A CHILD AT WORK, NOT PLAY;
INTRODUCTION
"Child labour" is, generally speaking, work for children that harms them or exploits them in some way (physically, mentally, morally, or by blocking access to education). The notion that children are being exploited and forced into labour, while not receiving education crucial to development, concerns many people. India is the largest example of a nation plagued by the problem of child labour.
HOW MANY CHILDREN S ARE INVOLVED?
It is difficult to cite a current figure for the number of children engaged in child labour. This difficulty is attributed to the fact that the Indian Government "has been negligent in its refusal to collect and analyze current and relevant data regarding the incidence of child labour. Estimates cite figures of between 60 and 115 million working children in India -- the highest number in the world.
WHAT ARE CHILDREN DOING IN TERMS OF WORK?
Work ranges from taking care of animals and planting and harvesting food, to many kinds of small manufacturing (e.g. of bricks and cement), auto repair, and making of footwear and textiles. Some of the works are,
I. Cultivation,
II. Agricultural Labour,
III. Livestock, Forestry, Fishing, Plantation,
IV. Mining and Quarrying,
V. Manufacturing, Processing, Servicing and Repairs,
VI. Construction,
VII. Trade and Commerce,
VIII. Transport, Storage and Communication,
WHAT CAUSES CHILD LABOUR TODAY?
Poverty is widely considered the top reason why children work at inappropriate jobs for their ages. But there are other reasons as well -- not necessarily in this order:
1.Family expectations and traditions
2.Abuse of the child
3.Lack of good schools and day care
4.Lack of other services, such as health care
5.Public opinion that downplays the risk of early work for children
6.Uncaring attitudes of employers
WHAT ROLE DOES POVERTY PLAY?
The percentage of the population of India living in poverty is high. In 1990, 37% of the urban population and 39% of the rural population was living in poverty (International Labour Organization 1995, 107). Poverty has an obvious relationship with child labour, and studies have "revealed a positive correlation - in some instances a strong one - between child labour and such factors as poverty".
INDIAN GOVERNMENT POLICY ON CHILD LABOUR
Under the Labour Protection Act of 1998, the minimum age for hiring children as workers increases from 13 to 15 years. The Act also forbids employers, directors, managers or inspectors from sexually harassing employees, especially child workers. Child workers are not allowed to work in places where their safety and health are at risk.
HOW WAS CHILD LABOUR REDUCED IN TODAY S DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
1.Economic development that raised family incomes and living standards
2.Widespread, affordable, required and relevant education
3.Enforcement of anti-child labor laws (along with compulsory education laws)
4.Changes in public attitudes toward children that elevated the importance of education
5.Education that helps children learn skills that will help them earn a living
6.Social services that help children and families survive crises, such as disease, or loss of home and shelter
7.Family control of fertility so that families are not burdened by children.
COMPULSORY EDUCATION
The concept of compulsory education, where all school aged children are required to attend school, combats the force of poverty that pulls children out of school. Policies relating to compulsory education not only force children to attend school, but also contribute appropriate funds to the primary education system, instead of higher education.
WHY SHOULD WE CARE?
Many children in hazardous and dangerous jobs are in danger of injury, even death. Between today and the year 2020, the vast majority of new workers, citizens and new consumers whose skills and needs will build the world s economy and society will come from developing countries.
Over that 20-year period, some 730 million people will join the world s workforce more than all the people employed in today s most developed nations in 2000. More than 90 percent of these new workers will be from developing nations, according to research by Population Action International. How many will have had to work at an early age, destroying their health or hampering their education?
CONCLUSION
Child labour is a significant problem in India. The prevalence of it is shown by the child work participation rates which are higher in Indian than in other developing countries.
The global picture that emerges is that child work is declining, and the more harmful the work and the more vulnerable the children involved, the faster the decline .
The government of India must ensure that the needs of the poor are filled before attacking child labour. If poverty is addressed, the need for child labour will automatically diminish. No matter how hard India tries, child labour always will exist until the need for it is removed. The development of India as a nation is being hampered by child labour. Children are growing up illiterate because they have been working and not attending school. A cycle of poverty is formed and the need for child labour is reborn after every generation. India needs to address the situation by tackling the underlying causes of child labour through governmental policies and the enforcement of these policies. Only then will India succeed in the fight against child labour.
S.VENKATACHALAM
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