about child labour in india essay

Child Labour – India’s Hidden Shame

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One of the most unfortunate consequences of the pandemic and its wide range of restrictions has been the higher vulnerability of children to different forms of abuse and deprivation. Moreover, the second wave of COVID-19 has left several children without both or one of their parents. This situation exposed them to hopelessness, financial hardships and increased risk of child labour, exploitation, and trafficking.

This topic of “Child Labour – India’s Hidden Shame” is important from the perspective of the UPSC IAS Examination , which falls under General Studies Portion.

Who is a child?

Child and Adolescent Labour (prohibition and regulation) Act 1986 defines the child as a person who has not completed the age of 14 years.

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What is Child Labour?

Child Labour as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a work that takes away children their childhood, their potential and their dignity which is harmful to their physical as well as mental development.
ILO also explains child labour in its most extreme forms involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities — often at a very early age.
But Children or adolescents who involve in works that do not impact their health and personal development or affect their schooling is not child labour. For instance, helping their parents at home, helping family or earning pocket money outside school hours and on holidays.

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How children are exploited for Labour in India?

Instead of being in school or at play or other constructive activities, they are put to work on a range of activities that span repetitive low-skill work that doesn’t aid development for future employment opportunities, they are forced to be exposed to conditions devastating to health and safety in the agriculture, industry and service sectors.

The work involves long hours on a bewildering range of tasks such as transferring pollen in cotton plants, picking the crop with their bare hands, indentured on tea or tobacco plantations and brick making factories and construction sites; being sent down dangerous mines for extracting gold and diamonds, or confined to cramped workshops for cutting and polishing gemstones; working at slaughterhouses and tanneries with minimal protection or under life-threatening conditions at fireworks factories.

Children are very commonly employed in the murky underbelly of the fashion industry in yarn and spinning mills, and garment factory sweatshops, put to work from handling silkworms in scalding water to doing painstaking embellishment work. They are on the streets picking rags – carrying an entire recycling industry on their shoulders, or in homes doing domestic work either as employees of others or in the case of girls in their own homes where they are treated as free labour and not considered as deserving of education as their brothers.

The worst of all is the human trafficking situations of modern-day slavery that children are thrown into, facing horrific abuse and lifelong trauma as bonded labourers or sold into sexual exploitation . Alongside the physical implications of this work, can we even begin to imagine the mental health consequences for these children and adolescents forced into labour?

What is the statistics of child labour in India?

According to the 2011 census,

there were more than 10.2 million children in the age group of 5-14 working as child labourers.
Child labour has increased rapidly in urban areas and declined in rural areas.
The overall decrease in child labour is only 2.2% per year from 2001-2011.
India’s biggest child labour employers are – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

What is the nature of child labour in India?

Change in work location: There has been high involvement of children in home-based works and in the informal sector.

Rural-Urban areas:

In urban areas, a huge number of children are involved in manual domestic work, rag picking, restaurants, motor repair shops, etc.
Agriculture including cotton growing,
Matchbox industries,
Brass, and lock-making factories,
Embroidery,
Rag-picking,
Beedi-rolling,
Carpet-making industry,
Mining and stone quarrying,
Brick kilns,
Tea gardens etc.

Gender specific: The division of labour is gender-specific with girls being engaged in more domestic and home-based work, and boys working as wage labourers.

Bonded Child labour: refers to the employment of a person against a loan, debt or social obligation by the family of the child or family as a whole. Bonded child labourers are mostly found in the agriculture sector or helping their families in brick kilns, and stone quarries. There are around 10 million bonded child labourers in India.

Migrant Children: Children who are migrating to other locations with family are often forced to drop-out schools and unavoidably put to work at work-sites.

What are the causes of Child Labour in India?

Poverty and Indebtedness:

Poverty is the greatest cause of child labour. For impoverished households, income from a child’s work is generally important for his or her own survival or for that of the household.
Children are also bonded to labour because of the family indebtedness.
Rural poverty and urban migration often expose children to being trafficked for work.

Adult unemployment and under-employment : high prevalence of adult unemployment and under-employment often force children to work to support the family.

Illiteracy and Ignorance of parents: Illiteracy of the child’s parents further worsens the crisis. Illiteracy and Lack of awareness of the harmful consequences of child labour make them violate the law and put their children under the risk of inhuman exploitation.

Lack of access to basic and meaningful quality education and skills training:

The current educational infrastructure is highly unsuitable to children of economically deprived families.
Furthermore, the deteriorating quality of education has resulted in increasing dropout rates and forced children to engage in work.
Compulsory education (RTE) does not cover the 15-18 age group (adolescents). However, being illiterate or school dropouts, these children are vulnerable and most exploited for the informal, unskilled and casual workforce.

Demand for child labour :

Rising demand for child labour particularly in urban areas is an important cause for the prevalence and increase in child labour.
Children are employed as they are cheap and flexible with respect to the demands of the employer and not aware of their rights.

Cultural factors:

An expectation that children should contribute to the socio-economic survival of the family and community, as well as the existence of large families, contribute to the prevalence of child labour.
Children mostly take up family’s traditional work from an early age. For instance, a Goldsmith’s son takes to gold-smithery, or a carpenter’s child takes up carpentry from an early age.

Social factors: There is a strong correlation between India’s differentiated social structure and child labour. The majority of child labourers in India belong to the so called lower castes (SCs), the tribal and Muslim religious minority.

What are the impacts of child labour?

Affect childhood: Child labour takes away a child of his/her childhood. It not only denies his/her right to education but also right to leisure.
Affect adult life: Child labour prevents children from gaining the skills and education they require to have opportunities for decent work when they become an adult.
Major health and physical risks: as they work long hours and are needed to do tasks for which they are physically and mentally unprepared. Working in hazardous situations adversely impacts a child’s physical and mental health and affects intellectual, emotional and psychological development.
Poverty: Child labour is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Household poverty makes children enter the labour market to earn money = they miss out on an opportunity to get an education = further continuing household poverty across generations in a vicious cycle.

Affect country as a whole: Existence of a large number of child labourers has long term effect on the economy and it is a serious obstacle to the socio-economic welfare of the country.

What are the International Safeguards against Child Labour?

International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions:

The two Core Conventions directly related to child labour are that of ILO Convention 138 (Minimum age convention) and 182 (Worst forms of Child Labour Convention).
India has ratified both the Core Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions.

Declaration of Rights of Child, 1959:

Universal declaration of human rights 1948 – mentions (under article 25) that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance.
The above principles along with other principles of a universal declaration concerning child were incorporated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989

It sets out different rights of children- civil, political, economic, cultural, social and health. Article 32 states that the government should protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or their education.

What are the measures taken by India?

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986

Based on the recommendations of the Gurupadaswammy Committee (1979), the Act was passed in 1986. It has the following objectives:

to prohibit the engagement of children in some employment.
and to regulate the conditions of work of children in certain other employment.

Salient features:

The Act prohibits children from working in any occupation listed in Part A of the Schedule; for example: Catering at railway establishments, construction work on the railway or anywhere near the tracks, plastics factories, automobile garages, etc.
The act also prohibits children from working in places where certain processes are being undertaken, as listed in Part B of the Schedule; for example beedi making, tanning, soap manufacture, brick kilns, and roof tiles units, etc.
Part III of the act outlines the conditions in which children may work in occupations/processes not listed in the schedule.
Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of section 3 of the Act is liable for punishment with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 3 months but which may extend to one year or fine.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016

The Amendment Act completely prohibits the employment of children below 14 years.
The amendment also prohibits the employment of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes and regulates their working conditions where they are not prohibited.
The amendment also provides stricter punishment for employers for violation of the Act and making the offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the Act by an employer as cognizable.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017

The rules provide a broad and specific framework for prevention, prohibition, rescue, and rehabilitation of child and adolescent workers.
It also clarifies on issues related to helping in family and family enterprises and definition of family with respect to the child.
It states that the child shall not perform any tasks during school hours and between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.
It also provides for safeguards of artists which have been permitted to work under the Act, in terms of hours of work and working conditions.
It states that no child shall be allowed to work for more than 5 times a day, and for not more than 3 hours without rest.

National Policy on Child Labour (1987)

It contains the action plan for tackling the problem of Child Labour.
It focuses more on the rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention.
The policy consists of three main attributes:
Legal Action plan –Emphasis will be laid on strict and effective enforcement of legal provisions relating to a child under various Labour laws.
Focusing on general development programmes- Utilisation of various on-going development programmes of other Ministries/Departments for the benefit of Child Labour wherever possible.
Project-based plan of Action – Launching of projects for the welfare of working child in areas of high concentration of child labour.

National Child Labour Project Scheme

For rehabilitation of child labour, the Government had initiated the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme.
The NCLP Scheme seeks:
To eliminate all forms of child labour through identification and withdrawal children from child labour and preparing them for mainstream education along with vocational training
To contribute to the withdrawal of all adolescent workers from Hazardous Occupations / Processes and their skilling and integration in suitable occupations.
Creation of a Child Labour Monitoring, Tracking and Reporting System.

Pencil: The government has launched a dedicated platform viz. pencil.gov.in to ensure effective enforcement of child labour laws and end child labour.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 and Amendment of the Act in 2006

It includes the working child in the category of children in need of care and protection, without any limitation of age or type of occupation.
Section 23 (cruelty to Juvenile) and Section 26 (exploitation of juvenile employee) specifically deal with child labour under children in need of care and protection.

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009): The Act made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children aged six to 14 years are in school and receive free education.

Many NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, ChildFund, CARE India, Talaash Association, Child Rights and You, Global march against child labour, RIDE India, Child line, Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation etc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India.

What are the Challenges in reducing child labour in India?

Issues with Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016:

The list of hazardous industries has been drastically decreased, this may allow the employers in industries like chemical mixing units, cotton farms, battery recycling units, and brick kilns, etc. to employ adolescent labour, which they may even get at a much cheaper price.
Further, the amendment allows a child to be employed in “family or family enterprises”.This raises a question over a large number of child labour in agrarian rural India where poor families are trapped in intergenerational debt-bondage.

