Unacceptable crime “Child Labour”

In India, more than 5 million children are engaged in labour work that is completely not acceptable in order to make our country healthy, wealthy and socially developed. Survey says that, poverty and shortage of good primary schools are the main cause for child labour. Except that, mental state of parents also affects this crime. Until a parent is not aware of harmful impacts of this crime “child labour” on their children, it is almost impossible to end this crime. Extreme poor and rural areas are the sources of this evil “Child Labour” or “Child Slavery”. This trend has developed in rural areas to send their kids for work instead of sending them to school to get education.

There are so many places in India where this crime still exists like households, real estates, hotel and restaurants, manufacturing plants, handicraft industry, entertainment industry, coal & mines, etc. Some of them are too hazardous and dangerous for young ones which can physically and mentally damage them like exploitative occupation of coal mines and industries of matchbox and fireworks, but still children are working there in excess number.

Children are getting affected physically, mentally, socially, and morally due to this unacceptable crime “Child Labour”. It has targeted many countries in the form of undeveloped economic structure which has resulted in poverty, illiteracy, high population, corruption, unemployment, criminal activities, etc.

Worldwide problem

Child labour is the worldwide problem and it is the biggest matter of concern for our country too as future of our new generation is going towards darkness due to this social evil. Instead of enjoying their childhood, they are being forced, either because of the parental selfishness or because of the lack of their basic needs for survival, to go for work as labour on part time or full time basis at very low payment.

According to the National survey more than 13 million children are captivated in this major crime in which girls are two times more than boys, who are obsessed in this crime. Though, percentage ratio of the child labour has been decreased in comparison to the last few years but still this crime is swallowing our new generation’s future silently. There is a very huge working area in our country where child labour is thriving like domestic services, agriculture, hotel and restaurants, entertainment industry, coal mines, matchbox or firebox manufacturers, etc. This major crime named as “child labour” is depriving under age children from getting basic education or financially secure social life because children are involved in this crime at very low age of 5 to 7 years.Extreme poverty, uneducated people, high population, some time greediness of their parents and also increasing demand for child labour due to their compatible body structure required for hazardous and exploitative work area like coal mines are the main cause of child labour.

Child labour and domestic work

Photo Source: Opinion Junction

Domestic work means work performed in or for a household or households and “domestic worker” means any person engaged in domestic work within an employment relationship.

The term domestic work covers a wide range of tasks and services that vary from country to country and that can be different depending on the age, gender, ethnic background and migration status of the workers concerned, as well as the cultural and economic context in which they work. This means that a definition of domestic work and the workers involved on the basis only of the tasks being performed, risks being perpetually incomplete. Common and distinctive characteristic that domestic workers are employed by and provide services for third party private households. Child labour in domestic work refers to situations where domestic work is performed by children below the relevant minimum age (for light work, full-time non-hazardous work), in hazardous conditions or in a slavery-like situation. This general concept encapsulates both permissible as well as non permissible situations.

Curse to the society

Child labour is the crime to humanity which has become a curse to the society and big issue preventing the country growth and development. Childhood is the most memorable period of the life which everyone has right to live from birth. Children have full rights to play with friends, go to school, feel the love and care of parents and touch beauty of the nature. However, just because of the improper understandings of the people (parents, owners, etc), children are forced to live life of the elder. They are forced to arrange all the resources for life survival in their childhood.

Parents want to make them very responsible towards their family in the early childhood of their kids. They do not understand that their kids need love and care, they need proper schooling and play with friends to grow properly. Such parents understand that their kids are the only property of them, they can use them as they want. But really, every parents need to understand that they have some responsibility towards their country too. They need to make their kids healthy in every aspect to make the future of the country bright.

Parents should take all the responsibility of the family by own and let their kids to live their childhood with lots of love and care. The main causes of the child labour all over the world are poverty, parents, society, low salary, joblessness, poor living standard and understanding, social injustice, lack of schools, backwardness, ineffective laws which are directly affecting the development of the country.

Biggest social issue

Child labour has become a biggest social issue in India which needs to be solved on regular basis. It is not the responsibility of the government only, it should be solved and taken care by all the parents, owners and other social organizations. It is the issue of everyone which should be solved personally as it can be happened with the child of any person.

In many developing countries child labour is very common because of the existence of high level of poverty and poor schooling opportunities for the children. The highest incidence rate of the child labour is still more than 50 percent in which children of age group 5 to 14 are working in the developing country. The rate of child labour is high in the agriculture field which is mostly found in the rural and informal urban economy where most of the children are predominantly employed into the agriculture work by their own parents instead of sending them to the school and free them to play with friends.

