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Children are the future of a nation and their overall development is should be one of the top most priorities of a country. Unfortunately there’s a large part of this demographic that is subjected to illegal labor which affect their overall well-being in number of ways. According to the report by the International Labor Organization, the number of children engaged in child labor around the world is above 160 million. While the number had consistently been on a decrease since the turn of the century, it has increased in the past couple of years due to the economic difficulties presented by the global pandemic. The number while on a decrease is still substantially high in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia including India. According to the population census of 2011, over 10 million children between the age of 5 to 14 are engaged in child labor in the country. This is a staggering number and these children are deprived of even the basic human needs on occasion. The majority of India’s child laborers are employed in the agriculture sector as the percentage stands at 57 percent, next is the industrial sector with 33 percent and the rest belong to the service sector. The various activities in which children are engaged in range from farming, weeding, manufacturing garments, glass bangles, producing bricks, quarrying, rolling cigarettes to domestic work, working in hotels, sorting garbage and working in automobile workshops. Children are also subjected to forced labor in all of the aforementioned industries, used by non-state actors in armed conflicts against the state, used in illicit activities like theft and commercial sexual exploitation mostly as a result of human trafficking. In order to understand the prevalence and consequences of child labor and the impact of the recent pandemic on it, the research paper titled Prevalence and potential consequences of child labor in India and the possible impact of COVID-19 – a contemporary overview Navpreet Kaur and Roger W Byard is a good source. It goes through the prevalence of child labor in various parts of the country, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on child labor and it also discusses the various international conventions that are in place to prevent it.

The article titled Right to Education a Potent tool to curb Child Labor which featured in The Hindu is an article which focuses on the very important role that education can play in eliminating the practice of child labor. It talks about the Right to education act and how it could possibly eradicate this activity, it also goes on to talk about the efforts made by the International Labor Organization and other international organizations. The article titled Child Labor in India that appeared in soschildrensvillage.com is a great source to understand the state of child labor in India and the world. It also goes on to discuss the various causes and consequences of child labor and the steps which can be taken to stop it. It also addresses the laws in place to put an end to this activity.

Causes of Child Labor

There are a number of socio-economic economic factors which push children towards child labor. Some of the most important ones are:-

1.Poverty- Although India has experienced an economic boom since the 1990s, according to the World Bank there are 134 million people in the country who earn less than 2 dollars a day. This presence of abject poverty in the country pushes children to work from a very young age and at times even in hazardous conditions in order to support their families.

2. Lack of Education- Lack of education is one of the most important factors leading to the prevalence of child labor in the country. School needs to be a welcoming environment with proper curriculum, limited class sizes the affordability should also be kept in the loop. The lack of funding in public schools and their limited reach, especially in the rural areas is a contributing factor.

3. Lack of proper Healthcare- Not having good and affordable healthcare facilities forces parents to leave their employment and that in-turn forces the children to work. This especially true in case of the lower income families.

4. Family Tradition- It is unfortunate but true that in our society child labor is given the name of custom and tradition in a lot of families. Many small and marginal business people employ their children in their trade from a very young age in order to reduce the costs of production and refuse to consider it child labor as they are only working for their family.

Consequences of Child Labor

Child labor naturally has a number of adverse effects on the society as a whole in general and the children subjected to it in particular. Some of the biggest consequences of child labor are the following-

1. Society loses what could have been some of its most important, impactful and resourceful citizens. The consequence of child labor in terms of the amount of human resource it renders sub-optimized is tragic.

2. The physical trauma that is caused to children like fractures, cuts, burns and lacerations etc.

3.  The long lasting mental and psychological trauma like post traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety etc. that might be caused to various sorts of abuses that a child might suffer under the hazardous working conditions.

4. The sexual exploitation of children, especially girls, by adults leading to all kinds of mental, physical and psychological trauma, sexually transmitted diseases, HIV/AIDS etc.

5. Emotional abuse that includes blaming, belittling, verbal attacks, rejection and humiliation.

6. Emotional neglect such as deprivation of family love and affection, resulting in loneliness, and hopelessness.

7. Lack of education that further limits their capability to earn decent wages and lead a good life.

Laws Against Child Labor

Child Labor is an illegal activity in India and a criminal offense which is outlawed by Child Labor Prohibition acts and constitutional provisions alike. The important provisions prohibiting child labor in India are the following-:

1.    Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) amendment act 2016- The government enacted the Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) act which came into force w.e.f. 01.09.2016. This amendment act completely outlaws the employment of children below the age of 14 years. The act also prohibits the employment of children between the age of 14 and 18 years in hazardous occupations and regulate their working conditions where they are not prohibited. The amendment also provides for stricter punishment for employers for the violation of the act and making the offense of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the act by any employer as cognizable.

2.     Article 21 (Right to Education)- The state shall provide free and mandatory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years in such a manner as the state, by law, may determine.

3.     Article 24 (Prohibition of employment of children in factories)- No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed in work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.

4.     Article 39- The state shall, in particular, direct its policy towards securing that the health and strength of workers, men and women and the tender age of children are not abused and the citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength.

The Crucial Role of Education

Education is one of the fundamental rights that are enshrined in the constitution of India. It is not only a fundamental right but it is also on a more basic level, a human right which every human being should be entitled to have. Lack of education can lead to a lot of problems on individual and societal level and Child Labor is one of the main ones. Lack of education is both a cause and a consequence of child labor in the country. Lack of education not only limits a child’s ability to get quality employment in the future it also perpetuates a cycle of poverty, on a more human level it hinders a child’s capability to develop a good understanding of the world around him/her and to also differentiate between what is good for them and what is not, and on a societal and national level it leads to a humungous human resource cost as the nation potentially misses out on what could have been a far more resourceful individual and could have contributed immensely to the country as a whole.

Education is definitely the most effective way of preventing and eliminating child labor from the country. A quality and mandatory education can help to bring the children from the marketplace to the classroom. Many experts argue that when schools provide meals, transport and occupational training, children often stop working. This not only stops child labor but also leads to a decrease in the health issues like malnutrition that children often suffer from. The occupational training provided in schools also leads to a decrease in the sub-optimal use of human resource as children grow to work in much better industries than they otherwise would have worked in. A proper education further helps in breaking the perpetual cycle of abject poverty which is still rampant in certain parts of the country, which in-turn decreases the chances of the next generation being perspective about child labor and also helps it to be understood in a better manner.

1. The Hindu 2. soschildren.com 3. UNICEF India 4. Indian Polity by M.Laxmikanth 5. https://tomorrow.city/a/what-is-the-impact-of-child-labor 6. https://labour.gov.in/childlabour/about-child-labour 7. https://www.humanium.org/en/child-labor-in-india/