Definitional issue: One of the biggest challenges in eradicating child labour is the confusion around the definition of a child, in terms of age, in various laws dealing with child labour.

Lack of identification: Age identification of children is a difficult task in India due to the lack of identification documents. Child labourers often lack school registration certificates and birth certificates, creating an easy loophole in the law to exploit. Most often the children of migrant workers working as labourers and those employed in domestic work go unreported.

Weak enforcement of law and poor governance: Weak enforcement of the law, lack of adequate deterrence and corruption is a major hurdle in eradicating child labour.

What is the way forward?

Child labour is a vicious circle of poverty, unemployment, underemployment, and low wages. There should be a concerted effort towards social protection programmes and cash transfers to improve the economic situation of families and to reduce the “need” to send children to work.
There is an urgent need to revamp educational infrastructure- to ensure access to educational institutions, improvement in quality and relevance of education
There is a need to bring uniformity in existing Indian laws dealing with child labour. The laws must expand the definition of a child by prohibiting the employment of and ensuring free and compulsory education (RTE, Act, 2009) for children below 18 years
There is a need to launch a national campaign to invoke public interest and large-scale awareness on the exploitation of children and the menace of child labour.
The government should take adequate measures to raise awareness among families and communities. Parental literacy can play an important role in ensuring the rights of children are upheld.
Elimination of child labour demands commitment from the society e.g. family, state, civil society and those who employ children in any enterprises.

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Essay on Child Labour for Students and Children

500+ words essay on child labour.

Child labour is a term you might have heard about in news or movies. It refers to a crime where children are forced to work from a very early age. It is like expecting kids to perform responsibilities like working and fending for themselves. There are certain policies which have put restrictions and limitations on children working.

The average age for a child to be appropriate to work is considered fifteen years and more. Children falling below this age limit won’t be allowed to indulge in any type of work forcefully. Why is that so? Because child labour takes away the kids opportunity of having a normal childhood, a proper education , and physical and mental well-being. In some countries, it is illegal but still, it’s a far way from being completely eradicated.

Causes of Child Labour

Child Labour happens due to a number of reasons. While some of the reasons may be common in some countries, there are some reasons which are specific in particular areas and regions. When we look at what is causing child labour, we will be able to fight it better.

Firstly, it happens in countries that have a lot of poverty and unemployment . When the families won’t have enough earning, they put the children of the family to work so they can have enough money to survive. Similarly, if the adults of the family are unemployed, the younger ones have to work in their place.

Moreover, when people do not have access to the education they will ultimately put their children to work. The uneducated only care about a short term result which is why they put children to work so they can survive their present.

Furthermore, the money-saving attitude of various industries is a major cause of child labour. They hire children because they pay them lesser for the same work as an adult. As children work more than adults and also at fewer wages, they prefer children. They can easily influence and manipulate them. They only see their profit and this is why they engage children in factories.

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Eradication of Child Labour

If we wish to eradicate child labour, we need to formulate some very effective solutions which will save our children. It will also enhance the future of any country dealing with these social issues . To begin with, one can create a number of unions that solely work to prevent child labour. It should help the children indulging in this work and punishing those who make them do it.

Furthermore, we need to keep the parents in the loop so as to teach them the importance of education. If we make education free and the people aware, we will be able to educate more and more children who won’t have to do child labour. Moreover, making people aware of the harmful consequences of child labour is a must.

In addition, family control measures must also be taken. This will reduce the family’s burden so when you have lesser mouths to feed, the parents will be enough to work for them, instead of the children. In fact, every family must be promised a minimum income by the government to survive.

In short, the government and people must come together. Employment opportunities must be given to people in abundance so they can earn their livelihood instead of putting their kids to work. The children are the future of our country; we cannot expect them to maintain the economic conditions of their families instead of having a normal childhood.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{ “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What causes child labour?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Child Labour is caused by many factors. The most important one is poverty and illiteracy. When people barely make ends meet, they put their children to work so they can have food two times a day.”} }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “How can we prevent child labour?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”:”Strict measures can prevent child labour. Unions should be made to monitor the activities of child labour. Education must be made free to enroll more and more kids in school. We must also abolish child trafficking completely to save the children.”} }] }

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Child Labour In India - UPSC Essay Preparation For IAS Exam

Child labour essay for upsc.

“LET EVERY CHILD BE FREE TO BE A CHILD.” – KAILASH SATYARTHI

Yes indeed. This holds true for many of us who have lived our innocence. However, this isn’t the reality for the ‘not so privileged’.

Child Labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.

In India, child labour has been one of the biggest concerns for the authorities to overcome. In this article, we shall discuss the causes and effects of child labour in the country. This is an important topic from the IAS Exam perspective.

Child Labour in India

As per a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in India, there are 10.1 million working children between the age of 5 to 14 years. This data was based on the Census of 2011.

As per Census 2011, the total child population in India in the age group (5-14) years is 259.6 million. Of these, 10.1 million (3.9% of total child population) are working, either as ‘main worker’ or as ‘marginal worker’. In addition, more than 42.7 million children in India are out of school.

However, there has been a decline of 2.6 million children affected by child labour between the Census 2001 and 2011. Given below are the statistics for the same:

As per the Census of 2011, there are five major states in India that constitute 55% of the total number of child labour in the country. Refer to the table below:

To know in detail about the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) , a United Nations agency that provides developmental and humanitarian aid to children worldwide, candidates can visit the linked article.

The definition of Child Labour must be seen in line with the different categories of the same instead of using it in a sweeping manner:

Child Labour: Those children who are doing paid or unpaid work in factories, workshops, establishments, mines and in the service sector such as domestic labour.
Street Children: Children living on and off the streets, such as shoeshine boys, ragpickers, newspaper-vendors, beggars, etc.
Bonded Children: Children who have either been pledged by their parents for paltry sums of money or those working to pay off the inherited debts of their fathers.
Working Children: Children who are working as part of family labour in agriculture and in home-based work.
Children used for sexual exploitation: Many thousands of young girls and boys serve the sexual appetites of men from all social and economic backgrounds. Direct links between the commercial sexual exploitation of children and other forms of exploitative child labour are numerous.
Migrant children: India faces a huge challenge with “distress seasonal migration”. At worksites, migrant children are inevitably put to work. All evidence indicates that migrations are large and growing. The number of children below 14 years of age thus affected.
Children engaged in household activities: Apart from children who are employed for wages (either bonded or otherwise) as domestic help, there are a large number of children (especially girls) who are working in their own houses, engaged in what is not normally seen as “economic activity”. These children are engaged in taking care of younger siblings, cooking, cleaning and other such household activities. Further, if such children are not sent to school, they will eventually join the labour force as one of the above categories of child labour.

Also, refer to the following links for UPSC preparation:

Causes of Child Labour in India

Discussed below are the main causes of child labour in India:

Over Population – The population of the country is more in comparison to the job opportunities available
Illiteracy – This is one of the biggest causes. If a child is unable to gain education due to financial or social reasons, he/she is more likely to opt for working at wages and helping the family
Poverty – To overcome the financial crisis and poverty, parents are forced to make their children work for money
Urbanization is another cause
Orphans – New provisions should be made by the authorities for orphans so that they can be educated and avoid working at a young age for their own livelihood and survival
Adult unemployment – Until the adults are not employed, they cannot educate their offsprings which ultimately leads to child labour
Debt trap – In cases, a financial backlog or debt also is a reason which leads to child labour
Cheap labour – The labour salary is minimal, thus, to increase the family income, they are forced to let their children work

If the above-mentioned points are taken care of by the concerned authorities, child labour iin India can be reduced.

Acts for Children Welfare in India

Child labour is a matter on which both the Union Government and state governments can legislate. A number of legislative initiatives have been undertaken at both levels. The major national legislative developments include the following:

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
Factories Act, 1948
Mines Act, 1952
Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2000
Right to Education Act, 2009
National Child Labour Programme, 1988
Article 24 of the Indian Constitution

There are a few Non-Government Organisations like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, CRY, Pratham, etc., which also work for the welfare of the country.

World Day against Child Labour

World Day Against Child Labour was introduced in 2002 by the International Labour Organisation. It is celebrated on June 12th every year across the world.

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the day was celebrated via a virtual campaign that was organised jointly by the Global March Against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA). The theme for 2020 was “Protect children from child labour, now more than ever” .

Although India has shown improvement in the statistics from the 2001 Census, yet there is a long way that needs to be travelled to completely eradicate child labour from the country.

The Government must enforce stricter laws and punishment against child labour and primary education must be made free for all so that no one is deprived of education and knowledge.

CSE aspirants can refer to the UPSC Syllabus at the linked article and accordingly start their preparation for the upcoming recruitment.

For any further exam updates, study material or preparation strategy, candidates can turn to BYJU’S for assistance.

Frequently Asked Questions on Child Labour in India

Q 1. what is the age for child labour in india, q 2. what are the causes of child labour.

Ans. There are many factors that lead to child labour in India. Given below are a few:

Lower Labour Pay Scale for Adults

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Child Labour Essay

What is Child Labour?

Child Labour means the employment of children in any kind of work that hampers their physical and mental development, deprives them of their basic educational and recreational requirements. A large number of children are compelled to work in various hazardous and non-hazardous activities such as in the agriculture sector, glass factories, carpet industry, brass industries, matchbox factories, and as domestic help. It is a blot on our society and speaks immensely about the inability of our society to provide a congenial environment for the growth and development of children.

Childhood is considered to be the best time of one’s life but unfortunately, this does not hold true for some children who struggle to make both ends meet during their childhood years. According to the Child Labour project and 2011 census, 10.2 million children are engaged in child labour in India, out of which 4.5 million are girls.

Earlier, children helped their parents in basic chores in agriculture such as sowing, reaping, harvesting, taking care of the cattle, etc. However, with the growth of the industries and urbanization, the issue of child labour has increased. Children at a very tender age are employed for various inappropriate activities and they are forced to make hazardous stuff using their nimble fingers. They are employed in the garment factories, leather, jewellery, and sericulture industries.

Contributing Factors of Increasing Child Labour

There are a number of factors that contribute to the rise of this peril.

