Introduction

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. [3] This practice is considered
exploitative by many international organisations. Legislations across the world prohibit child
labour.[4][5] These laws do not consider all work by children as child labour; exceptions
include work by child artists, supervised training, certain categories of work such as those
by Amish children, some forms of child work common among indigenous American children,
and others.[6][7][8]
Child labour was employed to varying extents through most of history. Before 1940,
numerous children aged 514 worked in Europe, the United States and various colonies of
European powers. These children worked in agriculture, home-based assembly operations,
factories, mining and in services such as newsies. Some worked night shifts lasting 12
hours. With the rise of household income, availability of schools and passage of child labour
laws, the incidence rates of child labour fell. [9][10][11]
In developing countries, with high poverty and poor schooling opportunities, child labour is
still prevalent. In 2010, sub-saharan Africa had the highest incidence rates of child labour,
with several African nations witnessing over 50 percent of children aged 514 working.
[12]

Worldwide agriculture is the largest employer of child labour.[13] Vast majority of child

labour is found in rural settings and informal urban economy; children are predominantly
employed by their parents, rather than factories. [14] Poverty and lack of schools are
considered as the primary cause of child labour.[15]
The incidence of child labour in the world decreased from 25% to 10% between 1960 and
2003, according to the World Bank.[16]Nevertheless, the total number of child labourers
remains high, with UNICEF and ILO acknowledging an estimated 168 million children aged
517 worldwide, were involved in child labour in 2013.
CL in INDIA
Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on part or fulltime basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical

and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are
considered as the important causes of child labour in India.[2][3]
The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 514, to
be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in 5-14 age group. [4][5] A 20092010 nationwide survey found child labour prevalence had reduced to 4.98 million children
(or less than 2% of children in 5-14 age group). [6] The 2011 national census of India found
the total number of child labour, aged 514, to be at 4.35 million, [7] and the total child
population to be 259.64 million in that age group. [8] The child labour problem is not unique to
India; worldwide, about 217 million children work, many full-time. [9]
Indian law specifically defines 64 industries as hazardous and it is a criminal offence to
employ children in such hazardous industries.[10] In 2001, an estimated 1% of all child
workers, or about 120,000 children in India were in a hazardous job. [11]Notably, Constitution
of India prohibits child labour in hazardous industries (but not in non-hazardous industries)
as a Fundamental Right under Article 24.[12] UNICEF estimates that India with its larger
population, has the highest number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age, while
sub-saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as
child labour.[13][14][15] International Labour Organisation estimates that agriculture at 60 percent
is the largest employer of child labour in the world, [16] while United Nation's Food and
Agriculture Organisation estimates 70% of child labour is deployed in agriculture and related
activities.[17] Outside of agriculture, child labour is observed in almost all informal sectors of
the Indian economy.[18][19][20]
Companies including Gap,[21] Primark,[22] Monsanto[23] have been criticised for child labour in
their products. The companies claim they have strict policies against selling products made
by underage children, but there are many links in a supply chain making it difficult to
oversee them all.[23] In 2011, after three years of Primark's effort, BBC acknowledged that its
award-winning investigative journalism report of Indian child labour use by Primark was a
fake. BBC apologized to Primark, to Indian suppliers and all its viewers. [24][25][26]
In December 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a List of Goods Produced by Child
Labor or Forced Labor and India figured among 74 countries where significant incidence of
critical working conditions has been observed. Unlike any other country, India was attributed
23 goods the majority of which is produced by child labor in the manufacturing sector.

Article 24 of India's constitution prohibits child labour. Additionally, various laws and the
Indian Penal Code, such as the Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act-2000,
and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act-1986 provide a basis in law to identify,
prosecute and stop child labour in India

Categories of CL
UNICEF has classified child work into three categories:
Within the Family
Children are engaged without pay in domestic household tasks, agricultural pastoral work,
handicraft/cottage industries etc.
Within the Family but outside the Home
Children do agricultural/pastoral work which consists of (seasonal/ full-time) migrant labour, local
agricultural work, domestic service, construction work and informal occupation e.g. recycling of wasteemployed by others and self employed.
Outside the Family
Children are employed by others in bonded work, apprenticeship, skilled trades (Carpet, embroidery,
and brass/copper work), industrial unskilled occupations/ mines, domestic work, commercial work in
shops and restaurants, begging, prostitution and pornography.
MIGRANT CHILD LABOUR
Child migrate from the rural area to the urban or from smaller to larger towns cities either with their
families or alone. They migrate either for better employment opportunities or to escape from bondage
BONDED CHILD LABOUR
Children are pledged by their parents guardians to employers in lieu of debts or payment. The rates of
interest on loans are so high that the amount to be repaid accumulates every year, making repayment
almost impossible
The phenomenon of urban child labour includes street children. These children belong to three broad
categories:
Children on the Street

Working children who have families but spend most of their time in streets

They earn for themselves and may or may not contribute to the family income.

