CHILD LABOUR

• The term ‘child labour’, suggests ILO is best defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. Interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely; or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work.
• India’s Census 2001 office, defines child labour as participation of a child less than 17 years of age in any economically productive activity with or without compensation, wages or profit. Such participation could be physical or mental or both. This work includes part-time help or unpaid work on the farm, family enterprise or in any other economic activity such as cultivation and milk production for sale or domestic consumption. Indian government classifies child labourers into two groups: Main workers are those who work 6 months or more per year. And marginal child workers are those who work at any time during the year but less than 6 months in a year.

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009

The law mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. This legislation also mandated that 25 per cent of seats in every private school must be allocated for children from economically disadvantaged groups (implementation gaps remain).

India formulated a National Policy on Child Labour in 1987. This Policy seeks to adopt a gradual & sequential approach with a focus on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations. It envisioned strict enforcement of Indian laws on child labour combined with development programs to address the root causes of child labour such as poverty. In 1988, this led to the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) initiative. This legal and development initiative continues, with a current central government funding of Rs. 6 billion, targeted solely to eliminate child labour in India. Despite these efforts, child labour remains a major challenge for India. No, child below age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any hazardous employment

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2015

This law made it a crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to keep a child in bondage for the purpose of employment.

Education

Education is that factor, which leads to human resource development which includes a better and sustainable and valuable natural upbringing for all. The primary objective of the education system is to provide knowledge skills and to transmit certain values equally important. The resulting education package will vary economically in all countries and cultures. Child labour, in another dimension, has observed that the limited number of schools, their absence, the clash of school time and agricultural operations, and the cost of schooling as well as its limited nature of providing jobs opportunity to enter the labour market Facilitates the route of children belonging to the state class. Children are ready to receive education, but only with the consent of the owners and parents. They have a very strong concern about fees and other expenses on education so they want it as free and near their home. Out of 140 million rural children in the age group of 5-14 years, more than 86 million rural children have not been enrolled in the school register. About 62% of children in rural areas are not present in primary schools. Whereas Article 45 (Directive Principles of State Policy), states that “The state shall endeavor to provide” within a period of 10 years, from commencement of this constitution for free and compulsory education for all children until they complete the age of 14 years.” Compulsory schooling for children as a part of assimilative measure is however, found deceptive. As such, the phenomenon of child labour is the product of such indifference to education. So this phenomenon of child labour is the product of this indifference to education

Importance of Education Against Child Labor

• Education plays a very significant role in eliminating child labor. Education International celebrates every year world day against child labor on 12th June. According to Education International, early education is very important to get children out of the labor market.
• It doesn’t only help children to learn necessary skills, but also allows them to lead a decent life forward.
• Education and training are mandatory drivers of social and economic growth and democracy.
• The removal of all costs linked with education will result in a large section of society being educated.
• An approach with the mindset to educate children and drag them out of poverty will reduce the number of child labor cases we face now.
• Education is a fundamental right, over which no one has the authority to deny.
• It helps in changing people’s opinions towards life and makes them better human beings.

CONCLUSION

Eradicating child labor is still a distant dream for India. But education can be proved as a weapon to deal with it. Our lawmakers are trying to tackle the problem but it’s high time that we as a citizen of India help the government to solve the problem. Problems like poverty, Illiteracy leads to child labor, with a collective effort by all of us, will for sure help children to drag them out of the labor world and lead a better life ahead.

Aishwarya Says:

I have always been against Glorifying Over Work and therefore, in the year 2021, I have decided to launch this campaign “Balancing Life”and talk about this wrong practice, that we have been following since last few years. I will be talking to and interviewing around 1 lakh people in the coming 2021 and publish their interview regarding their opinion on glamourising Over Work.

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In the year 2021, we wrote about 1000 Inspirational Women In India, in the year 2022, we would be featuring 5000 Start Up Stories.