Poverty plays a major role in the issues of child labour. In poor families, children are considered to be an extra earning hand. These families believe that every child is a bread-earner and so they have more children. As these children grow up, they are expected to share their parents’ responsibilities.

Illiteracy is an important factor that contributes to this problem. The illiterate parents think that education is a burden because they need to invest more in comparison to the returns that they get in the form of earnings from their children. Child labourers are exposed to unhygienic conditions, late working hours, and different enormities, which have a direct effect on their cognitive development. The tender and immature minds of the children are not able to cope with such situations leading to emotional and physical distress.

Unethical employers also prefer child labourers to adults because they canextract more work from them and pay a lesser amount of wage. Bonded child labour is the cruellest act of child labour. In this type of child labour, the children are made to work to pay off a loan or a debt of the family. Bonded labour has also led to the trafficking of these impoverished children from rural to urban areas in order to work as domestic help or in small production houses or just to lead the life of street beggars.

Role of the Government

The government has a very important role to play in the eradication of child labour. As poverty is the major cause of child labour in our country, the government should give assurance to provide the basic amenities to the lower strata of our society. There should be an equal distribution of wealth. More work opportunities need to be generated to give fair employment to the poor. The various NGOs across the nation should come forward and provide vocational training to these people in order to jobs or to make them self-employed.

This lower stratum of our society should understand and believe in the importance of education. The government and the NGOs should reach out to such people to raise awareness and initiate free education for all children between the age group of 6-14 years. The parents must be encouraged to send their children to schools instead of work.

Educated and affluent citizens can come forward and contribute to the upliftment of this class of society. They should spread the message about the harmful effects of child labour. Schools and colleges can come up with innovative teaching programmes for poor children. Offices and private and government institutions should offer free education to the children of their staff.

Moreover, awareness of family planning needs to be created among these people. The NGOs and the government must educate them about family planning measures. This will help the family to reduce the burden of feeding too many mouths.

Child Labour is a Crime

Despite the strict law about child labour being a crime, it is still widely prevalent in India and many other countries worldwide. Greedy and crooked employers also lack awareness of human rights and government policies among the people below poverty.

Children in certain mining operations and industries are a cheap source of labour, and the employers get away with it because of corruption in the bureaucracy. Sometimes low-income families may also ignore basic human rights and send their children to earn extra money. It is a systemic problem that needs to be solved by addressing issues at many levels.

However, to protect young children from such exploitation, the Indian government has come up with a set of punishments. Any person who hires a child younger than 14, or a child between the ages of 14 and 18 in a dangerous job, they are liable to be imprisoned for a term of 6 months-2 years and/or a monetary penalty ranging between Rs.20,000 and Rs.80,000.

Eradicating Child Labour

Eradication of child labour will require support from multiple aspects of society. The government programs and government agents can only go so far with their efforts. Sometimes, poor and uneducated families would be reluctant to let go of their familiar ways even when better opportunities are provided.

That’s when normal citizens and volunteers need to step up for support. NGOs supported by well-meaning citizens will have to ensure that the government policies are strictly enforced, and all forms of corruption are brought to light.

Education drives and workshops for the poor section of the economy need to help raise awareness. Parents need to understand the long-term benefits of education for their children. It can help in developing the quality of life and the potential to rise out of poverty.

The harmful consequences of child labour mentally and physically on the children need to be taught in the workshops. Government petitions can also encourage schooling for younger children by offering nutritious meals and other benefits.

Education about family planning is also critical in helping to control the population. When low-income families have more children, they are also inclined to send them for work to help float the household. Having fewer children means that they are valued, and parents focus on providing for their nourishment, education, and long-term well-being.

Having fewer kids also makes them precious, and parents will not send them to hazardous working environments in fear of permanent injury or death. The government should introduce incentives for families with one or two children to encourage poorer families to have fewer children and reap the benefits while providing a good life.

Government Policies

The Indian Government enacted many laws to protect child rights, namely the Child and Adolescent Labour Act, 1986, the Factories Act, 1948, the Mines Act, 1952, the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000.

As per the Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation), 1986, children under the age of fourteen years old could not be employed in hazardous occupations. This act also attempts to regulate working conditions in the jobs that it permits and emphasizes health and safety standards.

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 mandates free and compulsory education to all children between the age group of 6 to 14 years old.

A nation full of poverty-ridden children cannot make progress. It should be the collective responsibility of society and the government to provide these impoverished children with a healthy and conducive environment, which will help them to develop their innate capabilities and their skills effectively.

FAQs on Child Labour Essay

Q1. What do you understand by Child Labour?

Child Labour means the employment of children in any kind of work that impedes their physical and mental development, deprives them of their basic educational and recreational requirements.

Q2. What factors lead to Child Labour?

Poverty, illiteracy, no family control lead to Child Labour. Even the growth of industrialization and urbanization play a major role in the Child Labour. The exploitation of poor people by unethical employers on account of failing to pay their loans or debts, lead to child labour.

Q3. What measures should be taken to eradicate Child Labour?

The government, NGOs should raise awareness about family control measures among the weaker section of the society. The government should provide free amenities and education to children between the age group of 6-14 years. The government should generate more employment opportunities for them. The schools and colleges can come up with innovative teaching programs for them.

Q4. Which policy has banned the employment of Children?

The Child and Adolescent Labour Act, 1986 has banned the employment of children under the age of 14 years.

Q5. What are the causes of child labour?

Child labour is mainly caused by poverty in families from the underprivileged section of the economy. Poor and uneducated parents send children to work under unsupervised and often dangerous conditions. They do not realise the damage it causes for children in the long run. Child labour is also caused by the exploitation of poor people by crooked employers. The problem is also fueled by corruption at the bureaucratic level, which ignores worker and human rights violations.

Q6. How to prevent child labour?

Child labour can be prevented by education programs supported by the government and also NGOs. Volunteers have educated low-income families about the dangers of child labour and the benefits of education. Government laws should be reformed and enforced more rigorously to punish people who employ underage children.

Q7. What are the types of child labour?

There are mainly four types of child labour:

Domestic child labourers: These are children (mostly girls) who wealthy families employ to do the household chores.

Industrial child labourers: Children are made to work in factories, mines, plantations, or small-scale industries.

Debt Bondage: Some children are forced to work as debt labourers to clear the inherited debts of their families.

Child Trafficking: Child trafficking is when orphaned or kidnapped children are sold for money. They are exploited the most without regard for their well-being.

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Social Justice

Child Labour in India: Causes, Consequences and Solutions

Child Labour means when children are made to work in a way that takes away their childhood, potential, and self-respect.

It includes work that is dangerous or harmful to children’s physical, mental, social, or moral well-being.
It also includes work that stops them from going to school, either by not allowing them to attend or by forcing them to leave early.

Whether a particular type of work is considered child Labour depends on factors like the child’s age, the kind and hours of work, the conditions in which it takes place, and the rules set by each country. The definition may vary from country to country and even within different industries within a country.

Facts and Statistics of Child Labour in India

Total child population (5-14 years) in India: 259.6 million (Census 2011).
Working children in India: 10.1 million (3.9% of the total child population) as “main workers” or “marginal workers.”
Out-of-school children in India: more than 42.7 million.
Child Labour decreased in India by 2.6 million between 2001 and 2011.
The decline is more visible in rural areas, while the number of child workers increased in urban areas, indicating a growing demand for child workers in menial jobs.

Causes of Child Labour

There are many other factors that contribute to the problem, such as social norms, cultural beliefs, and discrimination.

Consequences of Child Labour

The consequences faced have a far-reaching impact on the child, society, and the nation as a whole:

Solutions to the Issue of Child Labour in India

Addressing the issue of child Labour in India requires a comprehensive approach involving various stakeholders.

Strengthening Legislative Framework: Enforce and strengthen existing laws, such as the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, to ensure comprehensive protection for children and stricter penalties for offenders. Amendments should align with international standards.
Access to Quality Education: Ensure universal access to free and quality education for all children. Implement and enforce the Right to Education Act, focusing on reducing dropout rates and increasing enrollment in schools.
Poverty Alleviation: Tackle the root causes of child Labour by implementing poverty alleviation programs, providing economic support to families living in poverty, and promoting livelihood opportunities for parents.
Awareness and Sensitization: Conduct widespread awareness campaigns targeting parents, communities, and employers about the detrimental effects of child Labour on children’s physical, mental, and educational development.
Rehabilitation and Social Protection: Develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for rescued child laborers, including access to education, vocational training, healthcare, and psychological support. Establish social protection schemes for vulnerable families to prevent children from entering the Labour force.
International Cooperation: Collaborate with international organizations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, to access expertise, technical assistance, and financial resources to combat child Labour effectively.
Empowering Local Communities: Involve local communities, including parents, teachers, and community leaders, in preventing child Labour. Empower them to identify and report cases of child Labour and provide support for rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.

It is important to recognize that addressing child Labour is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires sustained efforts, collaboration, and the commitment of all stakeholders to create lasting change.

Addressing and eliminating child Labour is crucial for the well-being of children, the progress of society, and the sustainable development of a nation. It requires concerted efforts, comprehensive policies, and the active involvement of various stakeholders to ensure the protection of children’s rights and their holistic development.

How Many Children are Presently Working as Labour in India?

There are around 10.1 million (3.9% of the total child population) as “main workers” or “marginal workers.”

What is the Major Reason for Child Labour in India?

The major reason for child Labour in India is poverty. Families living in poverty often resort to child Labour as a means of survival, as children can be paid less and are more vulnerable to exploitation.

What are the 10 Causes of Child Labour?

The 10 causes of child Labour include poverty, lack of access to education, limited enforcement of child Labour laws, cultural attitudes and norms, armed conflict, discrimination, inadequate social protection, migration, globalization, and demand for cheap Labour.

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Child Labour in India: An In-Depth Analysis of a Persistent Social Issue

Relevant for UPSC Mains GS 2 – Social Justice

Introduction: Child labour is a pressing social issue in India, with millions of children engaged in work that deprives them of their childhood, education, and future prospects. Despite legal frameworks and numerous initiatives to eradicate child labour, the problem persists, with children working in various sectors, often in hazardous conditions. In this comprehensive blog, we will explore the issue of child labour in India, examining its causes, consequences, and potential solutions to this deeply rooted problem.