The issue of the child labour has now been an international concern as it highly involved in inhibiting the growth and development of the country. Healthy children are the bright future and power of any country thus child labour is damaging, spoiling and destroying the future of the children and finally the country.

Vicious cycle of child labour

Over 168 million children across the world are trapped in the vicious cycle of child labour. Deprived of their basic right to survival, protection, development and participation, these children, between the age group of 5 to 17 years, account for 11% of the world’s total child population (International Labour Organisation – International Programme on the Elimination of Child Labour, 2013). Despite the decrease in child labour at a global level, Asia and the Pacific region continue to top the chart with 77.7 million child labourers, of which 34 million are reported to be engaged in hazardous

occupations.

India is home to the largest number of child labourers in the world. The Census of India Survey 2011, Government of India (GoI) estimated 11.7 million children aged 5-14 years (4.5% of total children in this age group) to be working under hazardous occupations and processes as main and marginal workers (Census Survey of India, Government of India).

The census data reflects 7% reduction in child labour in India from 2001 to 2011. Similarly, the total number of child labourers in Delhi has also fallen by 7%, from 42,000 in 2001 to 39,000 in 2011. However, it is important to note the simultaneous rise in the workforce of the unorganised sector from a mere 8413 in 2001 to 12,466 in 2011. The decadal rise in the number of marginal workers aged 5-14 years in Delhi is almost seven times the decrease in the overall number of child labourers. (Census Survey of India, Government of India, 2011). Despite the reduction in child labour over the past decade, it is difficult to discount the comparative growth of the child labour in the informal sector.

Poverty is important factors

Photo Source: World Bank Group

Poverty is one of the important factors for this problem. Hence, enforcement alone cannot help solve it. The Government has been laying a lot of emphasis on the rehabilitation of these children and on improving the economic conditions of their families.

Many NGOs like CARE India, Child Rights and You, Global March Against Child Labor, etc., have been working to eradicate child labor in India. The child labor can be stopped when knowledge is translated into legislation and action, moving good intention and ideas into protecting the health of the children. The endurance of young children is higher and they cannot protest against discrimination. Focusing on grassroots strategies to mobilize communities against child labor and reintegration of child workers into their homes and schools has proven crucial to breaking the cycle of child labor. A multidisciplinary approach involving specialists with medical, psychological and socio-anthropological level is needed to curb this evil.

It is in this context that we have to take a relook at the landmark passing of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education (RTE) Act 2009, which marks a historic moment for the children of India. For the first time in India's history, children will be guaranteed their right to quality elementary education by the state with the help of families and communities. The world cannot reach its goal to have every child complete primary school by 2015 without India. Although there have been significant improvements in the proportion of children from socially disadvantaged groups in school, gaps still remain. Girls are still less likely to enroll in school than boys; in 2005, for upper primary school (Grades 6–8) girls’ enrollment was still 8.8 points lower than boys, for Scheduled Tribes (ST) the gender gap was 12.6 points and it was 16 points for Scheduled Castes (SC). 

RTE provides a ripe platform to reach the unreached, with specific provisions for disadvantaged groups such as child laborers, migrant children, children with special needs, or those who have a “disadvantage owing to social, cultural economical, geographical, linguistic, gender or such other factors.” Bringing 8 million out-of-school children into classes at the age-appropriate level with the support to stay in school and succeed poses a major challenge. Substantial efforts are essential to eliminate disparities and ensure quality with equity. Successful implementation of the Act would certainly go a long way in eradicating child labor in India.

Children are future citizens

“There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

– Nelson Mandela

Children are future citizens of the Nation and their adequate development is utmost priority of the country. Unfortunately, child labour engulfs children across the world. The world is home to 1.2 billion individuals aged 10-19 years. However, despite its menace in various forms, the data shows variation in prevalence of child labour across the globe and the statistical figures about child labour are very alarming. There are an estimated 186 million child labourers worldwide. 

The 2001 national census of India estimated total number of child labour aged 5–14 to be at 12.6 million. Small-scale and community-based studies have found estimated prevalence of 12.6 million children engaged in hazardous occupations. Many children are “hidden workers” working in homes or in the underground economy. Although the Constitution of India guarantees free and compulsory education to children between the age of 6 to 14 and prohibits employment of children younger than 14 in 18 hazardous occupations, child labour is still prevalent in the informal sectors of the Indian economy. 

