The term Child Labor is used for employment of children

below a certain age, which is considered illegal by law and

custom. The stipulated age varies from country to country and
government to government. Child labor is a world phenomenon
which is considered exploitative and inhuman by many
international organizations.
The term child labor means working child or employed
child. Child labor is any work done by child for profit.
Child labor is a derogatory term which translates into child
exploitation and inhumanity according to sociologists,
development workers, medical professionals and educationists.
They have identified child labor as harmful and hazardous to
the childs development needs, both mental and physical.
Child labor is a very complicated development issue, effecting
human society all over the world. It is a matter of grave
concern that children are not receiving the education and
leisure which is important for their growing years, because they
are sucked into commercial and laborious activities which is meant for people beyond their years. According
to the statistics given by ILO and other official agencies 73 million children between 10 to 14 years of age re
employed in economic activities all over the world. The figure translates into 13.2 of all children between 10
to 14 being subjected to child labor.
Some common causes of child labor are poverty, parental illiteracy, social apathy, ignorance, lack of
education and exposure, exploitation of cheap and unorganized labor. The family practice to inculcate
traditional skills in children also pulls little ones inexorably in the trap of child labor, as they never get the
opportunity to learn anything else.
Adult unemployment and urbanization also causes child labor. Adults often find it difficult to find jobs
because factory owners find it more beneficial to employ children at cheap rates. This exploitation is
particularly visible in garment factories of urban areas. Adult exploitation of children is also seen in many
places. Elders relax at home and live on the labor of poor helpless children.
The industrial revolution has also had a negative effect by giving rise to circumstances which encourages
child labor. Sometimes multinationals prefer to employ child workers in the developing countries. This is so
because they can be recruited for less pay, more work can be extracted from them and there is no union
problem with them. This attitude also makes it difficult for adults to find jobs in factories, forcing them to
drive
their
little
ones
to
work
to
keep
the
fire
burning
their
homes.
The incidence of child labor would diminish considerably even in the face of poverty, if there are no parties
willing to exploits them. Strict implementation of child labor laws and practical and healthy alternatives to
replace this evil can go a long way to solve the problem of child labor. Children who are born out of
wedlock, orphaned or abandoned are especially vulnerable to exploitation. They are forced to work for
survival when there are no adults and relatives to support them. Livelihood considerations can also drive a
child into the dirtiest forms of child labor like child prostitution and organized begging.
Child labor is a human right issue for the whole world. It is a serious and extensive problem, with many
children under the age of fourteen working in carpet making factories, glass blowing units and making
fireworks with bare little hands. According to the statistics given by Indian government there are 20 million
child laborers in the country, while other agencies claim that it is 50 million.
The existing law and codes of conduct regarding child labor are blatantly violated by the beneficiaries and
the victims of this terrible practice all over the developing world. There are ambiguities in the export and
manufacturing sector, which means multiple layers of outsourcing and production- making the monitoring of
labor performers not only difficult but impossible. Extensive subcontracting also makes it impossible to
identify the use of child labor whether intentional or unintentional