Understanding Child Labour in India: Child labour refers to the employment of children below the legal age, in activities that are mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. In India, child labour is widespread across various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and the informal sector. Children often work long hours in hazardous environments, with little or no access to education, healthcare, or basic rights.
Poverty: Poverty is the primary driving force behind child labour in India. Families living in poverty often rely on the income generated by their children to meet basic needs, forcing children to work instead of attending school.
Lack of Access to Quality Education: Inadequate access to quality education, particularly in rural areas, leads many children to drop out of school and enter the workforce. Additionally, the lack of infrastructure, resources, and trained teachers in many schools contributes to poor learning outcomes, further discouraging children from continuing their education.
Social and Cultural Factors: Traditional beliefs, social norms, and cultural practices often perpetuate child labour in India. In some communities, child labour is considered a part of the social fabric, with children expected to contribute to their family’s income or learn a trade from an early age.
Ineffective Legal Framework and Implementation: Although India has a legal framework in place to combat child labour, implementation and enforcement of these laws are often weak. Corruption, lack of resources, and inadequate monitoring systems contribute to the limited effectiveness of existing laws and policies.
Impact on Child Development: Child labour has a profound impact on a child’s physical, mental, and emotional development. Long hours of work in hazardous conditions can lead to injuries, chronic health issues, and psychological trauma.
Loss of Education and Future Opportunities: Children engaged in labour often miss out on education, limiting their future opportunities and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Lack of education also hinders their ability to contribute to the nation’s development in the long run.
Perpetuation of Poverty and Inequality: Child labour contributes to the perpetuation of poverty and inequality in society, as children who work instead of attending school are more likely to remain trapped in a cycle of poverty throughout their lives.
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016: This Act prohibits the employment of children below 14 years of age in all occupations and processes, with certain exceptions for family enterprises and child artists. The Act also regulates the working conditions of adolescent workers (aged 14-18) and prohibits their employment in hazardous occupations and processes.
The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009: The RTE Act guarantees free and compulsory education for all children aged 6-14 in India, ensuring that every child has access to quality education, which is crucial in preventing child labour.
National Child Labour Project (NCLP): The NCLP is a government initiative aimed at rehabilitating child labourers through the provision of education, vocational training, and healthcare. The project also raises awareness about child labour and its adverse effects on children, families, and society.
Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS): The ICPS is a comprehensive scheme aimed at creating a safe and protective environment for children through the establishment of child protection services at national, state, and district levels.
Poverty Alleviation: Tackling the root cause of child labour – poverty – is essential in the fight against child labour. Implementing policies and programs aimed at poverty alleviation, such as income-generation schemes, skill development initiatives, and social security measures, can help reduce the reliance on child labour for family income.
Ensuring Access to Quality Education: Improving access to quality education, particularly in rural and marginalized communities, can help prevent child labour. Investments in school infrastructure, teacher training, and the development of contextually relevant curricula can improve learning outcomes and encourage children to stay in school.
Strengthening Legal Framework and Enforcement: Enhancing the effectiveness of existing laws and policies is critical in the fight against child labour. This can be achieved through better monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, increased resources for inspections and prosecutions, and the establishment of dedicated child labour courts.
Collaboration between Stakeholders: Combating child labour requires a coordinated effort among various stakeholders, including the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and local communities. Collaborative initiatives, such as public-private partnerships and community-based programs, can help pool resources and expertise to address the issue more effectively.
Raising Awareness and Advocacy: Raising awareness about the adverse effects of child labour and promoting a change in societal attitudes towards the issue is crucial. Advocacy campaigns, community mobilization efforts, and engagement with the media can help challenge prevailing norms and practices that perpetuate child labour.

Conclusion: Child labour in India is a deeply entrenched social issue, with its roots in poverty, lack of access to quality education, social and cultural factors, and ineffective legal frameworks. Addressing the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, involving various stakeholders and focusing on strategies that tackle the root causes of child labour. With concerted efforts and collaboration, it is possible to eradicate child labour in India, ensuring a brighter future for millions of children who are currently deprived of their basic rights and opportunities.

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Essay on Child Labour: Meaning, Causes, Effects, Solutions

Category: Essays and Paragraphs , Social Issues On February 19, 2019 By Victor

Introduction: A child should not be subjected to work at the expense of his or her education and dreams. Child labour robs minors of the opportunity to enjoy their childhood, go to school, and have a decent shot at success.

It condemns them to a life of limited opportunities. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that every child is protected and not exploited for cheap labour.

It is not just the responsibility of the parents to eliminate child labour but also that of the government and the society. In India, the total number of child labourers, aged between 5 and 14, is estimated to be at 10.1 million. (source: wikipedia )

Child labour refers to the use of children as a source of labour while depriving them of their fundamental rights in the process. Such rights include the opportunity to enjoy their childhood, attend school regularly, have peace of mind, and live a dignified life.

Child labour can also refer to the practice of exploiting children for financial gain. Some industries employ children in order to cut down on labour costs since their wage demand is low.

Work that places children in a situation that is socially, mentally, physically, or morally harmful and dangerous is also defined as child labour because it ignores the well-being of such children.

When children are made to perform work that is legally prohibited to be performed by children of a certain age group, such type of work is also referred to as child labour.

According to wikipedia , Child Labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on a part- or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development.

Child labour is caused by several factors. Some of them include:

1. Poverty: This is the single biggest factor contributing to the children working hard in factories or shops or construction sites rather than playing and getting an education. Families do not have enough resources and children often become the means for more income, even if it means having to forego the privileges of childhood. Children who come from poor families may be forced to work to support their siblings and parents or supplement the household income when expenses are more than the parents’ earnings. It is a huge problem especially in developing countries where parents are unable to generate income due to the lack of employment opportunities or education. Children can be found employed in mines or hawking in the streets to earn money that is used to provide basic necessities such as food and clothing for the family. Children may also be employed in factories to generate income for the family instead of attending school. Some children have left orphans or abandoned due to poverty. Such children do not have anyone to take care of them and end up working to feed themselves unless taken up by orphanages. Such a practice is a common phenomenon in poverty-stricken regions with large factories set up by international companies.

2. Low Aspiration: It is important for parents and children to understand that they can work hard and make something great of themselves. Low aspirations by parents and children is a major cause of child labour because in such a situation, being employed in a local factory, or selling grocery in the streets is the normal way of life. To these types of children and parents, success only belongs to a certain region or group of people. They do not aspire to become professionals in the society or great entrepreneurs. It is a mindset that forms the very foundation of child labour.

3. Huge demand for unskilled labourers: The demand for unskilled labourers is another cause of child labour. Children are mostly unskilled and provide a cheap source of labour, making them an attractive option for many greedy employers. Child labour, by virtue of being cheap, increases the margin of profits for such entrepreneurs whose only objective is profit maximization even if it comes at the expense of ethics and good business practices. These types of employers can also force children to work under unfavorable conditions through manipulation or blatant threats.

4. Illiteracy: A society with many educated people understands the importance of going to school and pursuing dreams. Children have the ability and time to become whatever they aspire to be. Illiteracy , on the other hand, makes it difficult for many people to understand the importance of education. Illiterate people view education as a preserve of the privileged in the society. They will therefore not provide support to children so that they can go to school and build solid foundations for future success. The same view of life is seen among illiterate parents who prioritize children contributing to the upkeep of the family over going to school.

5. Early Marriages: Marrying at an early age is a major contributing factor to overpopulation. Having many children with little or no resources to support them leads to child labour. Older children are forced to work in order to help their parents support the family.

6. High cost of education: Quality education is expensive. To many parents who live in abject poverty, priority is given to providing food for the family because education is too expensive to afford especially when there are many children to pay school fees for. Instead of letting children stay at home because there is lack of money to send them to school, parents opt to have them working as unskilled labourers to help support the family. Some parents can also only afford basic education which means that children will be forced to look for work since they cannot pursue their education further.

7. Gender discrimination: Often girls are required to quit school and take up work to supplement family income until they are suitably married off. This too is an observation in typically vulnerable classes.

8. Family tradition: Many families with businesses or traditional occupations like arts, etc. expect the children to work to be able to pass on the traditional arts or business only by experience.

Consequences / Effects:

Child labour has several negative impacts. Some of them include:

1. Loss of Quality childhood: It is important for human beings to enjoy every stage of their development. A child should play with friends and make memories for a lifetime. Youths should explore life and form strong foundations that would define their adult lives. Child labour, therefore, leads to loss of quality childhood as children will be deprived of the opportunity to enjoy the amazing experiences that come with being young. Children are often encouraged to play because it helps in their growth and development. A child forced to work will miss many of the good things associated with childhood.

2. Health issues: Child labour can also lead to health complications due to undernourishment and poor working conditions. It is highly unlikely that people who employ children also have the moral capacity to ensure that they have good working conditions. Working in places such as mines and badly conditioned factories may result in lifetime health issues for children employed to work in these places. A child assigned physically demanding duties may suffer physical trauma that may scar him or her for life.

3. Mental trauma: It is not a pleasant experience to be kept working as a child while your age-mates are out playing and going to school. Children also lack the ability to shield themselves from most of the challenges that occur in the workplace. Issues such as bullying, sexual exploitation, and unfavorable working hours may result in mental trauma in these children. They will find it hard to forget the past and may become societal misfits because of bad childhood experiences. Child labour may also result in the lack of emotional growth and thus insensitivity.

4. Illiteracy: Children that are employed do not have the time to go to school. They spend a lot of time in their workstations as the days and years go by. The lack of education and illiteracy makes them individuals with limited opportunities as far as employment is concerned. Education also prepares a person for several challenges in the society and without it, one may turn out to lack the basic skills required to overcome many of life’s problems. An individual who has gone to school may be aware of how to approach certain situations in life without resorting to brute force. An illiterate person, on the other hand, considers force to be the only answer to nearly all of the challenges experienced.

