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.