Child Labour in India: Overvire and Legal Perspectives
Keywords:
Unavailability, economy and society, non-availability, death or disablement/illness, usefulnessAbstract
Child labour is widespread all over the world and prevalent mostly in states with lower economic status and access to resources. Poverty in families and society, death or disablement/illness of the parents, non-availability of social security and protection, ignorance regarding the usefulness of, or unavailability of, education are some of the countless reasons that lead children to work. Child labour is a hindrance to the growth of individual children and their economy and society. Global estimates indicate that 152 million children, including 64 million girls and 88 million boys, are working, making up almost 10% of all children worldwide. Presently the COVID-19 health pandemic and the subsequent economic and labour market impacts are significantly affecting people's lives and livelihoods. Poor families and their children are usually the worst hit, which can drive even more
vulnerable children into child labour. Child labour in India is higher than in most other nations, with some 10 million children working, or looking for work. The topic of this paper is the problem of child labour, the reasons behind it and its harmful effects. Additionally, it also examines the international legal structure surrounding child labor and Indian legislation matters. Apparently, there is definitely a critical need for the issue to be effectively dealt with and solved.
References
Vishnupriya Y. International Concern for Protection of Right‖, Supreme Court Journal 1992; I & II May/June: 16.
Sharma SK. Child Labour Problems and Prospects. Faculty of Law, University of Jammu, 1999.
UNICEF. Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse, https://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_child_labour.html (accessed 19 August 2020).
International Labour Organization “What is child labour?”, https://www.ilo.org/ipec/facts/lang–en/index.htm (2012, accessed 19 August 2020).
Bhaskaran E. Extent of child labour in India and world perspective. Ch.S.D.St.Theresa's College For Women At: Eluru, Andhra Pradesh: UGC Sponsored National Seminar Publications, 2013; Vol. 1.
International Labour Organization. A future without Child Labour. Global Report under the Follow-up to the ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work International Labour Conference 90th Session, http://www.ilo.org/declaration (2002, accessed 24 August 2020).
International Labour Organization. Ending child labour by 2025: A review of policies and programmes, https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/–-ed_norm/–-ipec/documents/publication/wcms_653987.pdf (accessed on 24 August 2020).
Human Trafficking in Global Supply Chain, https://www.svenssonstiftelsen.com/post/ending-child-labour-forced-labour-and-human-trafficking-in-global-supply-chains (accessed 24 August 2020).
International Labour Organisation. Child Labour in India, https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/–-asia/–-ro-bangkok/–-sro-new_delhi/documents/publication/wcms_557089.pdf (accessed 24 August 2020).
A Dialogue on Barriers and Solutions in Accessing the Rehabilitation Programmes, https://satyarthi.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Dialogue-on-Barriers-in-Rehabilitation-of-Rescued-Children.pdf (accessed on August 24 2020).
Chakrabarty S, Grote U. Child labor in carpet weaving; impact of social labelling in India and Nepal. World Dev 2009; 37: 1683–1693.
Sarkar K. India faces lost generation as Covid-19 pushes Children to Work. Hindustan Times, https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/india-faces-lost-generation-as-covid-19-pushes-children-to-work/story-hIbEkV1pEhQAmkWwR9S8rO.html (accessed 24 August 2020).
Sunil S. India faces lost generation as COVID pushes children out of school and into jobs. The Print, https://theprint.in/india/india-faces-lost-generation-as-covid-pushes-children-out-of-school-and-into-jobs/478424/ (accessed 24 August 2020).
Salaria S. Child labour cases rise during lockdown in India. Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/noida/child-labour-cases-rise-during-lockdown-in-noida/articleshow/76916365.cms (accessed 24 August 2020).
Bijli N. COVID-19 lockdown exposes gaps in India's child protection services and urgent need for collaborative, proactive approach. First Post, https://www.firstpost.com/india/covid-19-lockdown-exposes-gaps-in-indias-child-protection-services-and-urgent-need-for-collaborative-proactive-approach-8680561.html (accessed 24 August 2020).
Coronavirus worsens India’s child-labour issue; forces children out of school to work. Financial Express, https://www.financialexpress.com/economy/coronavirus-worsens-indias-child-labour-issue-forces-children-out-of-school-to-work/2050148/ (accessed 24 August 2020).
Amid Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown, Childline rescues over 3600 children from labour. Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/amid-covid-19-pandemic-and-lockdown-childline-rescues-over-3600-children-from-child-labour/articleshow/76335256.cms (accessed 24 August 2020).
Thirteen child workers rescued from 2 factories. Times of India, https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ludhiana/13-child-workers-rescued-from-2-factories/articleshow/70883946.cms (accessed 24 August 24).