How can child labour be reduced or completely eradicated? Every child born has the right to have dreams and pursue those dreams. Even though the realization of some of these aspirations may be limited by several challenges, it is still possible to overcome them and achieve the highest levels of success.

There is need to involve various stakeholders to realize this objective. These are some of the ways in which the problem of child labour can be addressed:

1. Free education: Free education holds the key to eliminating child labour. Parents that do not have money for school fees can use this as an opportunity to provide their children with education. It has already proved to be a success in many places around the globe and with more effort, the cases of child labour will greatly reduce. Mid-day meals schemes can also be used as a motivating factor for children whose parents can barely afford a meal to learn. Even if they will be attending school because of the free meals, they will still be able to learn and create a good education foundation for themselves.

2. Moral Polishing: Child labour should not be entertained at all. It is legally and morally wrong. Children should not be allowed to provide labour at the expense of getting an education and enjoying their childhood. Factory owners, shopkeepers, and industries among others should not employ children. The society should be educated on the negative impacts of child labour so that it becomes an issue that is frowned upon whenever it occurs. This type of moral polishing would act as a deterrent to people who intend to employ children and use them as a source of cheap labour. Many of the ills that go on in the society do so because people turn a blind eye or fail to consider their moral impacts. With this kind of approach, cases of child labour will greatly fall among our communities.

3. Create demand for skilled and trained workers: By creating the demand for skilled and trained workers, child labour cases will reduce since almost all child labourers fall under the unskilled worker category. It will lead to adult employment as the demand for skilled labour rises. Establishing skill-based learning centers, vocational training centers, and technical training institutions improves literacy and contributes to the availability of skilled and trained workers in the job market. Creation of job opportunities by the government is also another way that cases of unemployment can be reduced and household income for the population increased. Such government policies improve living standards and eliminate the need for children to seek work in order to support their families.

4. Awareness: Creating awareness about the illegality of child labour can also help in stemming the practice. Parents should be made aware that sending their children to work has legal ramifications and the law would take its course if they are found to be aiding and abetting this vice. It is the ignorance among many parents and members of the society that makes them participate in child labour practices. Conducting a campaign to create awareness about its harmful effects would eliminate the practice. The government, together with non-governmental organizations and the civil society, can create a strategy to make such an initiative a success.

5. Empowerment of poor people: Poor people are the most affected by child labour. The poor living standards and financial constraints sometimes make them unwilling participants in this vice. Empowering poor people through knowledge and income generating projects would go a long way in reducing cases of child labour. Parental literacy also plays an important role in ensuring that the rights of children are upheld, and minors are not used as a source of labour. Empowering parents with this kind of knowledge can create a positive change in the society and encourage the shunning of child labour practices in communities.

Indian Laws relating to Child Labour

As per the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, amended in 2016 (“CLPR Act”), a “Child” is defined as any person below the age of 14, and the CLPR Act prohibits employment of a Child in any employment including as a domestic help. It is a cognizable criminal offence to employ a Child for any work. (source: wikipedia )
In addition, various laws in India, 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. (source: wikipedia )
: The Factories Act of 1948 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 pre-adults aged 15–18 years be employed in any factory. (source: wikipedia )
The The Mines Act of 1952 prohibits the employment of children below 18 years of age in a mine. (source: wikipedia )

Child labour should never exist. However, it is still noticeable that people around the country hire children so that they will have the benefit of paying low wages to them. One should do not encourage child labour, and neither one should let any other to hire a child to any job.

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School Education /

Essay on Child Labour in 1000 Words in English for Students

Updated on
Mar 4, 2024

Essay on Child Labour: In a 2021 study called “Campaign Against Child Labour,” it was found that over 12.67 million child labourers exist in India, with Uttar Pradesh contributing over 85% of the country’s total.

Child labour refers to the forceful employment of children at shops, domestic places and even hazardous places like factories and mines. Child labour exploits children for their basic childhood rights and affects their physical and mental growth. According to the International Labour Organization, the minimum age for work is 15 years. However, some countries have set the minimum working age at 14 years.

In India, the Ministry of Labour & Employment makes all the laws against child labour and protects children of their childhood rights. This ministry launched the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) scheme for the rehabilitation of child labourers.

Table of Contents

1.1 Poverty and Unemployment
1.2 Lack of Access to Education
1.3 Lack of Enforcement Laws
1.4 Debt Bondage
1.5 Ignorance and Lack of Awareness
2.1 Education Deprivation
2.2 Impact on Physical Health
2.3 Impact on Mental and Emotional Health
2.4 Cycle of Poverty
3 What is the Global Perspective?
4 Child Labour in India
5 Steps to Eradicate Child Labour
6 10 Lines to Add in Child Labour Essay

“The Best Way to Make Children Good is to Make Them Happy” – Oscar Wilde

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Child Labour Causes

There are several causes of child labour, some of which are region-specific. Understanding all the causes of child labour is very important to eradicating it.

Poverty and Unemployment

Poverty and unemployment are the primary causes of child labour. Families living in extreme poverty force their children to work and meet basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare. On top of this, employees take advantage of their poverty and pay them low wages.

Lack of Access to Education

Children belonging to poor families have limited access to education due to inadequate infrastructure, insufficient resources and social discrimination. Due to this reason, children are pushed towards labour instead of attending school.

Lack of Enforcement Laws

A lot of countries do not have strict laws against child labour. Unethical employers are not afraid because the laws against child labour are not strict. Child labour is persistent because employees do not fear the law. In some cases, insufficient coordination among government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations leads to gaps in the enforcement of child labour laws.

Debt Bondage

Debt bondage or bonded labour is a type of child labour where individuals are forced to work to repay a debt or a family loan. These impoverished people have no other option but to work as bonded labourers in domestic places.

Ignorance and Lack of Awareness

The lack of awareness becomes an important cause of child labour, as these people have no idea about the long-term consequences of child labour.

Impacts on Children

Child labour can have serious impacts on a child’s physical and mental growth. However, the impacts of child labour are not limited to children only.

Education Deprivation

Child labour deprives children of their right to education. In India, the Right to Education is a basic Fundamental Right and is also a Fundamental Duty. The Indian Constitution says that any person, who is a parent or a guardian, must provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between the ages of six and fourteen years.

Impact on Physical Health

Children who consistently work in dangerous or tough conditions sometimes get hurt, and sick, and can face long-term health issues. Children working in factories and mines are exposed to harmful chemicals, pollutants and dust. Prolonged exposure can lead to respiratory problems, skin disorders, and other health issues.

Impact on Mental and Emotional Health

Working for long hours in hazardous conditions is a deadly combination. These conditions can contribute to high levels of stress and anxiety, affecting the mental well-being of children. In addition to this, these children are denied the right to education, which limits their cognitive development and prospects.

Cycle of Poverty

Children are supposed to go to school and study, not work in factories or as domestic helpers. Child labour perpetuates the cycle of poverty. The cycle of poverty can only end if child labour ends.

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What is the Global Perspective?

According to UNICEF, 1 out of 10 children are subjected to child labour worldwide and some are forced into hazardous work through trafficking. Child labour is a complex issue with its regional challenges. In 2020, around 16 crore children in the world were subjected to child labour.

International organisations like the ILO, UNICEF, etc. are constantly fighting against children. They collaborate with different governments, NGOs, and private organisations, where the root causes of child labour, such as poverty, lack of access to education, cultural norms, armed conflict, and economic pressures are discussed. It is very important to address these factors for effective solutions.

Child Labour in India

In India, there are five major sectors where child labour is most prevalent. These sectors are:

Agriculture – The largest number of children are employed in the agricultural sector and related activities. Children in rural areas are employed in sugarcane, wheat and rice farms, where they are forced to work for long hours in scorching heat.
Brick Kilns – For ages, the brick kiln industry has been employing children at low wages. In several brick kilns, children work for long hours with their parents and are exposed to toxic fumes and pollutants.
Garment Industry – The Indian garment industry constitutes a large portion of child labour. Most of the Indian garment industries are managed by local start-ups, who hire children at low wages to preserve their profit margin.
Fireworks – Firework factory owners hire a significant number of children at low wages. Children working in fireworks factories work in cramped conditions and are exposed to toxic fumes and hazardous chemicals, which hampers their physical and mental health.
Unorganised Sectors – The unorganised sector includes local dhabas, food and tea stalls, vegetable and fruit vendors, etc. These people employ children as helpers and servants.

Steps to Eradicate Child Labour

Raising awareness about child labour can be the first step to eradicating child labour. If people, especially parents, are aware of the consequences of child labour, they might not force their children to work in hazardous places.
Traffickers prey on vulnerable children, especially those who come from poor families and are not aware of child labour. Awareness ensures growth and opportunities in education, employment and career.
There is an urgent need for stringent laws against child labour. Strict laws against child labour can bring long-lasting social changes. In India, child labour is a crime. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act of 1986, children below the age are prohibited from working. However, this law is not strictly enforced.
Today, various NGOs are working in collaboration with local and state governments to implement pro-child laws.
Education must be made compulsory and accessible to all. In India, the Right to Education is a fundamental right. Yet, a lot of children are deprived of this basic constitutional right. Strict laws and easy access to education can bring a big change, ending child labour in the country.

Also Read: Essay on Summer Vacation in 100, 250 and 350 words

10 Lines to Add in Child Labour Essay

Here are 10 lines on child labour. Feel free to add them to your child labour essay or similar topics.

Child labour deprives children of their right to a proper childhood.
It involves children working in harmful environments.
It Disrupts their physical and mental well-being.
Poverty is a major factor pushing children into the workforce at an early age.
Lack of access to education often perpetuates the cycle of child labour.
Children engaged in labour are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Hazardous conditions in factories and mines pose serious health risks to working children.
Child labour hinders the development of necessary skills and knowledge for the future.
Long working hours and limited leisure time impact a child’s social and emotional growth.
Addressing the root causes, such as poverty and lack of education, is crucial in the fight against child labour.

Ans: Child labour refers to the practice of employing young children in hazardous places like factories and mines. Child labour exploits children for their basic childhood rights and hampers their physical and mental growth. According to the International Labour Organization, the minimum age for work is 15 years. However, some countries have set the minimum working age at 14 years.