Children off the Streets

Working children who have left their families in villages or towns and have migrated to the city.

They do not have a place to live and hence spend their nights at the railway platforms, bus

stands etc.

They live independently and usually spend all that they earn in the same day.
Abandoned/Orphaned Children

Working children without families or whose families have abandoned them

They spend their lives on the streets without any kind of support and are hence the most

exploited and abused of the lot.

INVISIBLE CHILD LABOUR

Children work in the unorganized or/and informal sector

They do not come under the purview of law

They constitute a substantial proportion of the child labour in the country

Most of them do not go to school

Employment of cl in various sectors

Diamond industry[edit]
In the year 1999, the International Labour Organisation co-published a report with Universal
Alliance of Diamond Workers, a trade union. [62] The ILO report claimed that child labour is
prevalent in the Indian diamond industry. International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
(ICFTU) in a separate 1997 press release observed that child labour continued to flourish in
India's diamond industry.[63] Not everyone agreed with these claims. The South Gujarat
Diamond Workers Association, another trade union, acknowledged child labour is present
but it is not systematic, is less than 1% and against local industry norms. Local diamond
industry businessmen too downplayed these charges. [64]
According to the 1999 ILO paper,[62] India annually cuts and polishes 70 per cent of the
worlds diamonds by weight, or 40 per cent by value. Additionally, India contributes 95
percent of the emeralds, 85 percent of the rubies, and 65 percent of the sapphires
worldwide. India processes these diamonds and gems using traditional labour-intensive

methods. About 1.5 million people are employed in the diamond industry, mostly in
the unorganized sector. The industry is fragmented into small units, each employing a few
workers. The industry has not scaled up, organised, and big operators absent. The ILO
paper claims that this is to avoid the complex labour laws of India. The export order is split,
work is subcontracted through many middlemen, and most workers do not know the name
of enterprise with the export order. In this environment, claims the ILO report, exact number
of child labourers in India's diamond and gem industry is unknown; they estimate that child
labourers in 1997 were between 10,00 to 20,00 out of 1.5 million total workers (about 1 in
100). The ILO report claims the causes for child labour include parents who send their
children to work because they see education as expensive, education quality offering no
real value, while artisan work in diamond and gem industry to be more remunerative as the
child grows up.[62]
A more recent study from 2005, conducted at 663 manufacturing units at 21 different
locations in India's diamond and gem industry, claims incidence rates of child labour have
dropped to 0.31%.[65][66][67]

Fireworks manufacture[edit]
The town of Sivakasi in South India, known for it's Fireworks and matchsticks industries,
has been reported to employ child labor in the production of fireworks. [68] In 2011,
Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu was home to over 9,500 firecracker factories and produced almost
100 percent of total fireworks output in India. [69] The fireworks industry employed about
150,000 people at an average of 15 employees per factory. Most of these were in
unorganized sector, with a few registered and organized companies.
In 1989, Shubh Bhardwaj reported[70] that child labor is present in India's fireworks industry,
and safety practices poor. Child labor is common in small shed operation in the unorganized
sector. Only 4 companies scaled up and were in the organized sector with over 250
employees; the larger companies did not employ children and had superior safety practices
and resources. The child labor in small, unorganized sector operations suffered long
working hours, low wages, unsafe conditions and tiring schedules.
A more recent 2002 report by International Labor Organization claims [71] that child labor is
significant in Tamil Nadu's fireworks, matches or incense sticks industries. However, these

children do not work in the formal economy and corporate establishments that produce for
export. The child laborers in manufacturing typically toil in supply chains producing for the
domestic market of fireworks, matches or incense sticks. The ILO report claims that as the
demand for these products has grown, the formal economy and corporate establishments
have not expanded to meet the demand, rather home-based production operations have
mushroomed. This has increased the potential of child labor. Such hidden operations make
research and effective action difficult, suggests ILO.

