Let’s act on our Commitments : End

Child Labour
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul
than the way in which it treats its children.”
- Nelson Mandela

Child:
There may be many definitions for “Child”. But UNCRC
(United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child)
describes “Child” as a person below the age of 18, unless the
laws of a particular country set the legal age for adulthood
younger. The Committee on the Rights of the Child, the
monitoring body for the Convention, has encouraged States to
review the age of majority if it is set below 18 and to increase
the level of protection for all children under 18.

Child Labour:
Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)
Act, 1986 states that “no child (who has not completed the age
of fourteen years) shall be employed or permitted to work in
any occupation or process” and “No adolescent (who has
completed the age of fourteen years and has not completed the
age of eighteen years) shall be employed or permitted to work in
any of the hazardous occupations or processes set forth in the
schedule” which means whoever not completed the age of
fourteen years and has been employed in any of the
employments or whoever not completed the age of eighteen
years and employed in hazardous environment are meant to be
child labours.
The penalty for the above violation is imprisonment for a
term that shall not be less than 6 months but which may extend
to 2 years or fine which shall not be less than Rs. 20,000 but
which may extend to Rs. 50,000 or both.
The International Labour Organisation states that the
‘Child Labour’ is a work that
 deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their
dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental
development.
 is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and
harmful to children.
 and/or interferes with a child’s ability to attend and
participate in school fully by obliging them to leave school
prematurely.
Hence, ‘Child Labour’ is considered as a crime that
deprives Children of their rights to education, their childhood,
physical and mental well-being.
Constitutional Provisions and Child:
Our constitution of India provides certain measures to the
welfare of children as mentioned below.
 Article 15 (3)– Authorizes the State for the making any
special provision for women and children.
 Article 21– No person shall be deprived of his life or his
personal liberty
 Article 21A– The state shall provide free and compulsory
education to all children of the age of 6-14 years.
 Article 23– Traffic in human being and beggar and other
forms of forced labour
 Article 24–No child below the age of 14 shall be employed
to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other
hazardous employment.
 Article 39(e)– The State shall direct its policy towards
securing tender age of children is not abused and they are not
forced by economic necessity.
 Article 39(f)– Children are to be given opportunities and
facilities to develop in a healthy manner and in conditions of
freedom and dignity against exploitation, against moral and
material abandonment
 Article 45– Provide early childhood care and education for
all children until they complete the age of 6 years.
 The general provisions under Article, 38, 42, 43, 45 and 47
of Directive Principles of State Policy, although do not deal
directly with child welfare.
 Article-38 (1) Promote the welfare of the people
 Article-42 and 43 Ensuring a decent standard of life and full
employment of leisure and social and culture opportunities.
 Article-46 Makes provisions for promotion, with special
care of the educational and economic interest of SC and ST
and other weaker sections of the society.
 Article-47 Raising standard of living of people.
Provisions in other Legislation:
For a case of child labour Indian Penal Code, Sec. 370,
the following sections in 370A, 342, 343, 344, 363A,
various laws may also be 374
considered for trafficking, Juvenile Justice Act 2015, Sec.
crimes against a child during 74-88, 80 -85, 87, 42, 33 -34
employment and bonded Bonded Labour System
labour Abolition Act 1976, Sec. 16-23
SC/ST ACT S. 3(h), 3(2)(v)

If there is a case of sexual POCSO Act 2012, Sec. 3-18

exploitation then the following IPC 342, 3 43, 344, 346, 354A,
sections may also be 354B, 354C, 354D, 366A,
considered 366B, 509
 United Nations has set seventeen goals for Sustainable
Development. ‘Elimination of Child Labour by 2025’ and ‘End
exploitation of Children’ are two among them.
Even then, eradication of Child Labour is still remains as a
challenge.
Causes of Child Labour :
 Poverty
As poverty is the main cause of most of the social illness,
so it remains the main cause for child labour too. As they could
not afford for food and education due to poverty, they need to
earn for their livelihood.