Ans: Poverty and Unemployment, Lack of Access to Education, Law of Enforcement Laws, Debt Bondage, etc. are some of the primary causes of child labour.

Ans: Child labour is banned in India. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, of 1986, no child below 14 years of age is allowed to work in hazardous or domestic places, like factories, mines or shops.

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Child Labour in India: a Critical Legal Study

How it works

3 What Is Child Labour?
4.1 Critical Anylysis On Laws In India On Child Labour

Child labour has been prevalent in our society and across the world since ages and is a growing concern for the development around the globe. Much is taken away in the name of labour: childhood. Child labour is the denial of their childhood, their freedom and their future and their being as human being. Childhood is the foundation of a human being and hence is the foundation of future. No wonder why it should be eliminated from the roots of the society of any country.

But still it has its root since ages and couldn’t have been eradicated and is prevalent especially in the developing country.

Child labour has been a longstanding practice in India, particularly in provincial territories where all individuals from a family traditionally worked since their early age. Other factors like poverty, over-population, unemployment, social backwardness, illiteracy, lack of education facilities and poor compliance of law has been fuelling this evil in the Indian society. Notwithstanding a few enactment and legal decisions the children works proceeds without restriction in India. This in result has intruded with the privileges of the children specifically ideal to training; physical wellbeing; mental good and social advancement. This in an ultimate has brought about the obstacle in the improvement of the country. There is a need therefore to determine the reasons for child labour so as to prepare towards the absolute disallowance of the equivalent from the nation.

Child labour has been prevalent in our society and across the world since ages and is a growing concern for the development around the globe. Much is taken away in the name of labour: childhood. Childhood is the foundation of a human being and hence is the foundation of future. Childhood is the time where the best possible development and advancement of the kids in all viewpoints like rationally, physically, socially and mentally is possible by learning from their parents and environment .These children are not even able to attain that certain age where one can think of their education and they are burdened with the mundaneness of the hunger prevailing due to poverty or other reasons which has dragged them to the class of labour. In the long run child labour does not only affect the social growth but also hampers the economic development of the country. This has been a major issue especially in the developing nations and one among them is India. It is saddening that even after 72 years of independence the country census shows more than 10.2 million “economically active” children in the age group of five to fourteen years – (5.6 million boys and 4.5 million girls).

“In the recent decades India has come up with the range of laws and programmes to defeat the issue of child labour. The Indian government along with the UNICEF is working to ensure that the children are protected from the work and exploitation which is harmful to their development.”1 But it is not quite simple as India’s legal framework is drastically overpowered and seriously accumulated, and the cases of child labour can undoubtedly get lost in an outright flood.

What Is Child Labour?

Child labour is any work done by children that is dangerous, hampers their education and is harmful to their health and development. “The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, defines a child as any person who has not completed his fourteenth year of age. Part II of the act prohibits children from working in any occupation listed in Part A of the Schedule; for example: Catering at railway establishments, construction work on the railway or anywhere nears the tracks, plastics factories, automobile garages, etc. The act also prohibits children from working in places where certain processes are being undertaken, as listed in Part B of the Schedule; for example: beedi making, tanning, soap manufacture, brick kilns and roof tiles units, etc. These provisions do not apply to a workshop where the occupier is working with the help of his family or in a government recognised or aided school.”

Factors Leading To Child Labour In India

Child labour has been a longstanding practice in India, particularly in provincial territories where all individuals from a family traditionally worked since their early age. Most of the children who are working today in child labour belong to the low caste in the Indian caste driven society. So the social-cultural factor is a major factor. Most of them belong to the traditional backward class and tribes and minority communities. Another imperative social factor that causes kid work in India is the profoundly instilled social qualities that have existed for quite a long time. Regularly young ladies are let alone for measurements in regards to child labour in light of the fact that occasionally they don’t work in the formal areas of child labour, for example, industrial facilities; rather they partake in domestic sector.

Illiteracy has its paw on the prevailing system in India. The parents being illiterate deny the importance of education in the life of children. They pressurise them to rather hold a sickle instead of a pencil as they themselves have been fed by the earnings of the former. And if the government policies manage to reach a few of them then also the lack of thorough education system is pushing children out of the classrooms and into the cotton fields or agricultural sector or industries as they trust that work is a superior alternative to sustain their future.

The relationship between status as a developing nation and rates of child labour is no coincidence. There are numerous explanations behind this; we’ll begin with some monetary components. The change into a mechanical economy concentrated on worldwide markets isn’t actually a simple one, and the outcome in numerous countries has been far reaching destitution and joblessness. In countries where monetary open doors are low, numerous families have come to depend on the pay earned by their children. For these families, sending markets. The legislatures of creating countries don’t generally have settled jobs in the universal economy, which implies they don’t have a ton of additional cash. Most creating countries can just industrialize and modernize with the assistance of broad credits from outside governments or private enterprises. This implies even after the country has developed their new economy, they are profoundly in the red. As opposed to placing cash into their own economy to invigorate occupations or into social welfare projects to battle the neediness that promotes children’s work, all the country’s assets need to go toward satisfying their obligation.

While talking of many causes which are leading to the firmness of child labour in the society we cannot ignore the prevailing poverty in India. Poverty is the supreme cause of all. A country where there are issues like unemployment and over population, poverty will give birth to these inhuman issues. But it is also an eternal truth that it is not poverty which is barring children from school, our society is poor because our children are not going to school.

Critical Anylysis On Laws In India On Child Labour

In 1989, the United Nations adopted the convention on the rights of the child. This is an international agreement, recognizing the special rights of all children to be treated fairly, equally and with dignity. It recognizes that all actions concerning the children should be in the best interest of the child. It should promote their development and should give them the right to say about the matters affecting them. It gives all the children the right to food, clean water, shelter, and health care. It gives the children right to feel safe and secure as children are especially vulnerable to abuse and neglect. It provides right to development for all children in terms of their education, time to play and to grow and develop in all aspects of community life. All children have the right to participate in all the decisions that affect them. This helps to protect them from abuse and exploitation. Child labour infringes on all of these rights.

“India did sign the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. However, the Indian government has not signed off on Convention 138 on Minimum Age and Convention 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour which to the ILO is considered very progressive in regard to the law against child labour. The Indian government maintains due to their decentralized style of government, only the individual states in India have the constitutional power to change the law regarding the minimum age.” Authoritatively, each territory of India (India has 29 states) is in charge of authorizing child labour inside its very own borders, yet many face issues of subsidizing and organization. As a result, millions of Indian children are working illegally.

In July 2016, our government passed an amendment to the Child Labour (Prohibition And Regulation) Act of 1986. The amendment proposed three major changes:

Amendment of section 2. The “definition of the child” has been changed from below the age of 18 to below the age of 14 years. Changing the age limit and reducing it to 14 years clearly is a sign that one only wants to avoid all kinds of accountabilities. Are we just accepting that this is the way children above 14 are going to be? And is this the story that we have made for them?
A child below 14 will not be allowed to work in any industry except when it is a family enterprise. In family enterprises, they have written ‘any businesses. Any business could mean anything. So for instance if some family is running a liquor business in their home then this becomes a family enterprise. So will we allow children to work in that?
The list of industries that are considered harmful for an individual aged 14 to 18 have been brought down from 83 to 3. The numbers of hazardous industries have reduced which is a huge problem. As we look to the history, in the act of 1986, each time a new industries were added it was done with a lot of rationale. And now the numbers are only limited to a few hazardous industries like mining and few others. In our entire country, if we see most of the working children are working in the agricultural sector.
Amendment of section 14. There is no rigorous punishment for the employer to stop the employment at the first place only. This section also states that there is no punishment for the parents for employing their children unless it is for the commercial purpose. So is there enough fear in the eyes of the employer before they put hands on the children?

The government passes every amendment from its side. But they might not be rid of the loopholes. Child Labour Act has been present for so many years. Even then in today’s time child labour exists in every corner in India. One of the reasons being we could go fight saying the law gave us claws basically, to fight. And now those are gone. Secondly, passing an amendment and its implementation, that is two different things. The effects of the amendment should reach the children. The benefit should reach the chchildren.

The authoritative body should make strict rules regarding checking and establish a surveillance cell for implementation of the existing policies. There is a need of advancement in the education system of the country. And as a responsible citizen we should ourselves ask a question that when was the last time we took a step to stop child labour? Because ultimately they alone are not the sufferers, the whole nation is. So we should all step together to say no to child labour.

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Child Labour Essay

Child Labour refers to the employment of children of the age group of 5 to 17 years, so as to deprive them of their childhood and force them into a life of deprivation and illiteracy. The main factor behind child labour is poverty; therefore, it is more rampant in developing or under developed countries. Children in these countries are often forced into labour to supplement the everyday income of their families.

Short and Long Essay on Child Labour

We have provided below short and long essay on Child Labour in English for your information and knowledge. These Child Labour essays have been written in simple yet effective English language for you to make it easy to remember them as well as to present them when required.

After going through the essays you will know a lot of information about child labour and its vital statistics. You will also know about the industries employing child labour in India; negative effects of child labour on the children; ways to tackle child labour; how child labour is related to poverty; history of child labour; types of child labour in India and statistics of child labour in India 2019.

These Child Labour essay will be extremely useful to you in your school/college assignments and various competitions like speech giving, debate and essay writing competitions.

Child Labour Essay 1 (100 Words)

Child labour is defined as the employment of children, often belonging to the age group of 5 to 17 years. At such a young age children are a lot less demanding and could be very easily managed by the employees. For this reason many unorganized sectors around the world prefer to work with child labors.

There are nearly 152 million child labors the world over; most of them are driven by poverty. Poor families unable to meet their everyday requirements of nourishment are forced to send their children to manual work in different sectors. This way the children could also supplement their family’s income apart from fending for their own vital requirements.

Child Labour Essay 2 (150 Words)

Child labour is defined as the employment of children in such a way so as to deprive them of their childhood, education and growth opportunities. Many unorganized small sectors around the world prefer to employ children for they are less demanding and easily manageable.

