Dr. Banarsi Lal and Dr. Vikas Tandon
Child labour is a scar on the world’s conscience in the 21st century. It is a social evil and a bane in the development of any society. Child labour exists in every society. It is ubiquitous although it varies in its degree and form. It is really a serious issue and we should pay attention on it. Every year we observe 12th of June as World Day against Child Labour to pay attention on the need to eliminate this menace. Entire world is responsible for this crime against the children. India is not an exception. Child labour in India is increasing every year. The International Labour Organisation Convention No.138 defines hazardous child labour as work which by its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to harm health, safety or moral of children. Working children are exploited and they are toiled for long hours with the minimum payment. These children live the life of deprivation and suffering. The exploitation affects their physical, psychological and moral growth. Every day we come across about the child abuse on the newspapers. Now the children below the age of 14 have become an important part of various industries at the cost of their health and innocence.
Million of children of world undergo the different forms of child labour which includes child slavery, child prostitution, child trafficking, child soldiers etc. Child labour is a heinous crime, an offence and it is an old phenomenon which has increased with the increase in the industrializations and capitalism. Economically child is considered as the least active member of an economy but socially children are the foundation of a nation. Psychologically childhood represents most tender phase where the child needs love, freedom and protection. In present era of technological advancement, children are being callously exploited almost in every country of the world. Child labour has been found highest in Sub-Saharan Africa where 41 per cent of those aged between five to fifteen work. In Asia 21 per cent are working and 17 per cent in Latin America. Asia contributes 60 per cent of child workforce due to its high population growth. Asia is led by India which has 44 million child workers. In Pakistan 17.7 per cent of child work force have been observed while in Bangladesh these figures are 30.1.These figures are not absolute though many agencies operate their rackets of child labour. Mostly the culprits remain unpunished. Article 24 of the Indian Constitution prohibits employment of children below the age of 14 in hazardous conditions. Child Labour Act, 1986 regulates working hours and wages of children less than fourteen years working in non-hazardous employment. Immoral Traffic Act, 1986 amendment provides for seven years imprisonment for recruitment, transportation or receipt of a child below eighteen years of old for exploitation. Article 45 relating to free and compulsory education for children bear testimony to this realisation. The other provisions related to prohibition of traffic in human beings and forced child labour (Article 23) and certain principle to be followed by the state stipulates that children be secured against exploitation. There are various restrictions on child labour in our country but the child labour is so deeply embedded in our society that it shows little signs of decreasing. In our country around 90 per cent of the working children in the rural areas are employed in agriculture and allied activities, forty per cent of urban children work in manufacturing sector and firework factories. In our country children are forced by the parents or even kidnapped by the gangsters for the work. The distribution of child labour in various states appears to indicate certain correlation. States having a larger population living below poverty line have a high incidence of child labour is accompanied by high rates of school dropouts. Survival is the only priority for the families below the poverty line. The nexus between the child labour and poverty is complex. Children are more helpless than adults. Some people take advantage of them in order to cater their vested interests. The wealth concentrates in the hands of few people due to unequal distribution of wealth. These wealthy people make the underprivileged work in servitude. Population explosion and limited number of social welfare schemes aggravate this problem. The education and caste systems of our country are also responsible for this problem. To dominate someone who is weaker than us indicates our spiritual degradation despite being civilized. The bonded labour in the carpet industry is nauseating. It is estimated that around 10, 50,000 children are working in the carpet industries for almost twenty hours in the carpet industry that eventually beautify the houses of rich. There is a brass industry in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh where the children are engaged to remove the molten metal near furnaces, directly expose the temperature around 2000 degree F. These children sometimes suffer with the diseases like tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases due to inhalation of fumes from furnaces. It is estimated that around 50,000 children used to work in glassware industry in Ferozabad. These children work in rooms with poor ventilation, dangling electric wires and intense heat. Around 50,000 children work in Sivakasi (Tamil Nadu) with the explosive and toxic materials. There is a great demand for trafficked children as cheap labour or for sexual exploitation. It is estimated that around 1.2 million are trafficked every year. Out of nine million prostitutes in India, thirty per cent are children. They are smuggled from different corners of the country. There is a correlation between HIV/AIDS and child labour. The condition of the girl child is more precarious than the boy. The fact is that this happy world has a darker side. It is estimated that around 44 million children are working in various industries in India. Shouldn’t we be ashamed? The answer is big YES. The more we ignore this problem, the more it will worsen.
If child labour is to be eradicated, the Governments and other agencies need to start their work .The most important thing is to increase the awareness and keep discussing ways and means to eliminate this problem. In India there are various NGOs who have exposed this issue in front of national and international agencies. Japan, Taiwan and South Korea have eliminated this problem. Indonesia and Thailand have made progress to eradicate this problem. India needs to show the similar kind of results. Government is taking various pro-active measures to tackle this problem. Considering the magnitude and extent of the problem and that it is socio-economic problem, it requires concerted efforts from all sections of the society to make a dent in the problem. Systematic, sympathetic and sincere efforts are needed to banish this problem. Proper enforcement of laws, generation of public opinion and employment oriented quality education are required to eradicate the problem. The children should be involved in the solution of the problem. The government need to implement the programmes and policies for the elimination of child labour. As poverty is the root cause of child labour, .the action plan must be prepared to cover these children and their families under various poverty alleviation and employment generation schemes.
It is said that children are God’s greatest creation. They are born for love and affection. They are the future of any nation. They should not be subjugated to unbearable pain. Their dreams are stolen by some persons of society. It is said that whatever is done to children, they will do to society.
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