Causes of Child Labour. https://laborcenter.uiowa.edu/special-projects/child-labor-public-education-project/about-child-labor/causes-child-labor (accessed 24 August 2020).
Boyden J, Ling B, Myers W. What Works for Working Children. Smedjebacken: UNICEF and Save the Children Sweden, 1998.
Lieten GK. Hazardous Child Labour in Latin America. Heemstede, Netherlands: Springer, 2011.
Johansson J. Causes of child labour – A case study in Babati town, Tanzania, http://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:358647/fulltext01.pdf (accessed 24 August 2020).
Kurosaki T, Ito S, Fuwa N, et al. Child labor and school enrollment in rural India: Whose education matters? Develop Econ 2006; XLIV: 440–464.
International Labour Office. Child Labour: A Textbook for University Students, https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/–-ed_norm/documents/publication/wcms_067258.pdf (2004, accessed 24 August 2020).
Srivastava K. Child labour issues and challenges. Ind Psychiatr J 2011; 20: 1–3.
Cooper SP, Rothstein MA. Health hazards among working children in Texas. South Med J 1995; 88: 550–554
Mathews R, Reis C, Iacopino V. Child labor. A matter of health and human rights. J Ambul Care Manage 2003; 26: 181–182.
Wangusa DGAM. Multinational corporations, human rights and child labour in Ghana. Thesis, University of Pretoria, 2014.
Edmonds EV, Pavcnik N. Child labor in the global economy. J Econ Perspec 2005; 19: 199–201.
Fassa AG, Parker DL, Scanlon TJ. Child Labour: A Public Health Perspective. Oxford: Oxford Scholarship Online, 2010.
International Labour Organisation. Hazardous Child Labour, https://www.ilo.org/ipec/facts/WorstFormsofChildLabour/Hazardouschildlabour/lang–en/index.htm#:∼:text=Girls%20and%20boys%20often%20start,killed%20at%20work%20every%20year (accessed 24 August 2020).
Byard RW, Gilbert J, Lipsett J, et al. Farm and tractor-related fatalities in children in South Australia. J Paediatr Child Health 1998; 34: 139–141.
Byard RW. Farming deaths – an ongoing problem. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 2017; 13: 1–3.
Tiwari RR, Saha A. Morbidity profile of child labor at gem polishing units of Jaipur, India. Occup Environ Med 2014; 5: 1–2.
How does Child Labour effect Children? A case study from India, https://www.worldvision.com.au/docs/default-source/school-resources/how-does-child-labour-affect-children–-india-case-study-worksheet.pdf?sfvrsn=2 (accessed 24 August 2020).
Child Labour Laws in India, https://blog.ipleaders.in/child-labour-laws-in-india/#Causes_of_child_labour_in_India (accessed 24 August 2020).
Banarjee SR, Bharati P, Vasulu TS, et al. Whole time domestic child labor in metropolitan city of Kolkata. Ind Pediatr 2008; 45: 579–582.
O’Donovan S, van den Heuvel C, Baldock M, et al. Factors involved in the assessment of paediatric traffic injuries and deaths. Med Sci Law 2018; 58: 210–215.
World Vision Action. Unlucky for some: 13 myths about child labour, https://www.worldvision.com.au/docs/default-source/Media-Release-PDFs/2014/child-labour-myths-media-report-12-june-2014.pdf?sfvrsn=0 (2014, accessed 24 August 2020).
Hindman HD, Hindman H. The World of Child Labor: An Historical and Regional Survey. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Developmental Effects of Child Labor, https://laborrights.org/blog/201109/developmental-effects-child-labor (accessed 24 August 2020).
Tobin J. The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: A Commentary. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019.
Mission and impact of the ILO, https://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/mission-and-objectives/lang–en/index.htm (accessed 24 August 2020).
Weiner M. The Child and the State in India: Child Labor and Education Policy in Comparative Perspective. India. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1991.
Ministry of Labour and Employment. About Child Labour, https://labour.gov.in/childlabour/about-child-labour (accessed 24 August 2020).
Ramanathan U. Evolution of the law on child labor in India. In: Hindman HD, Armonk NY and ME Sharpe (eds) The World of Child Labor – An Historical and Regional Survey. 2009, pp.783.
Self S, Grabowski R. Agricultural technology and child labor: Evidence from India. Ag Econ 2009; 40: 67–78.
Department of School Education and Literacy. Right to education, https://www.mhrd.gov.in/rte (accessed 24 August 2020).
Untold story of lockdown: sharp surge in child trafficking. Indian Express, https://indianexpress.com/article/express-exclusive/covid-abuse-child-trafficking-6721333/ (accessed 14 November 2020).