Sometimes, the families of the children, themselves push the children into child labour for want of money or they find it unable to feed the children. Such children often live in unhygienic and deprived conditions, with no medical aid at all as well as no education opportunity.

Child labour forces a child into the vicious cycle of deprivation, illiteracy and poverty. Such children are not able to find a reputed and suitable job as adults and are often regarded as socially backward. They live a solitary life of isolation and often take to unwanted and unethical means.

Child Labour Essay 3 (200 Words)

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors around the world. It includes sectors like mining, production industries, farming and other unorganized sectors. Children are often employed in these sectors for they are paid less and easy to manage.

Child labour is widely practised throughout the world and deprives the children of their childhood, education and other growth opportunities. Children are forced to engage in hazardous working conditions to support their families by supplementing its income.

They work under a verbal or written contract between their employer and parents. Sometimes, it is to repay a debt taken by their families from the employer. Child labour is more common in developing and under developed nations. Poverty is the main driving factor behind the child labour as the children are forced into child labour by their own families in order to fend for their everyday requirements for food and other necessities.

There are many strict laws against child labour in the world and many countries including India have norms of imprisonment and fine if a person and organization is found involved in child labour. Despite all the laws, still there is a need to forcibly implement them if we want the child labour to be eliminated.

Child Labour Essay 4 (250 Words)

The term “Child Labour” is used to refer to the employment of young children into various sectors like industries, hotels, farming etc. The term is used mainly to denote the employment of children falling in the age group of 5 – 15 years.

Child labour deprives the children of their childhood and proper physical and mental growth opportunities. It also considerably reduces a child’s possibility to get educated and progress in life.

Worldwide around 218 million children in the age group of 5 to 17 years are employed as child labour. These children are subjected to live in poor hygienic conditions and are deprived of very basic necessary amenities of life.

They never get an opportunity to go to school, thereby forcing them into decades of poverty and labour. Working in poor health conditions they also become susceptible to various kinds of diseases and their conditions are rarely addressed.

Such children are also subjected to live a life of isolation and are not allowed to socially interact with people and to make friends to play. Such poor work environment is stressful for a child and often results in several mental conditions like depression etc. Such children often tend to take drugs and other substances, consequently resulting in further physical and mental damages.

There is a need to strictly supervise the sectors prone to employing children and impose harsh penalties with money and imprisonment on them for doing so.

Child Labour Essay 5 (300 Words)

Introduction

The employment of children for different works, so as to interfere with their normal mental, physical and social growth opportunities is termed as child labour. It also deprives the children of the much-needed education.

Industries Employing Child Labour in India

There are five major sectors in India, employing the children as child labors. They are as described below-

1) Garment Industry

Child labour constitutes a considerable workforce in the Indian garment industry. These industries operate in small owner-managed setups mainly operated from homes. Thousands of children in Delhi are employed by the garment industry and are subjected to loud noise, extensive working hours and sharp tools.

2) Unorganized Sectors

This sector is one of the greatest employers of children in India. It is very easy to spot a child working in dhabas, roadside eateries, tea shops and other businesses. The children are also employed in small shops as servants or help. Family based businesses prefer to employ children as they are easily manageable and cost less.

3) Brick Kilns

The brick kiln industry of India has long been witnessing child labour. Often the children in brick kilns, work for long hours along with their parents. Children working in brick kiln are subjected to hazardous conditions and are exposed to toxic fumes and heated temperatures.

4) Fireworks

Fire sector is one of the biggest employers of children in India. Children in this sector often work in cramped spaces and are exposed to dangerous chemicals and hazardous substances, posing a risk to their health and life. They are also forced to work for longer hours in festive season.

5) Agriculture

Agriculture sector might be the biggest employer of children in India. Children are hired in cotton industries, sugarcane industries, paddy fields and other agriculture related fields. The children working in agriculture sectors have to work for longer hours are paid less and have to work in unhygienic conditions.

Children are forced into child labour as a result of poverty and in order to supplement their family’s income. There is a need to identify these sectors and make necessary policies and laws to prevent the employment and exploitation of children in these sectors.

Child Labour Essay 6 (350 Words)

The engagement of children as manual labors in different organized and unorganized sectors is termed as child labour. It deprives the children of their educational opportunities, opportunity to growth, socialize and health. Child labour is physically and mentally harmful to the students.

Negative Effects of Child Labour

Child labour has many negative impacts on the children. Children working as child labour often work in challenging and life threatening conditions with no one to take care of them. They are paid less as compared to an adult doing the same job; moreover, they are also underfed.

Their employers do everything to keep them cut-off from the other parts of the world, forcing them to live a life of isolation and labour. They are even not allowed to talk or meet anyone. Situations like these often results in mental disorders like depression and leads to drug addiction and substance abuse etc.

How can we Help to Stop Child Labour?

There are few simple steps that we can take to help stop child labour. One should be aware of the child labour laws in the country and must always diligently follow them.

Also by keeping an eye for the businesses employing children and by reporting the same to the competent authorities will also prove helpful in elimination child labor.

A risk assessment of the workplace for the dangers it poses to the children must also be carried out. Also, hiring children for wok should be immediately stopped at any cost.

Child Labour and Poverty

One of the main factors behind the child labour is poverty. Children are forced in labour mainly to supplement their families’ income. Either they are given as contractual labour by family to the employer in exchange of money, or they are employed by the family itself in any of its traditional businesses of occupation.

For instance, poor farmers in India are forced to use their own children as labour as it would be difficult to pay for adult labors.

Child labour is one of the serious threats that impede the growth of a nation and the world as well. Moreover, it deprives the children of childhood, love and education and forces them into arduous, hazardous, non sociable and pathetic conditions.

Child Labour Essay 7 (400 Words)

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors so as to deprive them of their childhood, education and other growth opportunities and causing physical and mental harassment to them. The prime reason behind child labour is poverty and more often than not the children are employed to supplement their family’s income.

History of Child Labour

During the preindustrial societies the concept of childhood was inexistence. Children as young as 10-13 years were engaged in works like hunting, wood cutting and farming etc. Though, it wasn’t child labour in true sense and the children did these jobs to facilitate the survival of their group or family.

Low productivity and low life expectancy were two of the main characteristics of preindustrial area. Hence, preventing the children from engaging in productive work would mean to stalling their progress and lowering their survival chances. Education in those days wasn’t considered necessary for survival than the skills.

The exploitation of children as child labour began in the late 18 th century with industrial revolution. Cities like Birmingham and Liverpool in Britain fast grew into big industrial cities, attracting millions from villages and other rural areas. The situation was same in other developing economies.

The Victorian era in Britain that ranged from 20 th June 1837 to 22 January 1901 was the most infamous for child labour in its period. Children as young as four years are known to have employed in factories and mines in the Victorian era. They worked in unimaginably arduous and life threatening conditions.

World Statistics on Child Labour

World Statistics reveal that nearly 218 million children all over the world are employed. These children fall in the age group of 5 to 17 years and approximately 152 million are in true sense employed as child labour.

Statistics also reveal than nearly 73 million children worldwide, work in hazardous and life threatening conditions.

Going by the numbers, Africa has around 72.1 million children employed as child labour, which is nearly half of the world’s figure of 152 million. Asia and the pacific have 62.1 million child labors; America has 10.7 million child labors while Central Asia, Europe and Arab states have 5.5 million and 1.2 million respectively.

Child Labour has been in existence for centuries even in some of the developed economies of the world. Sometimes the reason is to make the child employable and sometime it is to supplement their family’s income, nevertheless, in both of the cases, it interferes with the child’s ability to grow, get educated and be happy.

Child Labour Essay 8 (500 Words)

Child Labour refers to physical exploitation of the children by engaging them into any form of work that deprives them of their childhood, education, growth and development and is physically and mentally harmful. Strict laws prohibiting child labour are in place in countries around the world including India, but there is a need to implement them more effectively than before.

Causes of Child Labour in India

The UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to the children around the world, states poverty as the biggest cause of child labour in India as well as in the other developing and under developed countries around the globe.

Due to poverty, children are subjected to labour, in order to supplement their family’s income. Also, the absence of adequate educational infrastructure in rural India along with a lack of awareness is also a reason behind child labour in India.

Types of Child Labour in India

There are two types of Child Labour existent in India, one is the debt bondage child labour and other form includes the employment of children to supplement their family’s income. Nevertheless, in both kinds of child labour, the will of others is partially or fully forced upon the child.

In debt bondage child labour, a child is employed for work, through a verbal assurance or written agreement, specifically to clear the debt taken by his parents from the creditor. Though, the solicitation of child labour is banned by legislature in India, the instances of bonded child labour continue even today.

Another form of child labour is where the parents of a child have an agreement with the employer, for employing their child in order to supplement the family’s income. However, poverty is the main factor behind all the types of child labour in India as well as in other parts of the world.

Child Labour in India Statistics 2019

Statistics provided by the UNICEF reveal that nearly 10.1 million children in India are engaged as child labour. These children fall in the age group of 5 to 14 years and consist of 4.5 million girls and 5.6 million boys. Over 90% of child labors are employed in rural India.

Child Labour in India is more prevalent in Uttar Pradesh (2.1 million), Bihar (1 million), Madhya Pradesh (0.7 million), Maharashtra (0.72 millions) and Rajasthan (0.84 millions).

Indian industries employing a major share of child labors in India are cotton industry, match box making industry, agriculture sector and other small unorganized sectors.

Child Labour Laws in India

There are several laws enacted in India those prohibit engagement of children in workforce. Two of the major laws are Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act -2000 and Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act -1986. These acts form the basis of all other child labour laws in India.

Child Labour is a serious hindrance in the growth of a nation and its social and economical development. Though there are many laws to eliminate child labour, yet they are required to be effectively implemented.

