Child Labour In India

You can see them working in Tea stalls, picking up garbages in streets, working in a bidi factory, working in a house or at any other such places where they are not supposed to work. As the population of India is growing day by day, Child Labour is emerging out to be a serious problem. As per the National Census Report 2001 about 12.6 million children between the age of 5 to 14 years work as Child labour in India. The figure is not only alarming but is also a shame for a rapidly developing country like India.

So, first of all let us focus on the reasons for the rising Child Labour in India

·       Poverty: It is one of the most vital reasons. A majority of the Indian population lives below the poverty line. They have a myth that; more the number of children the more are the sources of income.

·       Illiteracy among Parents: People living in rural areas are not literate enough to understand the outcomes or the impact that physical work has on the health of the child.

·       Fewer schools: There is still dearth of schools for poor children both in rural as well as urban areas.

·       Employer’s preference: We cannot blame the parents and children every time. The persons employing child labour should be dealt with strictly.

Now, as we finish discussing the causes of Child Labour in India, let us now focus on the laws that are present in India to curb Child Labour in India.

1.    Factories Act, 1948: This act restricts any children below 14 years of age from working in a factory. It also places a restriction and discloses rules regarding working of pre adults that are persons from 15 to 18 years of age.

2.    Mines Act, 1952: It puts a ban on all the children aged less than 18 years from working in a mine.

3.    The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986: This act restrains children below 14 years from working in a hazardous environment.

4.    The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act, 2000: Any person employing a child in any hazardous environment is punishable under this act.

5.    The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009: This act makes it mandatory for children aged 6 to 14 years to have free and compulsory education. Moreover, the act also stresses on the fact that 25% of the seats in all private schools must be reserved for children suffering from any type of physical disability and backward groups.

 Inspite of these laws the Government of India has not been successful in fully eradicating Child Labour from India. The SSA or the Sarva Sikhsha Abhiyan introduced by Atal Bihari Vajpayee was introduced to make elementary education free for children in the age group between 6 to 14 years. It also focuses on the importance of girl child education in India.

Hence, in conclusion it can be said that the budgetary allocation towards the education of children should be increased, adults in the rural areas should be educated about the importance of Child Education.