Child labor is the practice of involving children in part-time or part-time economic activity. The practice deprives children of their childhood and is detrimental to their physical and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of the informal economy are considered the main causes of child labor in India.
The 1998 Indian National Census estimated that the total number of working children aged 4 to 15 was 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in the 5 to 14 age group. However, in 2009-10 a nationwide survey found that the prevalence of child labor had dropped to 4.98 million children (or less than 2% of children aged 5 to 14). The 2011 Indian National Census found that the total number of working children aged 5 to 14 was 4.35 million and the total child population of 259.64 million in that age group. The problem of child labor is not unique to India; Around the world, about 217 million children work, many full-time.
Indian law specifically defines 64 industries as dangerous and it is a criminal offense to employ children in such dangerous industries. In 2001, an estimated 1% of all child laborers, or about 120,000 children in India, were in hazardous work. In particular, the Constitution of India prohibits child labor in hazardous industries (but not in non-hazardous industries) as a fundamental right under article 24. UNICEF estimates that India with its largest population has the highest number of Workers under 14 While sub-Saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children deployed as working children. The International Labor Organization estimates that 60 per cent of agriculture is the largest employer of child labor in the world, while the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations estimates that 70 per cent of child labor is Agriculture and related activities. Outside agriculture, child labor is observed in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy.
Companies like Gap, Primark, Monsanto have been criticized for child labor in their products. Companies claim they have strict anti-child product policies, but there are many links in a supply chain that makes it difficult to supervise everyone. In 2011, after three years of Primark's efforts, the BBC acknowledged that its award-winning investigative journalism report on the use of Indian child labor by Primark was false. The BBC apologized to Primark, Indian suppliers and all its viewers.
In December 2014, the United States Department of Labor published a list of goods produced by child labor or forced labor and India was among 74 countries where a significant incidence of critical working conditions has been observed. Unlike any other country [clarification required], 23 goods were attributed to India, most of which are produced by child labor in the manufacturing sector.
In addition to the constitutional prohibition of hazardous child labor, several Indian laws, such as the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act of the Children Act 2000 and the Child Labor (Prohibition and Abolition) Act 1986, identify , To prosecute and stop child labor in India.