A range of students studying in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc classes can use any of the above given essay on child labour. All are simply worded to let students understand without any difficulty. Apart from child labour essay, you can get other related essays and information such as:

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Child Tax Benefits and Labor Supply: Evidence from California

The largest tax-based social welfare programs in the US limit their benefits to taxpayers with labor market income. Eliminating these work requirements would better target transfers to the neediest families but risks attenuating tax-based incentives to work. We study changes in labor force participation from the elimination of a work requirement in a tax credit for parents of young children, drawing on quasi-random variation in birth timing and administrative tax records. To do so, we develop and implement a novel approach for selecting an empirical specification to maximize the precision of our estimate. The unique design of the policy along with its subsequent reform allow us to isolate taxpayers' sensitivity to conditioning child tax benefits on work -- the parameter at the center of recent debates about the labor supply consequences of reforming federal tax policy for children. We estimate that eliminating the work requirement causes very few mothers to exit the labor force, with a 95% confidence interval excluding labor supply reductions of one-third of a percentage point or greater. Our results suggest expanding tax benefits for low-income children need not meaningfully reduce labor force participation.

For helpful comments and suggestions, we thank Connor Dowd, Joe Doyle, Kye Lippold, David Lee, Zhuan Pei, and seminar participants at the Upjohn Institute, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Rutgers University. Any taxpayer data used in this research was kept in a secured IRS data repository, and all results have been reviewed to ensure that no confidential information is disclosed. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Treasury Department or of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

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The primary focus of this thesis is to explore important factors affecting the manufacturing sector in developing economies, with a specific focus on India. The first two chapters of this thesis investigate how financial and land-related policy reforms can significantly impact firm dynamics and resource allocation in manufacturing industries. This contributes to our understanding of how targeted policy measures can lead to substantial changes in firm growth and innovation. Furthermore, the third chapter explores the development of contextually relevant measures to assess the scope of quality differentiation in manufacturing industries. The first chapter, Bank Expansion, Firm Dynamics, and Structural Transformation: Evidence from India’s Policy Experiment, examines the impacts of bank expansion on firm dynamics and labor allocation. This paper focuses on a policy experiment in India designed to encourage bank expansion in ``under-banked'' districts. Empirical findings demonstrate significant growth in manufacturing firms in these districts due to eased credit access, resulting in increased capital accumulation, sales revenue, and employment. However, the expansion predominantly benefited incumbent firms, with minimal stimulation of firm entry or product innovation. The reform also induced notable labor reallocation towards manufacturing sectors, particularly in areas with lower agricultural productivity. The second chapter, Land Constraints and Firms: Evidence from India’s Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act, empirically examines the effects of land constraints on resource allocation and innovation in manufacturing firms, leveraging the staggered repeal of the Urban Land Ceiling and Regulation Act (ULCRA) as a natural experiment. The ULCRA, enacted in 1976, imposed restrictions on land holdings and transfers in India. The findings suggest that the repeal of the ULCRA significantly reduced land market frictions, leading to increased landholdings and transactions among affected firms, thereby enhancing their productivity and growth. The results demonstrate that easing land constraints plays a critical role in reducing misallocation and driving economic growth in the manufacturing sector. In the third chapter, Plants and the Scope for Quality Differentiation: An Empirical Study in India, a new proxy is introduced for determining the scope of quality differentiation in manufacturing industries, based on the slopes of Quality Engel curves. This proxy is empirically validated by establishing a positive correlation between price-plant size elasticities and the scope for quality differentiation. These findings suggest that the Engel slope may serve as a more suitable proxy for evaluating quality differentiation scopes, particularly in the context of developing countries. In all, the thesis not only sheds light on the intricate relationship between policy measures and industrial development, but also contributes to the understanding of quality differentiation in the context of emerging economies

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Child Labour in India: Causes, Consequences, Laws
Bonded Child labour: refers to the employment of a person against a loan, debt or social obligation by the family of the child or family as a whole. Bonded child labourers are mostly found in the agriculture sector or helping their families in brick kilns, and stone quarries. There are around 10 million bonded child labourers in India.
Essay on Child Labour for Students and Children
500+ Words Essay on Child Labour. Child labour is a term you might have heard about in news or movies. It refers to a crime where children are forced to work from a very early age. It is like expecting kids to perform responsibilities like working and fending for themselves. There are certain policies which have put restrictions and limitations ...
Child Labour In India
Child Labour in India. As per a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in India, there are 10.1 million working children between the age of 5 to 14 years. This data was based on the Census of 2011. As per Census 2011, the total child population in India in the age group (5-14) years is 259.6 million.
Child Labour Essay for Students in English
According to the Child Labour project and 2011 census, 10.2 million children are engaged in child labour in India, out of which 4.5 million are girls. Earlier, children helped their parents in basic chores in agriculture such as sowing, reaping, harvesting, taking care of the cattle, etc.
Child Labour in India: Causes, Consequences and Solutions
The 10 causes of child Labour include poverty, lack of access to education, limited enforcement of child Labour laws, cultural attitudes and norms, armed conflict, discrimination, inadequate social protection, migration, globalization, and demand for cheap Labour. child labor in India. Understand the causes, consequences, and explore effective ...
Child Labour In India
Status of Child Labour in India. Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives them of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. The Census of India 2011 reports 10.1 million working children in the age group ...
Child labour and exploitation
Child labour is a major barrier to education, affecting attendance and performance in school. The continuing persistence of child labour and exploitation threatens national economies. It has severe negative short and long-term consequences for children, such as denial of education and undermining physical and mental health. Child trafficking is ...
Prevalence and potential consequences of child labour in India and the
Although child labour is most often found in countries with lower socioeconomic resources, it also occurs in developed countries. 5, 6 The latest global estimates indicate that 152 million children (64 million girls and 88 million boys) are engaged in child labour, accounting for almost one in 10 of all children worldwide. While the number of children in child labour has declined since 2000 ...
Child labour rises to 160 million
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 10 June 2021 - The number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide - an increase of 8.4 million children in the last four years - with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19, according to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF.
Child Labour in India: An In-Depth Analysis of a ...
Conclusion: Child labour in India is a deeply entrenched social issue, with its roots in poverty, lack of access to quality education, social and cultural factors, and ineffective legal frameworks. Addressing the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, involving various stakeholders and focusing on strategies that tackle the root causes of ...
Child labour
Photo essay. 03 July 2019 ... Despite rates of child labour declining over the last few years, children are still being used in some severe forms of child labour such as bonded labour, child soldiers, and trafficking. Across India, child labourers can be found in a variety of industries: brick kilns, carpet weaving, garment making, domestic ...
Child labour in India
A significant proportion of children in India are engaged in child labour. In 2011, the national census of India found that the total number of child labourers, aged [5-14], to be at 10.12 million, out of the total of 259.64 million children in that age group. [2] The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million ...
FACT SHEET: Child labour in India
Of these, 10.1 million (3.9% of total child population) are working, either as 'main worker' or as 'marginal worker'. In addition, more than 42.7 million children in India are out of school. However, the good news is that the incidence of child labour has decreased in India by 2.6 million between 2001 and 2011. However, the decline was ...
Essay on Child Labour: Meaning, Causes, Effects, Solutions
As per the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, amended in 2016 ("CLPR Act"), a "Child" is defined as any person below the age of 14, and the CLPR Act prohibits employment of a Child in any employment including as a domestic help. It is a cognizable criminal offence to employ a Child for any work.
Essay on Child Labour in 1000 Words in English for Students
Essay on Child Labour: In a 2021 study called "Campaign Against Child Labour," it was found that over 12.67 million child labourers exist in India, with Uttar Pradesh contributing over 85% of the country's total.
The Issue of Child Labour in India: [Essay Example], 493 words
The government should bring down the incidence of child labor through reform and investment in education. Mid-day meals should be re-emphasized; homeless children should be provided housing through the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan boarding schools, and laws banning child labor should be more strictly enforced. This essay was reviewed by.
A study of Child labour in India
1. A study of Child labour in India - Magnitude and challenge s. Sudeep Limaye, ASM's IIBR, Pimpri pune. Dr. Milind Pande, Project Director, MIT School of Telecom, Pune. Abstract -. Children ...
Child Labour in India: a Critical Legal Study
Essay Example: Abstract Child labour has been prevalent in our society and across the world since ages and is a growing concern for the development around the globe. Much is taken away in the name of labour: childhood. ... Critical Anylysis On Laws In India On Child Labour. In 1989, the United Nations adopted the convention on the rights of the ...
Child Labour in India: Causes and Consequences
Various causes of child labour like the curse of poverty, lack of educational resources, boys and girls. Consequences of Child Labour such as General child injuries and abuses like cuts, burns, a ...
"A Critical Analysis Of Child Labour In India"
survey found child labour prevalence had reduced to 4.98 million children (or less th an 2% of children in 5 - 14. age groups). The 2011 national census of India found the total number of chil d ...
Rise in Child Labour
According to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, the number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19. India's biggest child labour employers are - Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
PDF Child Labour in India Essay
Child Labour in India Essay Child labour in India is the biggest obstacle to the development of the country. The purpose of writing an article on child labour in India is to show how our future is being deprived of education. Due to lack of information about the importance of education, parents encourage their children to work in extreme conditions.
Essay on Child Labour for Children and Students
Child Labour Essay. By Archana. Child Labour refers to the employment of children of the age group of 5 to 17 years, so as to deprive them of their childhood and force them into a life of deprivation and illiteracy. The main factor behind child labour is poverty; therefore, it is more rampant in developing or under developed countries.
Child Tax Benefits and Labor Supply: Evidence from California
Child Tax Benefits and Labor Supply: Evidence from California. The largest tax-based social welfare programs in the US limit their benefits to taxpayers with labor market income. Eliminating these work requirements would better target transfers to the neediest families but risks attenuating tax-based incentives to work.
Essays in Development Economics
Essays in Development Economics. Jiao, Dian. The primary focus of this thesis is to explore important factors affecting the manufacturing sector in developing economies, with a specific focus on India. The first two chapters of this thesis investigate how financial and land-related policy reforms can significantly impact firm dynamics and ...

Child Labour – India’s Hidden Shame

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Essay on Child Labour in 1000 Words in English for Students

Child Labour Causes

Poverty and Unemployment

Lack of Access to Education

Lack of Enforcement Laws

Debt Bondage

Ignorance and Lack of Awareness

Impacts on Children

Education Deprivation

Impact on Physical Health

Impact on Mental and Emotional Health

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