Child labour violates human rights and is in contravention of the International Labor Organization (Article 32, Convention Rights of the Child). About one-third of children in the developing world are failing to complete even 4 years of education. Indian population has more than 17.5 million working children in different industries, and incidentally maximum are in the agricultural sector, leather industry, mining and match-making industries, etc.

Government initiatives for Child Labour

Government of India initiatives in eradicating Child Labour in India:

1. Right to Education Bill: The government of India proposed the Right to Education bill in 2009 and implemented it at the grassroots level in India to eradicate the child labor.

2. Integrated Child Development Service (ICDS): As a continuation to the adoption of the National Policy for Children (1974), the Government of India developed the Integrated Child Development Services Scheme, popularly known as ICDS.
• Building the foundation for physical, psychological and emotional development of the child.
• Improve nutritional and health status of children below six years of age.
• Reduce the rate of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropouts.

3. Rehabilitation of Children Working in Hazardous Occupations: On August 15, 1994, the government of India launched another program to eliminate child labor from hazardous working conditions. Special schools have been set up for their rehabilitation in which they are provided with education, vocational training, monthly stipends, nutrition and health-checks.

4. Establishment of National Authority for the Elimination of Child Labour (NAECL): The National Authority for the Elimination of Child Labour (NAECL) was established on September 26, 1994 to eliminate child labor from India. The major initiatives of the programme are as follows:
• Child labour policy programs and formulations.
• Designing the programs, projects and schemes for eliminating the child labour from gross root level.
• Coordinating various child labour related projects among different government departments and ministries.

5. National Child Labour Project (NCLP): In 1988, the government of India launched the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) as a pilot project in nine districts with a motto to eradicate child labour. The children enrolled in this program were provided with formal and informal education, vocational training, and also a monthly stipend along with supplementary nutrition and health care. Initially it was started in nine districts and spread to 100 in the ninth 5-year plan and 250 in the tenth 5-year plan.

6. International Program on the Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC): IPEC is a global programme launched by the International Labour Organisation in December 1991. India was the first country to join it in 1992 by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with ILO.

Inside the miserable world of India's domestic workers

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Middle-class India’s greatest shame is its employment of underage children as domestic workers.

This is where children of relative privilege learn early to accept and normalize inequality, lessons they learn for life. Since domestic workers are mostly unregistered and are an invisible workforce, the actual numbers may be much higher. For instance, the study estimated that households in Delhi and Mumbai employ six hundred thousand domestic workers respectively, but activists place the numbers at one million in each city. There are three categories of domestic workers: residential workers who work 24x7, many of who are recruited through placement agencies; full-day workers who work from morning to evening for nine hours or more; and part-time workers who carry out specific tasks in more than one household and are normally recruited directly from and reside in slum areas.

In Indian homes, there are often separate plates for the help to eat from, and they almost never eat at the same table as their employers. They are usually made to sit on the floor for their meals. They are not given the same food as the employers, but rationed quantities of coarser, cheap food, or leftovers.

'People eat first, they later; People sit on chairs and they on the floor; People call them by their names and they address us by titles.'

Photo Source : Pinterest

Additional tasks range from washing and ironing clothes, walking the dog, cleaning cars, mopping floors and toilets, and many others. They spend many hours, often without breaks, sweeping and swabbing floors, washing clothes, cooking and taking care of the aged and children.

This is an invisible and powerless category of workers and, therefore, there are no reliable estimates of child domestic workers. The official study conducted by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector (NCEUS) estimates that 20 per cent of all domestic workers are under fourteen years of age

Who is evil ?

Photo Source : blogs.tribune.com

Evil – What is Evil or rather Who is evil? Is it some guy in dark shady clothes or a polished person wearing an Armani jacket and showing off his or her assets? Well, if there exists any evil force, it is in our minds and hearts. It is in us, the people who cannot bring a stop to acts such as child labour which pushes a country's future into the dark. The youth of a country formulate the country's successful future. If the youth is in pain, the future of the country can never be happy.

Government's Initiatives to Eliminate Child Labour : 

Whether it is washing used dishes in restaurants or working in construction sites, child labourers can be seen in every place. The sight is heart piercing.

In order to eliminate this social evil, the government has initiated various programmes that prevent kids from working in mines, restaurants, factories, etc. According to the law, any child who has not attained an age of 14 cannot indulge in any economic activity that ruins their innocent childhood. Every child has the Right To Education, an act based on which every child aged between 6 and 14 can receive free and compulsory education.