Poverty
Child
Labou Illiterac
r
y

Physical
and Un/
Mental Under
illness employ
ment

 Vicious cycle of Poverty

Migration
As the parents migrate from one state to another due to
social, economic, political or environmental issues, the children
also have to move on along with them. Due to language
problems they could not continue their schooling. Hence, they
also work along with their parents or work in neighbouring
areas.
 Children of Nomads
Children of Nomads like Gypsies, move along with their
parents from one place to another place. Hence, they could not
go to school. Instead, they also work along their parents.
 Lack of interest in studies
As they lack interest in studies, they do not want to study
and they go to work.
 Learning Difficulty
Children with learning difficulty becomes Sophophobic and
hence, drops out from school and goes to work.
 Health Issues
Due to long absenteeism because of their illness, they get
afraid of continuing schooling and goes to work.
 Pandemic, Natural Disaster
Covid - 19 is a big example of this. Many students
dropped out of school during this pandemic and went to work.
 Exposure to Drugs, Alcohol or social media
Nowadays children get easy exposure to drugs and social
media and lacking interest in studies. Also they need money for
getting drugs and so, they go to work.
 Family Problems
Separation of parents, sick parents, frequent quarreling
between the parents leads children to become as a child labour.
 To support the family
To support the family with insufficient income or with
many girl children, the children or forced to work.
 Children of Single Parent / No Parent
The children without parental care gets lack of interest in
studies and are pushed to earn for themselves.
 Children of Drug Addicts
Alcoholics and drug addicts spends most of their earnings
for their drugs and could not afford for family expenditure and
hence the children are forced to work.
 Lesser emoluments
As the employers can extract more work for less salary,
they prefer child labours over adult employees.
 Bonded Labour system
As the family enters into bondage, so the children are also
bound to work along with them.

Ending Child Labour:

“Prevention is better than cure”. So, we have to work more
on ways and means to prevent child labour.
 Every Indian citizen has to take an oath that we will not
employ child labour in our home or in any of our
establishments.
 Family control measures must be implemented effectively.
 Parents must be given awareness about the evils of child
labour.
 Children must be given awareness about the benefits of
literacy.
 Right to education must be implemented effectively.
 Enough support to increase their financial stability must be
provided.
 Already Samagra Siksha Abhiyaan members are following
up school drop - out children. This shall be done in a more
effective way. Other school managements shall also follow-
up long absentees continuously and have to be encouraged to
continue their education.
 Alcoholism and Drug addiction must be dealt effectively by
the Government.
 Special education centres have to be set up for migrants.
 Family counselling have to be provided for the parents of
drop out children.
 Special Child education system have to be strengthened.
Though some of the schools are providing bridge courses, all
schools may have special coaching for children with learning
difficulties.
 Our education system may be improved to make it
interesting like including more practical, playful and skill
development programs.
 Education must be made free. Though the government is
providing free education in government schools, the fee
structure in private school has also should be regulated.
 Law enforcing authorities must enforce the laws very
effectively. Violations must be dealt seriously.
 In Tamilnadu we have many poverty alleviation programs.
But we have to give enough awareness to lower class people
to make use of them.
 Government authorities have to make effective use of social
workers and unions to spread awareness, identification of
child labours and to rehabilitate them.
So, Let us keenly act on our commitments like,
 Be stubborn on not engaging children below eighteen for our
domestic or institutional works.
 Providing physical and moral support to the underprivileged
children of our society to encourage literacy.
 Imparting awareness among illiterate people whoever we
meet daily, like our maids, street vendors from whom we buy
flowers, vegetables, fruits and among lower level workers of
our institutions.
 We can conduct free medical camps near the residential
locality of underprivileged people to help developing their
children’s physical and mental wellness.
 Report to the concerned authorities whenever we see a child
labour or drug- circulating people or shops.
 Complaints can be lodged with
1. District Magistrate / Collector
2. Labour Department
3. Police
4. Child Welfare Committee
5. District Child Protection Officer
6. PENCIL Portal (pencil.gov.in - platform for effective
enforcement for the prevention of child labor)

7. Child Helpline 1098

Conclusion:
“Children are not things to be moulded, but are people to
be unfolded.” - Jess Lair.
So, Let’s all join our hands together and make all possible
efforts to unfold the bound child labours from all their bonds
and wounds to end the society’s worst disease, child labour and
make our children unfolded to find all their talents and make
them enjoy better childhood.

Let’s unfold the happier childhood