Today, throughout the world, around 215 million children work as per the International labour Organisation (IlO). They don’t go to school and have little or no time to play. Many do not receive proper nutrition or care. More than half of them are exposed to the worst forms of child labour. Out of the 2.34 million occupational fatalities every year, only 321,000 are due to accidents. The remaining 2.02 million deaths are caused by various types of work-related diseases, which correspond to a daily average of over 5,500.
The World Day for Safety and Health at Work is a UN international day observed on April 28. The day’s theme in 2013 is “Prevention of occupational diseases”. Occupational diseases continue as the leading cause of work-related deaths. They are caused by chemical, physical and biological agents to respiratory and skin diseases, musculoskeletal disorders and occupational cancer. This also affects child labourers’ health.
Child labour exists in both developing and developed countries. Its prevalence is more in the developing countries because the families, to which the children belong, are in an urgent need of income of children for their subsistence. India is sadly the home to the largest number of child labourers. There are 35 million Indian child labourers according to a Unicef report.
Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. legislations across the world prohibit child labour. However in developing countries, with high poverty, child labour is still prevalent.
As street children, between five and 18 years of age, they earn their livelihood by polishing shoes, washing cars, ragpicking, selling newspapers, etc. They also work as coolies and helpers in automobile repair shops, construction sites and hotels. A ragpicker is one who picks out recyclable elements from dumped mixed wastes. According to the3 Unicef, ragpicking is one of the worst forms of child labour. Ragpickers’s life is very hard as they search through every dirty garbage heap. This activity requires no skills and they get a maximum 20 to 50 rupees from scrap dealers for their collections. But the children face various physical hazards such as cuts on their body and are also susceptible to infections and diseases. They are victims of poverty and illiteracy. Some of these children are involved in drugs, alcohol, smoking and gambling. Sometimes, they indulge in antisocial activities.
The inadequate prevention of occupational diseases has profound negative effects on the child labourers. Because waste materials may include biological pathogens such as parasites and bacteria, this can be passed from hands to the mouth. Hospital waste often constitutes part of the wastes. This can be hazardous in terms of biological and chemical contamination including exposure to used syringes, dressings, discarded medicines. Industrial waste may include toxic materials such as heavy metals and their associated health effects. Sharp objects can cause cuts which, in turn, may lead to tetanus or other infections. Waste pickers are in direct competition with dogs for the waste materials; this sometimes leads to dog bites and the associated threat of rabies. Carrying heavy loads of wastes over long distances may be associated with muscular/skeletal problems.
Ragpicking is probably one of the most dangerous and dehumanising activities in India. Children should be protected from such work. Education is of primary importance for children for their present and future wellbeing.
The inadequate prevention of occupational diseases has profound negative effects on child workers and their families. It is necessary to take effective economic and social measures to eliminate the roots of child ragpickers. There is an urgent need to look into the lives of these children and design some initiatives so that they can live a healthy life.
(The writer works at the Department of Architecture, College of Engineering and Technology, Bhubaneswar)