Articles
Criminal Matters Advocate on Child Labour in India
by Abhinav K. Digital Marketing Expert, FreelanceAccording to 2001 census there were 12.59 million child labourers in
India as against 11.28 million in 1991. Destitute, penury and miserable
conditions of poor in India are compelling them to push their children in subhuman conditions. These children are deprived of their most basic rights like education, proper nutrition and recreational activities of the childhood. Most either never went to school or forced to left the school due to unavoidable social and economical circumstances.
Instead of going with bags to school they are helpless to work in
factories with fire and hammers, this is the dark side of poor Indian children.
Unfortunately, India tops the world in child labour in terms of absolute number. These children work in industries like garments, leather, brick kilns, stainless steel, chemicals and paints and even in construction industry. Many these young labourers are also engaged in export houses dealing with hazardous work activities like carpet weaving, gem polishing, match works, electro-plating, lead mining, glass blowing, stone quarrying, lock making and many other such works. Working in these hazardous conditions lead them towards various fatal diseases like asthma, TB, cancer, liver and kidney infections, skin problems and many gynaecological problems in adolescent girls. These children also encounters various accidents at workplace and they often lost their limbs and eyes due to these terrible accidents.
Despite the severity of matter, Indian government seems reluctant to comply ILO convention which defines a child as one below 18 years of age while Indian legal provisions define the minimum age for employment, as 14. Child Labour Act 1986, do not prohibit child labour but ban it only in some hazardous industries. "Unfortunately our child labour prohibition and regulation act is totally outdated, it says children below the age of 14 cannot be employed in hazardous occupations. Does that mean in non-hazardous occupations a two-year-old child can be employed?"- Kushal Singh, head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
" The major issue is that the actual number of child labourers are far more than the calculated figures. As most of these children work in unorganised sector the detection of accurate figure is almost an impossible task. There is an emergent need to amend laws pertaining to the protection of children, existing laws are out dated and they are no more effective in dealing with this serious problem. Implementation and execution of laws is another important issue and there must be an effective government machinery to rectify the things."- Criminal Matters Advocate, the Supreme Court of India.
Unfortunately, India tops the world in child labour in terms of absolute number. These children work in industries like garments, leather, brick kilns, stainless steel, chemicals and paints and even in construction industry. Many these young labourers are also engaged in export houses dealing with hazardous work activities like carpet weaving, gem polishing, match works, electro-plating, lead mining, glass blowing, stone quarrying, lock making and many other such works. Working in these hazardous conditions lead them towards various fatal diseases like asthma, TB, cancer, liver and kidney infections, skin problems and many gynaecological problems in adolescent girls. These children also encounters various accidents at workplace and they often lost their limbs and eyes due to these terrible accidents.
Despite the severity of matter, Indian government seems reluctant to comply ILO convention which defines a child as one below 18 years of age while Indian legal provisions define the minimum age for employment, as 14. Child Labour Act 1986, do not prohibit child labour but ban it only in some hazardous industries. "Unfortunately our child labour prohibition and regulation act is totally outdated, it says children below the age of 14 cannot be employed in hazardous occupations. Does that mean in non-hazardous occupations a two-year-old child can be employed?"- Kushal Singh, head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.
" The major issue is that the actual number of child labourers are far more than the calculated figures. As most of these children work in unorganised sector the detection of accurate figure is almost an impossible task. There is an emergent need to amend laws pertaining to the protection of children, existing laws are out dated and they are no more effective in dealing with this serious problem. Implementation and execution of laws is another important issue and there must be an effective government machinery to rectify the things."- Criminal Matters Advocate, the Supreme Court of India.
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About Abhinav K. 
Digital Marketing Expert, Freelance
3,666 connections, 72 recommendations, 9,073 honor points.Joined APSense since, November 11th, 2011, From New Delhi, India.
Created on Dec 31st 1969 18:00. Viewed 0 times.
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