Though the root cause of child labour is poverty, the scourge can be tackled if we ensure that poor children aren’t taken out of schools, writes SUDHIR HINDWAN
A new study at the Queensland University of Technology Business School in Australia, comparing levels of child labour and schooling across economic groups in India, Peru and Ethiopia has found that, despite economic prosperity and drop in poverty levels, hundreds of millions of children remain trapped in child labour in developing countries due to unequal access to education. This reminds one of Aristotle, who said, “The educated differ from the uneducated as much as the living from the dead.” The importance of education for the physical, intellectual and moral will of an individual cannot be over emphasised and its success lies in releasing the individual from the clutches of ignorance, in all possible permutation and combinations.
The issue of prevention of child labour is crucial not just because it is a question of exploitation, but also because this creates a problem of juvenile crime. According to a report, Crime in India, “About 5,692 cases of juvenile crime such as criminal breach of trust, burglary and counterfeiting were registered few years ago.” In such cases, formal education can play a vital role to prevent child labour. There is a need to impart education to the children of poor families, who are at risk of becoming child labourers.
In India, legislative changes have brought about tremendous changes in the pattern of employment of children in the organised industry. Article 23 and Article 24 of the Constitution protect the rights of children. Human trafficking was banned long back. Besides, no child, below the age of 14, can be employed in any hazardous profession. Yet, there have been some cases where children are exploited. Child workers fall mostly in the age group of 10 and 15 years. They are engaged in such occupation which expose them to hazardous works, and this hampers their development.
The root of the problem lies in poverty and the low income of the families. Although there has been a decline in the proportion of child labour in the organised sector, this has now spread its tentacles to the unorganised sector such as road construction, weaving industry etc. According to a Census report, Jammu & Kashmir has one of the highest number of child labourers in the country. About 85 per cent of them are engaged in handicrafts and handlooms.
Another major challenge facing the country is the alarming population growth. A rise in population makes it difficult to tackle unemployment. A report by the International labour Organisation on world employment concedes that the economies of most countries have noticed a declining trend in employment opportunities but the overall scenario of employment in India, the Philippines, Pakistan, Sri lanka and Myanmar is particularly pessimistic. It is important that a major portion of the national resources be used to generate more job opportunities.
The National Human Rights Commission has concentrated on eliminating child labour, particularly child prostitution, which in a way has become an organised, clandestine profession. The Commission has also made stupendous progress in fighting child labour in the glass industry of Ferozabad district in Uttar Pradesh. In the recent past, we had news about Indian children being brought back from Saudi Arabia. They had been trafficked by a powerful syndicate which bought poor children from the Murshidabad district of West Bengal and sold them abroad. The NHRC must play an active role in doing away with child labour.
(The author is a Chandigarh-based professor of political science)