CHILD LABOUR

 CHILD LABOUR 

BY NUPUR GARG A

INTRODUCTION 

Child labour has been a major concern in the world because it affects the children both mentally and physically and it also destroys the future of children. Child labour is one the serious issue not only in India but also in other developing countries. It is widely prevalent in developing countries because of poverty .it is a great social problem because children are the hope and future of a nation. There were many laws enacted to prohibit child labour but they are ineffective. According to 2017 statics India is one of the leading countries in Asia has a whopping 33 million children employed in various forms of child labour.

CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR

In India, the major causes of child labour are:

1. Poverty: Children are considered helping hands of their family. In developing countries, it is almost impossible to control child labour as children not only have to support themselves but their families also and provide them with a living. Due to poverty, the rate of unemployment and underemployment are also very high and so the parents have to send their children to work on low wages.

2. Previous debts: Due to their poor economic condition people take loans. But they don’t have sufficient money to pay back the loans so they not only work day and night to pay off the loans but they also drag their children to work so that the loan could be paid off before time and easily.

3. Professional needs: Some industries require delicate and soft hands rather than rough hands that are required in bangle industries. So they prefer children and not adults for such work.

4. Bonded labour: Children often work for long hours in the sun and they are deprived of water, food. These children are seldom paid. Bonded labour further adds to the large-scale increase in child labour.

5. Domestic help: small children often work for educated families and irrespective of several laws that violate the employment of children, they often welcome small children so that these children can take care of their homes as well as their children.

6. Child sex workers: Often, girls who attained the age of puberty are forced into prostitution in lieu of a promise that they would be given opportunities to do glamorous jobs.

7. Forced begging: Families who can’t support themselves force their children to beg on the roads in subhuman conditions. They get their children maimed in order to get more money from the people.

CHILD LABOUR LAWS IN INDIA 

1. Minimum Wages Act 1948

2. The Plantation Labour Act 1951

3. The Mines Act 1952 

4. The Merchant Shipping Act 1958

5. The Apprentices Act 1961 

6. The Indian Factories Act 1948

7. The Child Labour (Regulation and Prohibition) Act 1986

8. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Of Children Act 2000

9. The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 etc…

DRAWBACKS:

The main cause of child labour is higher poverty level. These children have no choice other than working as a labour in the factories child labour for these children is survival .if they don't work they will die of poverty and hunger. They are the future of India. None of these children have the privilege to going to school and being able to go to a house at the end of the day. The child labour is prevalent at a large scale in the country. In Punjab it is found in hotels, restaurant, tea stalls, for which the administrative authorities, parents, educationalist, police officials and employers of public authority is responsible.  There is lack of implementations of child laws. Since politicians and other authorities ignore it  and the various departments for the labour laws fails to implement the laws properly .Laws remain merely on the paper for which the lack of control of population and increasing unemployment are the major causes and politicians fear to tackle these problems in view of their vote banks.

REMEDIES:

The remedy is only in the hands of the government, it should take necessary steps to eradicate poverty through employment to the parents of the child labour. Necessary practical steps should be taken to educate the children .The government should allocate the necessary funds to educate and nurture the poor children. The violators of child labour laws should be punished accordingly.