27-06-2017, 04:58 PM
Child labor usually means the employment of children in any manual labor with or without payment. Child labor is not only limited to India, but is a global phenomenon.
As far as India is concerned, the question is vicious, since children in India have historically been helping parents on their farms and other primitive activities. Another concept that needs explanation is the concept of bonded labor, which is one of the most common forms of exploitation. Bonded labor means that children are forced to work as employees instead of parents' debt repayment due to exorbitant interest repayment rates.
Also associated with the concept of bonded labor is the concept of urban child labor in which the labourers are street children who spend most of their childhood on the streets.
UNICEF has classified child labor into three categories:
1. Within the family- Children engage in domestic chores without remuneration.
2. Within the family, but outside the home- Example: agricultural workers, domestic workers, migrant workers, etc.
3. Outside the family- Example: shopping in restaurants and jobs, etc.
The problem of child labor has been more serious in developing countries. Due to poverty, hunger, illiteracy, ignorance, traditional thinking and the lack of proper application of child labor laws in our country, the problem of child labor continues to be persistent in our society. Children under the age of 14 work in various fields and in very dangerous conditions. The number of child labor has increased in our country and the number of children works more in our country than in any other country in the world. Many provisions are included in our Constitution and child labor control laws, but the socio-economic conditions prevailing in the country do not oblige children to receive compulsory education and enjoy the right to education. This document has tried to present briefly the laws on child labor in our country, the reasons for child labor and suggestions to control child labor.
In developing countries it is impossible to control child labor since it has been considered that children help feed their families, support their families and feed themselves. Due to poverty, illiteracy and unemployment parents are unable to bear the burden of feeding their children and leading their families. Therefore, poor parents send their children to work in inhuman conditions with lower wages. Child labor leads to underdevelopment, incomplete mental and physical development, which in turn leads to a delay in the growth of children. Due to the lack of adequate implementation of child labor laws, inadequate implementation of child welfare schemes and inadequate controls by the women's department and child welfare, the problem of child labor continues to persist. Our society in both urban and rural areas. The children of our country work as garbage collectors, dishwashers in dabhas, as workers in small factories, as domestic helpers in large cities.
