Quarratul Ain Ifrah is a young fiction writer from Kalaburagi, who has
previously written Hunt Down the Memory Lane in 2022
Good God! To think upon a child
That has no childish days,
No careless play, no frolics wild,
No words of prayer and praise!
Letticia Elizabeth London; “The Factory”
Child labour is defined as “any work that deprives a child of its childhood and freedom, and can harm their physical or mental development”. It refers to children between the ages of 5-14.
In the old agrarian society, making children work was considered as a form of education. Since family works were often hereditary, it was normal that the child (who had nothing else to do) was sent to work as soon as he can; the boy helped the father in running errands and doing petty chores on the land, while the girl had to cook and do housekeeping; so far, so good. But with time, more different jobs came up, and it was possible to send the child to work somewhere else and bring money by the end of the day. Children began to be employed in shops, restaurants, to sweep streets, to polish shoes, or sell flowers and matchsticks, or even worse, in factories and mines for long hours and in dangerous conditions. This became a problem, a threat to young lives.
According to the ILO 2021, it is estimated that there are 160 million or more child labourers in the world, or 9.6% of the world’s children population are child labourers. The census of 2011 said that 3.9% of the total child population in India was working. The ILO estimated in 2022 that over 22,000 children die each year in labour practice.
Child labour is defined as “any work that deprives a child of its childhood and freedom, and can harm their physical or mental development”. It refers to children between the ages of 5-14.
BUT WHY?
The reasons are various: poverty, ignorance, unemployment, illiteracy, emergencies, migration, orphans without support etc. “I have to work to eat” is the only answer given by these children. Employers employ children because it’s cheaper labour, and there is a lesser chance of theft and complaints. 60% of children work in agricultural activities, most of them work for nominal or no pay in “debt bondages” till the debt is paid off, which is often extended to lifetimes. Apart from that, there are numerous migrant, refugee, or forced and trafficked children working in dangerous conditions and all of this makes a serious problem.
A report by the ILO said that 9 million more children were brought into labour by 2022 due to the pandemic when the schools were closed and older members of the family lost employment. Even after the lockdown ended, a huge number of children were reluctant to drop their income and go back to school. Hence the pandemic brought a significant rise in the existing problem.
EFFECTS
Child labour affects both the child and the society. The child who works has to go through a lot of physical strain and has to live without proper care, food and hygiene. He is subject to dangerous tasks like lifting loads, inhaling harmful chemicals, climbing on great heights and working in high temperatures all of which can destroy the child’s physical health.
On the other side, the working child also suffers mentally. He is emotionally abused, subject to wrong moral concepts, low self-esteem and bad acquaintances. The responsibilities that are forced on him takes away his innocence and this deeply affects his later life.
A country that contains child labour has a very stagnant economy. Child labour dooms the whole generation into poverty. A huge number of human capital is lost in the country as education is not prioritized. Hence, child labour is a major problem that has lasting effects in the future.
LAWS
The act of child labour is prohibited by the constitution through Article 21A – Right to Education; Article 24 – prohibition of employment of children in factories etc. and also Article 39(f) – Right to equal opportunities and protection of childhood and dignity.
India ratified two conventions of the ILO in 2017, on World Day against Child Labor on June 12, 2017.
Other acts like the Juvenile Justice Act of 2000, the National Policy on Child Labour 1987, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act of 1989 speak against child labour and uphold child rights.
According to all these laws, a person who employs children below 14 can be punished with a jail time between six months to 2 years and/or a fine of Rs. 20,000 to Rs. 50,000.
Different other actions by the government and NGOs also have been working, like CARE India, Child Rights and You, the Bachpan Bachao Andolan and also the global march against child labour in 1998. “The childline 1098” telephone helpline alone connected around 3 million children nationwide.
With all these efforts and many others, child labour decreased by 2.6 million between 2001 and 2011, with a rate of 2.2% per year. Even then, the problem still persists.
Child labour is all around us, if it is just a “chotu” at a local dhaba, cleaning the table, it is child labour and there must be action against it. To bring this action, the citizen shall have to take the responsibility, and raise his voice against it. Since it is also a social problem, it will need much more than legal enforcement to free a child of premature responsibilities and the society will have to wake up
Apart from the implementation of laws, we also need a stringent tracking of the statistics. In order to solve the problem, we must know all about it. Hence, more recent and updated data are required regarding the numbers of child labour in the country.
The parents who involve in this mistake don’t know they are mistaken, they need awareness. They must be made to realize that their child can have a better fate with just one try. Awareness can be created through different kinds of short videos, movies, folk songs and lokgeets in local languages, and even street plays and dramas that bring out the dark side of child labour and its effects to more number of people. Apart from that, the children who come out of child labour and take education must be honored, so that it can motivate others to do the same.
In cases where no parent support is possible, child sponsorships could be a good solution. It refers to funding a child’s education and care for a period of time till he can support himself.
But there are children who do not have any outside support too. They cannot be simply bundled up and sent to school, they can be helped only if the cause factors are removed. Poverty alleviation will take a long time, and we need a practical, right-now solution. What if we think alternatively? Those children need employment and education both at the same time. What if the society gives them a place, a school, which will help them both to earn and learn? Instead of employing children to do harmful jobs, suppose they get paid to do something productive and safe? This can help both in their current situation and also help them to build a better future later.
These are some small suggestions of what is possible. All it needs is effort, and the childhood of the world can be saved from dying away.
Child labour is all around us, if it is just a “chotu” at a local dhaba, cleaning the table, it is child labour and there must be action against it. To bring this action, the citizen shall have to take the responsibility, and raise his voice against it. Since it is also a social problem, it will need much more than legal enforcement to free a child of premature responsibilities and the society will have to wake up.
Mashallah, very informative article, this will bring awareness in the society…