Silk manufacture[edit]
A 2003 Human Rights Watch report claims children as young as five years old are
employed and work for up to 12 hours a day and six to seven days a week in silk industry.
These children, claims, are bonded labour; even though the government of India denies

[72]

existence of bonded child labour, these silk industry child are easy to find in Karnataka,
and Tamil Nadu, claims Children are forced to dip their hands in scalding water
to palpate the cocoons and are often paid less than Rs 10 per day.[73]
In 2010, a German news investigative report claimed that in states like Karnataka, nongovernmental organisations had found up to 10,000 children working in the 1,000 silk
factories in 1998. In other places, thousands of bonded child labourers were present in
1994. But today, after UNICEF and NGOs got involved, child labour figure is drastically
lower, with the total estimated to be fewer than a thousand child labourers. The released
children were back in school, claims the report. [74]

Carpet weaving[edit]
Siddartha Kara finds about 20% of carpets manufactured in India could involve child labour.
He notes, "determining the extent to which the hand-made carpet supply chain from India to
the U.S.A. is tainted by slavery and child labor requires an additional exercise in supply
chain tracing."[75] Kara's study also finds variation in child labour practices between ethnic
and religious groups. Kara and colleagues report highest level of child labour in Muslim
community carpet operations,[76] and the presence of debt bonded child labourers in Muslim
villages.[77]

Domestic labour[edit]
Official estimates for child labour working as domestic labour and in restaurants is more
than 2,500,000 while NGOs estimate the figure to be around 20 million. [78] TheGovernment
of India expanded the coverage of The Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act and
banned the employment of children as domestic workers and as workers in
restaurants, dhabas, hotels, spas and resorts effective from 10 October 2006.

Coal mining[edit]
Despite laws enacted in 1952 prohibiting employment of people under the age of 18 in the
mines primitive coal mines in Meghalaya using child labour were discovered and exposed
by the international media in 2013

Causes of cl
POVERTY THE MAIN REASON FOR CHILD LABOR.
Poverty can be termed as the main reason for child labor in India. Though the country has
achieved commendable progress in industrialization, the benefits of the same have not
been effectively passed on to the lower strata of society. The disparities in income have
progressively increased more so after the opening up of the Indian Economy from the late
80s. People who had the resources became richer by employing the poor who were readily
available as cheap labor. The average earnings of a poor industrial worker is still about 2
dollars per day even in suburban areas around Mumbai and other metropolitan cities of
India. In order to keep costs down even large companies employ unorganized workers
through contractors who get uneducated and unskilled and semi-skilled people at very low
wages.
This helps the industries to keep their labor costs down at the cost of the poor laborers. In
effect what happens is that the children of these poor unorganized laborers have to find
some work to help run the family. They cannot afford to go to school when they do not have
food to eat and when their other brethren go hungry. Hence children from such deprived
families try to work as domestic servants, or in factories who employ them and remain

uneducated and grow up that way becoming perennial victims of this vicious cycle or
poverty and suppression.
FATALIST ATTITUDE OF THE POOR TOWARDS LIFE.
Most of the people belonging to the lowest strata of society in India have a fatalist and
submissive attitude towards life. They do not believe that that their lot can be better.
HIGH POPULATION LEADING TO BREAK NECK COMPETITION FOR JOBS.
The industrialists in India have been successful in taking advantage of this disadvantage
faced by job seekers. Due to high population the job seekers not in a position to bargain a
higher wage. As a result the poor remain poor working for low wages.
ILLETERACY AND LACK OF EDUCATION.
Illiteracy is a situation when a person is not able to read and/or write. This is when the
person is not in a position to get even primary education. Lack of education is another
aspect which is a result of illiteracy and lack of information. An uneducated person is one
who is generally unaware of things which an average person is required to know. Such
people are normally unaware of their human rights and the rights of their children too. The
children of such people normally become child laborers around their homes.
IRRESPONSIBLE ATTITUDE OF EMPLOYERS.
A general sense of irresponsibility towards society is seen the employers in India who are
least bothered as to how their employees survive. In spite of being aware of the high cost of
living and inflation they are least bothered and least ashamed to pay wages which are much
below sustenance levels. Also if the employers were responsible they in the first place
would not employ children at all.

Consequences
India is facing the curse of child-labour. A large number of
children have to work as child labourer in industries or other
places of works like hotels, stalls, shops, etc. Laws have been
made to abolish child labour from India.

Image Curtsey: getridofchildlabournow.files.wordpress.com/2012/11/ccl.jpg

Various schemes and programmes have been formulated to

meet this end. But yet, it is a far goal to be achieved.
Moreover, if the child labour is abolished, India will have to
face some consequences in socioeconomic fields.

