Blog: CHILD LABOUR IS A CURSE

Child Labour is a serious problem faced the entire world in general and by India in  particular. In our state of Jammu and Kashmir, the number of child labours is increasing alarmingly. It is a curse for the society it the life of the children (read our future) hell and restricts their development and hampers their potential.
Gabril Mistral of Chile, Noble Prize winning poet, has rightly highlighted:
We are guilty of many faults, but our worst crime is abandoning the children,  neglecting the fountain of life.
Many of the things we need can wait, the child cannot.  
Right now is the time his bones are being formed, his blood is being made and his sense being developed.  
To him we can not answer, Tomorrow, His name is Today.”
Children are innocent and hardly know how they are injured and even if they realize at any time they can not raise voice. Child being physically weak, mentally innocent and as a living being dependent on others,  and thus lives at the mercy of others.  Child labour is a big curse, but some conservative minds encourage this curse and would say ‘not all work is hazardous to children’ (Gore 1985) or ‘work’ can infact be beneficial to child ‘or’ working children are healthier than others because of the food they get to eat.
“Our families are mostly responsible to send us for work’ would be view point of every child labour.  But reality is hidden. Still in India millions live under serious misery and across the world. Says Peter Singer, “at least 8 million die because of poverty annually.”  It is the poverty that forces parents to send their children for work. Children in the age group of 6-12 are seen doing all kind of manual jobs. This is the age when these children should have been in schools but are regrettably being commanded by ‘Sahibs’. People shamelessly engage the children of this age group as domestic helps and thus they live at the mercy of others.

Though the problem of child labour is a global phenomena, in India it is more glaring. Though some government estimates suggest that some 20 m children are working in India, un-official reports claim that the number is 50 m.
In northern India the number of working children is more.  To alleviate poverty, parents force their children to work, the number of such parent constitute 75% of rural poor. These children work more than 8-12 hours having only one break for meals.  Mostly migrant children prefer to sleep at work places which affects their health and it has been found that such children often become victims of sexual abuse.
Poverty is basic cause of child labour.  Although ‘India is Shining’ but ‘Bharat’ is still poor, where formers still commit suicides, die due to hunger and starvation. One who does not spare his own life, how can he bother about his child, his future, his schooling………etc.  Mostly, parents take loans from money lenders and forced by their less production they send their children for work to get the loan repayed.  Such children have to spend their lives repaying the same.  
Besides poverty, factories are the second most responsible cause for child labour. Mostly, children are found working in cracker making, diamond polarizing, brass work, carpet weaving, shawl weaving, bangle making, lock making and mica cutting.  It is estimated that 70% - 80% of children in the age group 8-15 are working in glass industry Ferozabad where they have to work for long hours against little wages.
The condition of girl children is more pathetic. The have to work in and outside homes, take care of their younger siblings and thus have no access to education.

Coming to consequences of child labour we see children are affected physically, mentally, psychologically and more serious is that their school life is killed, beyond it they are sexually abused.  It is reported that Bangladesh and Nepal are the main sources of child trafficking in South Asia.  It is estimated that more than 15000 Women and children are smuggled out of Bangladesh every year.  

Art 24 of the Indian constitution says: ‘ No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous  employment.’  Art 39 (C) lays down that the “health, strength of workers -men, women and the tender age of children are not abused and that citizens are not forced by economic necessity to tender avocation unsuited to their age or strength.”  
Under Art 45 the provisions for early childhood and care and education to children below the age of 6 years is made.  Whereas Art. 51 (A) ‘It shall be duty of a parent or guardian to provide opportunities for education  to his child ward between the age of 6 and 14 years.”  With it we see chain of  legislations legislated from time to time to get child out of this rot:

Besides, there are number of such legislations in the interest of children allover the world. The ILO has adopted 18 conventions among which India ratified 6 only.
Further, government of India Under its VIth  Plan aimed at universal primary education, increase in employment opportunities and improvement of family Incomes.  Moreover the Midday Meals Scheme, Scholarships, Anganwari Centres, all are positive steps towards the eradication of this menace.
Better education facilities, effective role of labour departments, implementation of legislations, role of panchayats, formation of special task force, all these steps may help eradicate child labour.  And last but not least, volunteer groups or committees in every locality can check the menace and even try to help financially if any child is being forced to work. Society has to wake up and fight this curse. Let’s think today, otherwise tomorrow could be disatrous.