Child Labour
Contents
What is Child Labour? 2
Why include children in the workforce? 3
1) Poverty: 3 2) Population Explosion: 4 3) Lack of Primary Education for children 5 4) Parental Illiteracy 6 5) Social Apathy 6 6) Family practice to inculcate traditional skills in children 7 7) Urbanization and Unemployment 7 8) Industrial Revolution: 8
9) Ineffective Child Labour laws implementation: 8
Prevalence of child labour in India or elsewhere 9
Pros and Cons of Child Labour 9
Advantages: 10 Disadvantages: 10
International Response to Child Labour 11
United Nations 11 International Labour Organization 12 Key legislative landmarks regarding child labour 12
ILO’s response to child labour 13 INDUS Child Labour Project 14 Response of Corporates 16
Evolution of the various Constitutional and Legal Provisions 16
Initiatives towards Elimination of Child Labour – Action Plan and Present Strategy 18
Popular Cases related to Child Labour 21
Suggestions to stop Child Labour 21
Success stories of Rescued Child Labourers 22
Every child comes with a message that god is not yet discouraged of man.
– Rabindranath Tagore
What is Child Labour?
There is no universally accepted definition of child labour. Governments, social activists, international organizations and other groups all have their own interpretations of the term. Generally speaking, child labour is “work for children that harms them or exploits them in some way (mentally, physically or by blocking their access to education)”. It is important to realize that not all work can be considered child labour. Children undertaking a few hours of household chores, helping out with the family shop, or doing school related work is actually beneficial for them. Such work will not hamper the education, but in fact helps improve social skills and enables to learn a new trade. While some types of work like soldiering and prostitution are
What is Child Labour? 2
Why include children in the workforce? 3
1) Poverty: 3 2) Population Explosion: 4 3) Lack of Primary Education for children 5 4) Parental Illiteracy 6 5) Social Apathy 6 6) Family practice to inculcate traditional skills in children 7 7) Urbanization and Unemployment 7 8) Industrial Revolution: 8
9) Ineffective Child Labour laws implementation: 8
Prevalence of child labour in India or elsewhere 9
Pros and Cons of Child Labour 9
Advantages: 10 Disadvantages: 10
International Response to Child Labour 11
United Nations 11 International Labour Organization 12 Key legislative landmarks regarding child labour 12
ILO’s response to child labour 13 INDUS Child Labour Project 14 Response of Corporates 16
Evolution of the various Constitutional and Legal Provisions 16
Initiatives towards Elimination of Child Labour – Action Plan and Present Strategy 18
Popular Cases related to Child Labour 21
Suggestions to stop Child Labour 21
Success stories of Rescued Child Labourers 22
Every child comes with a message that god is not yet discouraged of man.
– Rabindranath Tagore
What is Child Labour?
There is no universally accepted definition of child labour. Governments, social activists, international organizations and other groups all have their own interpretations of the term. Generally speaking, child labour is “work for children that harms them or exploits them in some way (mentally, physically or by blocking their access to education)”. It is important to realize that not all work can be considered child labour. Children undertaking a few hours of household chores, helping out with the family shop, or doing school related work is actually beneficial for them. Such work will not hamper the education, but in fact helps improve social skills and enables to learn a new trade. While some types of work like soldiering and prostitution are
References: • US Dept. of Labour, By the Sweat & Toil of Children, Vo. V: Efforts to Eliminate Child Labour • Child Labour: Targeting the Intolerable (1998) and other ILO publications http://www.ilo.org.