard work
before their maturity, they lose their health and they are deprived of having the
scope for spiritual, psychological and cultural development.

It is altogether inhuman to engage the children as laborers. William Blake, the

great poet and Charles Dickens, the novelist raised their voice of protest against it
for the first time. They have exposed the misery of child labourers in their many
writings. Afterwards, many effective rules and regulations have been passed
against the cruel system.

In India, Child Labour system has become a problem to the society. Though in the
Factory Act some rules are framed for the unemployment of labor at a specified
age, the employment of the Child Labour has not been totally stopped. Thus, it
violates the Constitution of India.

Only the law cannot protect the children from being engaged in hard work and
becoming the labourers. Anti-poverty programme should be taken in a vast way
and that should be applied all over the country as a whole. And, a comprehensive
propaganda planning against Child Labour should have to be taken which will
make the people conscious about their problem.

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Suggestions-

1. Constitutional Amendment: Art 24 of the Constitution should be amended as

below: “No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any
factory or mine or engaged in any other employment”.

2. The present title of Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 should
be amended as Child Labour (Prohibition and Rehabilitation) Act, so that more
focus should be given to rehabilitation rather than regulation.

3. Proviso annexed to section 3 of Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,

1986 should be amended to prevent the misuse of this provision by employers
under the heading of family occupations and no exceptions should be provided.
Section 3 of the Act, should be amended as, “it shall be presumed that occupier is
23 See for hypothesis chapter-1. 425 also the employer for the purpose of the Act
and the onus to prove that the child is a member of his or her family would rest on
the occupier”.

4. Distinction made between Part-A and B Schedules annexed to section 3 of the

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 shall be removed, as both
Schedules namely, occupations and processes, are equally hazardous to the health
of children. Therefore prohibition to employ a child should exist in both.

5. Under section 9 of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, it
should be made mandatory that every occupier after establishment should send a
notice to the Inspector containing the information regarding the employment of a
child, either in the affirmative or in the negative, annually.

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6. The age of the child provided under Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)
Act, 1986 i.e., 14 years should be enhanced to 18 years so as to bring it on par with
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989.

7. The Advisory Function of the Technical Advisory Committee under section

5(1) of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 should be
expanded so that it shall receive petitions from individuals etc, for addition of
occupations and processes to the Schedule.

8. The punishment for violation under section 14(3) of Child Labour (Prohibition
and Regulation) Act, 1986 shall be enhanced to three months simple imprisonment
or fine which may extend to fifty thousand rupees or with both.

9. In Section 16 of Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 a time

limit from Six months to One year should be fixed for the disposal of the case so
that, the aggrieved party may get relief on time.

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 10.Government of India should ratify the Convention No.182 and
Recommendation No.190 which deal with the “Prohibition and Immediate Action
for the Elimination of the Worst Form of Child Labour”. The Convention was
adopted in 1999 but the Government has not yet ratified it.

11.The Employment of children in any other employment including Agricultural

/Farm Sector should be made a cognizable offence, non- bailable and
noncompoundable.

12.A separate and independent body should be constituted under Labour Ministry
at Centre, State and District level for monitoring the affairs of child labourers after
14 years who were rehabilitated and mainstreamed.

13.Every State Government shall frame Rules under the Right to Education Act,
2009 immediately for the proper implementation of the provisions of the Act.

14.Laws on Child Labour and Education should be implemented in a mutually

supportive way.

15.The Judiciary should be more sensitive in dealing with Child Labour cases. The
general rule of ‘benefit of doubt’ cannot be given to the offending employers.
When guilt is proved, offending employer should be punished with imprisonment
and not with fine. In punishment policy, sentence of imprisonment should be made
427 a general rule and imposing fine should be an exception. This deters the
employers. Further there is a need to increase the conviction rate.

16.Government should encourage the NGOs for elimination of Child Labour by

granting proper budget periodically and accountability should be fixed on NGOs to
ensure that the funds are utilized for the purpose for which it is given.

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17.To deal with apathy and indifference on the part of the law enforcing agencies
in the discharge of their duties, there is need to conduct periodical orientation and
training programmes to sensitize them adequately.

18.It is suggested to give more focus on implementation and enforcement of Child

Labour laws and other laws meant for the protection of the children.

It is humbly submitted that, if all the above suggestions are implemented, the
menace of Child Labour can be effectively tackled and eventually it can be
eradicated.

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Conclusion:

Child Labour is not just an affront to the rights of a child but also a symbol of a
society that has lost its way. We should, therefore, all strive to ensure that the
fundamental rights of children are protected and that they are accorded the
opportunity to go after their dreams and aspirations. The future is much brighter
when the younger generation has a good foundation for success.

The innocence of a child should never be taken away for the purpose of making the
lives of adults easier. It is both unfair and morally unacceptable

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Bibliography-

https://en.wikipedia.org

www.importantindia.com

www.scoopwhoop.com

http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in

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