In social field, they are required to be educated, If they have

no work to do, their poor families will not be able to meet the
requirements of life. Even to some families, starvation will be
a result. Apart from this, children will require enough
nutrition.
Activities for their upliftment will be a first priority. But the
position does not appear that government will be able to
provide food, clothes, shelter and education on its own, if
children do not earn. Adult members will have to replace the
children. Children are always low-paid. An adult cannot afford
to work for such low payment.
On economic front, there are some protests from USA and
European countries regarding child labour in India. After
abolishing it, Indian export will grow. But earning amount of
a family will be reduced. As children support their families,
income deficiency will result in poverty. Employers of children
will not be able to employ an adult person because of their
inability to pay higher wages.
Even after working, some children afford their own food and
education, this burden is then to be handled by their poor
parents. Economic conditions of Government are not so
sound to afford all these costs. This will result in higher cost of
wages to small scale industries and small employers. All these

seem to lead that perhaps, it is also not possible for India to

abolish child labour immediately.

CL laws in India
After its independence from colonial rule, India has passed a number of constitutional
protections and laws on child labour. The Constitution of India in the Fundamental Rights
and the Directive of State Policy prohibits child labour below the age of 14 years in any
factory or mine or castle or engaged in any other hazardous employment (Article 24). The
constitution also envisioned that India shall, by 1960, provide infrastructure and resources
for free and compulsory education to all children of the age six to 14 years. (Article 21-A and
Article 45).[27][36]
India has a federal form of government, and child labour is a matter on which both the
central government and country governments can legislate, and have. The major national
legislative developments include the following: [37]
The Factories Act of 1948: The Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of
14 years in any factory. The law also placed rules on who, when and how long can preadults aged 1518 years be employed in any factory.
The Mines Act of 1952: The Act prohibits the employment of children below 18 years of
age in a mine.
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986: The Act prohibits the
employment of children below the age of 14 years in hazardous occupations identified in a
list by the law. The list was expanded in 2006, and again in 2008.
The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act of 2000: This law made it a
crime, punishable with a prison term, for anyone to procure or employ a child in any
hazardous employment or in bondage.
The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act of 2009: The law
mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years. This legislation

also mandated that 25 percent of seats in every private school must be allocated for
children from disadvantaged groups and physically challenged children.
India formulated a National Policy on Child Labour in 1987. This Policy seeks to adopt a
gradual & sequential approach with a focus on rehabilitation of children working in
hazardous occupations. It envisioned strict enforcement of Indian laws on child labour
combined with development programs to address the root causes of child labour such as
poverty. In 1988, this led to the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) initiative. This legal
and development initiative continues, with a current central government funding
of 6 billion, targeted solely to eliminate child labour in India. [38] Despite these efforts, child
labour remains a major challenge for India.

CASE STUDIES
1.
CHILDLINE helps Swati get her right to education
In Srikakulam, a town close to Hyderabad lived an orphaned 12 year old girl named Swathi.
Swathi had lost her parents at a very young age and was under the care of her uncle who
had put her through many hardships in life. Swathis uncle brought her to Hyderabad to
work as a domestic labourer at the house of a well-known and well-connected
businessman. She would be paid Rs. 50,000/- by her employer when she turned 18 years
old.
Life in the city wasnt easy for Swathi. She was made to work from 05.00 am until midnight
on all household chores. Her every movement was restricted by the owner and she was not
allowed to leave the house. She was made to eat the leftover food every night and was
physically assaulted every time she didnt complete her task on time.
CHILDLINE received a call from a neighbour regarding the plight of this child.
Instantly, a team member reached the location to verify the details shared by the concerned
caller. When they rang the door bell, the distraught girl opened the door. She looked weak

and sad. The team began asking her a few questions to better understand the situation.
She told them about her circumstances and the work she was forced to undertake.
The same day, CHILDLINE contacted the Deputy Commissioner of Labour in order to plan
a rescue of the girl child, wherein the girl was at home and her employers were out at work.
The rescue was carried out meticulously. The girl was within safe care and the employers
were asked to make a visit the labour department and meet the Deputy Commissioner of
Labour. Swathi was kept under the care of CHILDLINE in order to give her the correct
counseling and record her statements.
The CWC was intimated about the case. Based on their direction, Swathi was sent to the
Government home for Girls at Nimboliadda, Hyderabad. The Labour department was
requested to file a case against the employer. Unfortunately, as the business man had a lot
of clout and influence, a case was never filed against him.
CHILDLINE continued to receive threat calls from lawyers and influential people to release
the girl back to the business man. However, CHILDLINE never get in to pressure. Today,
Swathi is happy and is going to school.

