Child labour is more a society-oriented problem, than economic. We inherited land based feudal society. Our rural economy mainly relies on land. Majority of the people in rural areas are landless. While some families, small in number, exercise control over the land and its resources, used for agriculture, the landless poor, who constitute a majority remain bound to menial jobs, low-caste professions.
They work mostly as daily wagers, under the agricultural land owners, on meager wages. On migrating to outside places for jobs, they carry their children along and put them to work to earn, along with them. The children thus pay the price of their parent’s economic and social vulnerability.
The Child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits employing child (5-14 years old) as labour and infringement of this provision is liable to prosecution and penal action. The IlO Convention 138 (1973) and 192 (1999) and the Article 32 (I) of Convention on the Right of Child (1983), which was duly ratified by India, have provisions protecting the child from engaging him to do any hazardous work, harmful to his physical and mental health and which interferes with his education, social and moral upbringing. The Article 24 of the Constitution of India also prohibits engaging any child under.
large numbers of children, mostly girls, are employed as domestic help (servant) in the houses, where they are made to do all the manual chores like dusting and cleaning the house, washing utensils, preparing tea and food, washing clothes and at times going to buy groceries. More girls are employed in these works than boys.
Where girls are not engaged, full time outside, they have to perform the entire manual work of their houses, before going to take up work outside in agriculture or industry sectors. The works done by girl child in her own house remains uncalculated and invisible. In fact, such household work done by little girls in their own homes are truly economically active work, and should be duly counted as ‘service’ like that done outside and given due credit. These girl children are deprived of education and get no leisure and rest; they work for more hours than boys.
A child under the age group of 5-14 years, forcefully put to work, is termed child labour. He is generally engaged in the following categories of work: Working along with his parents to help, working in other’s home as help (servant), working in tea shops, road side dhabas and eateries, restaurants and hotels, resorts and spas, recreation centre etc, working at construction sites, manufacturing centres, mines and industries. But despite the preventive legal measures, large numbers of children are employed in industries, where they are forced to undertake delicate, tedious, wearisome works and many others employ children on low wages as labourers. In domestic sector like homes, jewelleries and garment making shop and auto repair points, children are engaged.
When a family migrates in search of job, children also accompany and they are made to work as labourers, along with their parents, at construction sites, brick kilns and stone quarries etc; undertaking work, beyond their tender age, children undergo a very painful life and living at these places.
labourers move from their native places to far-off districts and States to find job. They shift with their entire families including children and settle to live at the very construction sites for their convenience. Being paid wages at low rates and that too fortnightly only, they need extra money at the time of their needs like illness etc. The employers, exploiting the situation, lend money on high interest rate, making inflated entries in their registers, unknown to the illiterate labour. The amount goes on multiplying the labourer being financially incapable to pay back. And ultimately, the labour is reduced to become bonded labour. In 1976, the Bonded labour system (Abolition) Act was enacted. The Act makes the system and practice of bonded labour as illegal and vests power with the District Magistrate to eradicate it and rehabilitate such persons as affected by the system of bonded labour.
Education and eradication of child labour are the two sides of the same coin. Illiterate children are soft target and easy catch. We should increase spending on education. Business houses should also contribute to child education.
The present situation of child labour calls for effective implementation of the laws against forced child labour, slavery and engagement of children in homes. Such children need to be brought, along with their families, into the main stream of the society.
Economic liberation of the family is sine qua non to mitigate the child labour. Climate change is affecting more the poor people, devastating their life and living. And children of these families are compelled to earn as labourers. They need to be saved.
laws and Judicial provisions alone cannot tackle the problem of child labour. There is a need to address the issue at ethical and moral levels.
(Dr.Maharana is a faculty member at Jeypore law College Jeypore, Koraput Mob: 9438170563)