Child labour has persisted even after India attained independence and the 18th Lok Sabha was elected. Seventy-four years after the Indian Constitution guaranteed equal protection of human rights, child labour endures, as evidenced on June 12, 2024, the Day against Child Labour. It's disheartening to acknowledge that child labour continues to plague Indian society. Despite being unseen, unheard, and unnoticed, child labour remains a harsh reality that demands eradication.

According to a 2023 estimate from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), which promotes workers' welfare internationally, there were an estimated 90 lakh more cases of international child labour by the end of 2022 than four years before the COVID pandemic. Put another way, according to UNICEF, the UN organisation that promotes the welfare of children, there are 16 crore child labourers globally. Furthermore, child labour is far more common internationally than that, given the state of the globe today. Numerous studies have revealed that political unrest in many nations, particularly in Africa, refugee flows from Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and wars in Ukraine, Israel, and Palestine have all contributed to a rise in child labour numbers by the hundreds of thousands.

Child Labour in India

According to the 2011 census, around 259 lakh children between the ages of five and fourteen are employed as child labourers. This indicates that 4% of all children in the nation are involved in work. One in ten children in India work owing to pressure from their surroundings, making the situation even more bizarre. Many are unaware that India is ranked 113th of 176 global nations regarding child employment.

In its statement, the government emphasised how child labour is becoming more common in India compared to two years ago. On August 2, 2021, a statement was made in the Parliament. It was cited that the number of rescued children increased from 54,984 to 58,000 between 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively.

The National Achievement Survey 2021 report pointed out that the significant digital divide in society is the reason for the drop in student standards. Lack of digital tools and gadgets, non-availability of internet or digital infrastructure, lack of government system, and lack of affordability for ordinary people contributed to this massive gap. According to the latest UN study, India's primary school dropout rate is 8.5%, and secondary school dropout rate is 19.1%.
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There are no precise statistics on the number of missing children in India each year, but an article in an English daily claims that there are 10 lakh runaways, which translates to a child missing every 30 seconds. Nonetheless, a lot of people overlook the reality that the majority of kids who are expelled without finishing school or missing children end up in child labour.

No Dearth of Regulations and Guidelines

Articles 21, 24, and 39 of the Constitution of India clearly state that no child below fourteen shall be allowed to work in any factory or mine or engage in any hazardous occupation. In addition, compulsory and free primary education is proposed for them.

Legally, the Child Labor (Prohibition and Control) Act 1986 and the Right to Education Act 2009 are constitutional provisions prohibiting child labour. The National Policy on Child Labor was introduced in August 1987 and reintroduced in 2012. To eliminate the problem of child labour in India, 83 occupational categories were included in the list of hazardous occupations under the Child Labour Rehabilitation Scheme. International agencies such as ILO and UNICEF have supported anti-child labour activities in India, including policies and regulations.

Concurrently, there were eight fundamental conventions - the ILO agency that monitors the employment policies of governments at the international level. 4 of them were related to child labour. Forced Labor Convention (No. 29), Abolition of Forced Labor Convention (No. 105), Minimum Working Age Convention (No. 138) and Worst Forms of Child Labor Convention (No. 182). India has been a signatory and strongly supported the agreements of anti-child labour schemes, directly and indirectly, in these conventions.

Lack of Institutional Laws 

It has to be said that the Government of India is far behind in setting up mechanisms to implement and monitor laws and policies against child labour. The relevant government mechanisms are not empowered to take concrete steps and institutionalise laws to end child labour.

According to UNICEF, there are several gaps in India's legal protection system, livelihood promotion system, social and personal plans for coping with trauma, high-quality educational possibilities, respectable employment prospects, and freedom of labour association circumstances. For these reasons, social scientists characterise the existence of child labour in India as a social health issue.

Child Labour - A Social Health Problem.

Sociologists suggest two types of circles in society: the poor circle and the rich circle. A poor person's life revolves around trying to get from the poor to the rich circle, which is an effort to achieve financial security.

The truth is that the person who lives in the poverty ring ends up in the poverty ring again. Because a person living in poverty starts from poverty, where the risk of disease is high, especially when families are undernourished. They are unable to meet medical expenses and lose working days. Thus, such families again have to face an income shortfall. Due to a lack of income, the children of such families are forced to lead a life without better education and good food. Such families tend to go from poverty to poverty again.

At the same time, a person who travels through the rich circle can get treatment without the financial burden and avoid losing work, provide good education to children, address their nutritional deficiencies and utilise skilled work opportunities. Thus, they can increase their income and remain in the rich circle. A situation is created where the children of the family are not exposed to child labour and painful work. Thus, social experts say that a financially secure society should consist of these families. Therefore, they emphasise that a society without child labour can build a healthy society.

Joining the Fight Against Child Labour

As responsible citizens, we should take preventive measures to discourage child labour in homes, shops, agriculture, factories, etc. We should make resolutions not to buy goods from shops that employ children and not accept services from such establishments. If we find children employed as labourers, we should inform the authorities for legal action. Moreover, awareness should be raised about child labour, laws, and systems to prevent it. We must encourage and nurture children to realise their potential by opening up opportunities.

A Replicable Initiative 

An eatery operates near the New Delhi Railway Station. This small hotel is open 24 hours a day. Any underprivileged child below 15 can go and eat there at any time. It is a centre of hope for orphaned children on the roadside.

The owner of the eatery grew up without knowing who his parents were. He once roamed the streets, the railway station, the slums, temples, and gurudwaras of Delhi. After undergoing various experiences, working multiple jobs, and ending up on the roadside, he got an opportunity to run his eatery with the support of a volunteer organisation. It later became a small hotel. One of the conditions put forward by the NGO that helped to organise this stall was to focus on activities against child labour.

Since the hotel's opening, the owner has taken the lead in finding children wandering around the New Delhi Railway Station and raising them with the help of voluntary organisations. The fact that the eatery stands even today beckons us to fight child labour.