2.
14 children sent home after plight at a bangle making factory
CHILDLINE Delhi received a call from an informer who shared details of a group of children
working under inhumane conditions at a Bangle making factory in Jahangi Puri. A team
member visited the area to clarify the information given. Immediately, the Deputy
Commissioner was acquainted with the tip off received by CHILDLINE. He was urged to
facilitate a rescue operation to help the children away from their plight. After repeated follow
ups by the team, the rescue operation was scheduled for 4 days later.
At 10.30 am on the morning of the rescue, the Police, Labour officials, CHILDLINE team
and other officials gathered at Jahangir Puri. 6 teams were formed with a member of each
department in order to enter 6 bangle factories simultaneously. The raid was conducted with
due diligence and great efficiency.
During the raid, only 2 teams managed to rescue 14 children working at the bangle making
factories. Children aged 6-14 years were trafficked from Bihar to work at this factory and

made to live in one tiny room which had no sunlight or ventilation. Most of them had never
been to school and worked for more than 12 hours a day.
The factories were sealed and the children rescued from their plight.
Every child was taken through medical examinations before presenting them before the
CWC. The CWC directed them to Mukti Ashram Home in Ibrahimpur. An FIR was lodged
against employers of both the factories under the Juvenile Justice Act 2000- Section 23 &
26, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, section 13 & 14 and the Bonded
Labour system (abolition) Act 1976, under section 16, 17, 18, & 19 and the perpetrators
were put behind bars.

IMPLETATION Of------(DIARY)
According to a recent statement by the labour ministry, India has 12.6 million working children between
the ages of five and 14 -- the largest number of child labourers in the world
Over the past three years, no more than 13,402 cases have been registered across the country under
India's anti-child labour laws, according to Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Oscar
Fernandes. States like Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, West Bengal, Uttaranchal,
Pondicherry, Lakshadweep, Goa, Daman and Diu, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands have in fact not registered a single case during this period.
Giving figures on a state-wise assessment in connection with prosecution of such cases, Fernandes said
that more than 3,300 cases of child labour violations have been registered in Karnataka, 1,136 in Tamil
Nadu, 791 in Bihar, 688 in Jharkhand and 449 in Uttar Pradesh. Andhra Pradesh registered the highest
number of cases -- 6,082 -- while 12 cases have been registered in Assam, 185 in Sikkim, 140 in Delhi,
46 in Arunachal Pradesh, 158 in Gujarat, and 49 in Maharashtra.
The government's National Child Labour Project, aimed at rehabilitating working children, is being carried
out in 250 districts in 20 states, Fernandes added.
Activists have long decried the fact that despite legislation, child labour continues to flourish in both rural
and urban India. The labour ministry recently stated that there were 12.6 million working children between
the ages of five and 14 -- the largest number of child labourers in the world.
On October 16 last year, two important notifications to the existing Child Labour Prohibition (And
Regulation) Act 1986 came into effect. The notifications ban the employment of children younger than 14
as domestic servants and in the hospitality trade, ie in roadside dhabas, restaurants, hotels, motels and
spas. Anyone found violating the ban could receive a jail term of three months to two years and/or a fine
of between Rs 10,000 and Rs 20,000.

However, on March 22, Fernandes admitted that while there was no dearth of laws against child labour,
what was needed was greater emphasis on implementation. He was speaking at a rally near Jantar
Mantar, in Delhi, that was the culmination of the South Asian March Against Child Trafficking, organised
by the Bachpan Bachao Andolan and supported by the Global March Against Child Labour, UN agencies
and civil society organisations. The march, which began at the India-Bangladesh and Indo-Nepal borders,
covered states such as West Bengal, Bihar, Uttarkhand and Uttar Pradesh. A core team of 100 rescued
children formed part of the march.
Twelve-year-old Devli -- one of the leaders of the march -- said beatings were a regular occurrence at the
stone quarry in Rajasthan where she and her family worked. According to the Bachpan Bachao Andolan,
traffickers promise parents a better future for their children and education, along with the opportunity to
earn a decent wage. But once the child is in the custody of the trafficker, he/she is sold to employers
looking for cheap, bonded labour. They are sold for as little as Rs 2,000 or Rs 5,000 and are employed at
brick kilns, stone quarries, carpet-making units, hotels and restaurants.

REASONS FOR---------