International Labour Organization has been the tripartite U.N. agency since 1919 by the Treaty of Versailles. Its headquarter is in Geneva, Switzerland. The organization works with the government, employers, and workers of 187 members. It sets labor standards and develops policies and programs that promote a supportive atmosphere for children and women and promotes internationally recognized labor and human rights.
As per ILO, “Child labor is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development.” It includes work that affects the child’s mental, physical, social, and moral aspects. It also talks about those work and their timing which affects their school hour and even their ability to concentrate during school hours. ILO has listed the work which does not come into child labor and doesn’t affect a child’s health and personal development, like helping their parents and earning pocket money outside school hours.
The United Nations considers June 12 as the ‘World Day Against Child Labour. ILO launched this day in 2002 to bring attention to the evil practices and to tackle the global issue.
Causes of Child Labour:
- Overpopulation: The country is dealing with high unemployment, and due to a lack of opportunity, parents involve their children in small industries to earn a livelihood.
- Illiteracy: Lacks education and skills leading to less opportunity.
- Orphans: In search of food and daily income, they involve in dangerous jobs in factories
- Debt Trap: Poor remain poor from generation to generation and are stuck in a vicious cycle of debt.
- Urbanization: Rural to urban migration demands more money to survive, and parents involve their children in low wages jobs.
Why Child Labour is a Problem:
- It results in extreme bodily and mental harm.
- Slavery and sexual exploitation.
- It cuts children off from schooling and health care.
- It restricts fundamental rights and threatens their future.
Child Labour: Global Estimates 2020 Report:
The International labor organization and UNICEF released a report about the increase in child labor.
- As of 2020, the number of child laborers stands at 160 million, an increase of 8.4 million in four years.
- At the start of 2020, 63 million girls and 97 million boys worked as child labor worldwide, making for about every 1 in 10 children.
- Covid- 19 will push 9 million additional children into child labor by 2022.
- The agriculture sector accounts for a maximum of child labor; it has 70 % occupancy, 20 % in the service sector, and 10 % in the industry sector.
- Africa has the largest share of child labor, and Asia and the Pacific rank second highest.
- 28% of child labor is in the age group 5 to 11 years, and 35 % is from ages between 12 to 14 years.
- Rural areas have more prevalent child labor (14%), and urban areas have 5 %.
- At the global level, only 1.1 % of GDP is spent on children’s social protection.
Recommendation of Child Labour Report:
- Adequate social protection, which includes universal child benefits.
- Increasing the amount of time invested and focus should be on child education and taking students back to school for those who left their studies after the pandemic.
- Increasing decent work and decent pay for adults, so families stop involving children for earnings.
- More investment in agriculture, rural public development, infrastructure, and livelihood.
Child Labour in India:
- As per the census 2011, out of a total 259.6 million population between 5-14 age group, 10 million (4%) account for child labor.
- 26% of the child laborers are engaged as cultivators and 32.9 % as agricultural laborers.
- There was a decline in child labor of 2.6 million between 2001 and 2011 and a significant decline in rural than urban areas due to rural-urban migration.
Consequences of Child Labour:
- Risk of occupational diseases like lungs and T.B. They are generally involved in brick kilns, crackers making, and carpet weaving
- Vulnerable to sexual exploitation, especially the girl child.
- Child trafficking and child abuse start from child labor.
- Deprived of education and remain unskilled their whole life due to lack of opportunities which continue the cycle of poverty from one generation to another.
- Threat to the national economy causes severe short and long-term consequences in the form of education and skill set.
Government measures are undertaken for Reducing Child Labour:
- Child labor (Prohibition and Regulation act 1986): It stopped child engagement in a particular sector and regulated work conditions.
- National policy on child labor (1987): It focused on rehabilitating children in hazardous occupations.
- Child labor (Prohibition and Regulation ) amendment act 2016 prohibited the employment of children below 14 years.
- Juvenile justice act 2000 and juvenile justice amendment act 2006: Focused on protecting children without limitations of age or occupation.
- The Right to education act 2009: Made education free and compulsory for children aged between 6 to 14 years.
- The government platform Pencil helped in the effective enforcement of child labor laws.
- Ratification of ILO conventions No 138 and 182 in 2017 committed elimination of child labor in a hazardous occupation.
Constitutional Safeguards for Child Labour:
- Article 23: Prohibits any type of forced labor.
- Article 24: Prohibits children under 14 years from working in any hazardous factory.
- Article 39: The health and strength of workers, men, and women, and the tender age of children are not abused, and citizens are not forced by economic necessity to enter avocations unsuited to their age or strength.
Impact of Covid-19 on Child Labour:
- Child labour came down by 100 million in the last two decades, but Covid has caused a negative impact, and gains are undone. Child labor increased by 152 million.
- More than 1.5 billion children lost their schooling due to Covid-19 restrictions.
- In India, a two-fold increase in the number of children who accompanied their parents in a brick kiln.
Way forward:
- “Let every child be free to be a child”- KAILASH SATYARTHI. This quote speaks about the individuality and dignity of life and the Right to life.
- A child not dealing with poverty, malnourishment, stunting, and getting proper education and skills will be a country’s treasure.
- Economic growth may reduce child labor by raising awareness, making education accessible to all students, and enforcing anti-child labor legislation.
- Many NGOs and government can come together to eradicate child labor.
- Since it limits their involvement in low-paying jobs, schools serve as the platform for early intervention against child labor.
- Need to focus on grassroots initiatives to educate communities against child labor and reintegrate child laborers into their homes and schools.
- Rural areas account for 80 % of child labor, and panchayat should have a stronghold to eradicate it.
- A multidisciplinary and integrated strategy combining medical, psychological, and socioanthropological experts is required to solve the issue of child labor, child malnourishment, and poverty.
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