Child labor is the practice of involving children in economic, part-time or full-time activities. The practice deprives children of their childhood and is detrimental to their physical and mental development. Poverty, the lack of good schools and the growth of the informal economy are considered the main causes of child labor in India. Some other causes of child labor in India are low wages and access to factories that can produce the greatest possible amount of goods for the lowest possible price. Corruption in the government of India also plays an important role in child labor because the laws that must be applied to prevent child labor are not due to the corrupt government.
EFFORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT OF INDIA TO CONTROL CHILD LABOuR
The Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 prohibits the employment of children under 14 years of age in 16 jobs and 65 processes that are hazardous to the life and health of children. According to the order of the Supreme Court on December 10, 1996, a notice of recovery has been issued to the infringing employees for the collection of an amount of 2000 rupees per child employed under the provision of the Law. No child It can be used in dangerous occupations. Many states, including Haryana, have constituted the rehabilitation of child labor: social assistance funds at the district level and separate labor cells are being formed to address the problem 2. National child labor projects have been implemented by the central government in the States since 1988 to provide non-formal education and prevocational skills. Since 2001, Sarve shiksha Abhiyan was launched to educate poor children and employees in every state. The Ministry of Women and Child Development has provided non-formal education and professional training. The establishment of Anganbadies is also a great step of government for the welfare of children and their physical, mental and educational development.
Implementation of Child Labour Laws
The government has enacted the Child Labour Amendment (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 2016, which came into force today, that is, 1.9.2016. The Amendment Act completely prohibits the employment of children under 14 years of age. 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 when they are not prohibited. The amendment also establishes a stricter punishment for employers for the violation of the Act and for considering that the crime of employing a child or adolescent in contravention of the Act is recognized by an employer.
To achieve effective compliance with the provisions of the Act, the amendment empowers the appropriate government to confer such powers and impose such duties on the district magistrate as necessary. In addition the State Action Plan has been distributed to all States / UTs to ensure effective enforcement of the law.
According to the 2011 Census, there are 43.53 lakh of senior workers in the 5-14 year age group in the country. This information was provided by Shri Bandaru Dattatreya, the Minister of State (CI) for Labour and Employment, in response to a question in Rajya Sabha today.