Information on Child Labour

Child labour refers to the engagement of a child in any form of work that is harmful to their physical, mental and emotional development. The practice of child labour is a violation of human rights, and can potentially lead to lifelong physical or psychological damage. Children who are employed as child labourers are often forced to drop out of school and discontinue their education. There is a need to create awareness on the issue of child labour and spread information on child labour. Children are extremely vulnerable and are exposed to various risks when they are engaged as child labourers. They are separated from their families, exposed to serious danger and left to fend for themselves.

Millions of children around the world are trapped still in child labour. They are deprived of a proper childhood and denied access to adequate health, nutrition, education and sanitation. Child labour is a serious violation of a child’s rights and highly exploitative in nature.

Based on the data collected by the World Bank, the International Labour Organization and UNICEF, it is estimated that roughly 168 million children between the ages of 5-17 are engaged in child labour. This includes forms of child labour such as bonded labour, slavery, sexual exploitation and child soldiering. It is also estimated that there will be approximately over a 100 million children trapped in child labour by 2020. The practice of employing child labour can be found across various sectors such as domestic service, agriculture, mining, manufacturing and quarrying as well. A combination of factors such as poverty, illiteracy and social norms contribute to the prevalence of child labour. Therefore there needs to be a wider circulation of information on child labour.

Child labour, however, is a preventable practice, and requirese strategic intervention of governments and social communities. Non-Government Organisations like Save the Children (NGOs) believe that every child deserves the right start in life. Save the Children works with government bodies, local communities and other NGOs to make sure that impoverished children across India receive proper education, nutrition, healthcare and sanitation. Children are extremely vulnerable and need to be protected from situations which violate their fundamental child rights.

There also provisions in the Indian constitution which are set up to protect children from child labour. As per Article 23 of the Constitution of India, any kind of forced labour is strictly prohibited. Article 24 of the Indian Constitution states that any child under the age of 14 cannot be employed to perform any hazardous work. The Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation) 1986 is another law that has been established to prohibit children below the age of 14 from working.

The harsh realities of being forced into child labour and operating under difficult working conditions cause problems such as depression, malnutrition and a dependency on drugs. Child labourers are also forced to discontinue their education and therefore are destined to become illiterate adults. This leaves them very little possibility of growing in their professional life. Save the Children in one of India’s leading child right’s NGO since 2008. We run multiple programmes across various states in India to help impoverished children build a better future for themselves.