The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR), International labour Organisation and UNICEF demanded that the Government charted a roadmap at the earliest for making the country child labour free up to 18 years.
On Tuesday, on the World Day against child labour, the organisations, in unison demanded progressive legislative and policy reforms as well as programme interventions.
According to UNICEF estimates, there are around 150 million children aged 5-14, or nearly 1 in 6 children in this age group, who are involved in child labour. According to the latest estimates from the International labour Organisation, 7.4 million children in the same age group are engaged in domestic work, which is disproportionately carried out by girls.
“We understand that many children work to support their families,” said Susan Bissell UNICEF’s global head of child protection. “However, when children are forced into the most dangerous forms of labour, when they then miss school, when they are at risk and their health and well-being are impaired, this is unacceptable. Actions must be taken to address this situation, including preventing it from happening in the first place.”
While representatives of these organisations reiterated that the introduction of Child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012 with the approval of the Union Cabinet to ban child labour in all sectors up to 14 years of age was a welcome step, but implementation was a far cry.