Laws to stop child labour

Photo Source : The Indian Express

When in the 20^th Century, child labour became so prominent that news of factory hazards and mishappenings taking innocent children’s life, flashed all around in the newspapers, then was the time, a need for legislations and statutes were felt to prohibit the practice of child labour.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 is a person who has not completed the age of fourteen years. A child of such tender age, is expected to play, study and be carefree about his life. But as a fact of nature, expectations hardly meet reality. Children, by will or by force are employed to work in the harsh conditions and atmosphere which becomes a threat to their life. Child labour leads to underdevelopment, incomplete mental and physical development, which in turn results in retarded growth of children.

Laws related to child labour:

Today, there are sufficient statutes condemning and prohibiting child labour such as:

The Factories Act of 1948: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in any factory. The law also placed rules on who, when and how long can pre-adults aged 15–18 years be employed in any factory.

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 years in hazardous occupations identified in a list by the law. The list was expanded in 2006, and again in 2008.

The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2000: This law made it a crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to procure or employ a child in any hazardous employment or in bondage. This act provides punishment to those who act in contravention to the previous acts by employing children to work.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009: The law mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. This legislation also mandated that 25 percent of seats in every private school must be allocated for children from disadvantaged groups and physically challenged children.

PENALTIES

Violations under Section-3 shall be punishable with imprisonment which shall not be less than three months which may extend to one year or with fine which shall not be less than ten thousand rupees but which may extend to twenty thousand rupees or with both. Continuing offence under section (3) shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than six months but which may extend to two years.

Any other violations under the Act shall be punishable with simple imprisonment, which may extend to one month or with fine, which may extend to ten thousand rupees or with both.

Causes of Rising Instances of Child Labour

Photo Source : ASHMITA NAHAR

Children are not only led to labour due to poor school infrastructure but also find themselves caught in the crossfire' of India's poverty problem. In many cases, it is parents and relatives who force children into labour. Child labour also becomes a means of survival for children who find themselves homeless or abandoned as a result of adverse circumstances.

Poverty has and will always remain one of the primary reasons behind child labour. In a developing economy like ours, the poor people always consider the children of the family as an extra source of income. And thus, they are often forced to work in order to financially support their family.

Causes of Child Labour

• The curse of poverty

The main reason for child labour is poverty. Most of the country’s population suffers from poverty. Due to poverty, parents cannot afford the studies of their children and make them earn their wages from a tender age.

• Lack of educational resources

Even after so many years of our country’s independence, there are instances where children are deprived of their fundamental right to education. There are thousands of villages in our country where there are no proper facilities of education.

• Social and economic backwardness

Social and economic backwardness is also the main reason for child labour. Socially backward parents do not send their children to receive education. Consequently, their children are trapped in child labour.

• 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. Parents, instead of sending their children to school, are willing to send them to work to increase family income.

• Poor compliance of laws

In modern society, laws stipulate that citizens have the right to receive good education, avail good health services and take care of their health. Absence of proper compliance of the laws, child labour is continuing. It can be prohibited only by strict adherence to the related laws.

• Lure of cheap labour

In the greed of cheap labour, some shopkeepers, companies and factory owners employ children so that they have to pay less to them and it amounts to employing cheap labour.

• Family tradition

Photo Source : Medium.com

It is a shocking but a bitter truth that in our society it is very easy to give child labour the name of tradition or custom in many families. The culture and traditional family values play their role in increasing the problem of child labour at the voluntary level. Many families believe that a good life is not their destiny, and the age-old tradition of labour is the only source of their earning and livelihood.

Small Hands Can Handle A Pen Better

Children are the greatest gift to humanity and hold the future of our country in their little hands. It’s horrifying that one out of every seven children around the world today is a child labour. Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity on a part- or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Poverty, Social and economic backwardness, Family tradition and the growth of the informal economy are considered to be the key causes of child labour in India. 

Source : The Fresh Quotes

Children are always considered next to the pious versions of the Almighty who always strive to inculcate happiness, joy, innocence and hope. India is sadly the home to the largest number of child labourers in the world. The 2011 national census of India found the total number of child labourers, aged 5–15, to be at 4.35 million. Child labour problem is not unique to India, worldwide about 217 million children work, many full-time.

The future of a nation is determined by the way it treats its children and its women, after all, children imply a hope, a hope to strengthen not only the economy of the country but also to provide the country with skilled human resources who have access to the basic amenities essential for the existence coupled with the tenets of the education in India. It is the moral duty of every citizen of the country to ensure that the childhood of our children is protected.