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THE
SCOURGE
OF
CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA
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Child Labour is
a perennial problem in India. It is deemed as the legacy
of the old feudal system. The architects of the Indian Constitution
were fully aware of this menace and incorporated Articles 15(3),
23,24, 39(e), (i) and 45 which mandate non employment of children
and their induction into schools. Another mandate is provision
of a free and compulsory elementary education for all children
upto the age of 14 within a period of 10 years of adoption of
the Republican Constitution in 1950. These were augmented
with the Prohibitive Laws namely Bonded Labour System Abolition
Act 1976 and Child Labour Regulation Act, 1986. It is
a tragic irony that despite a plethora of constitutional mandate,
prohibitive laws and international conventions, this abominable
system has been thriving uninhibitingly. Now it has reached the
whopping figure of 65 million, a great blot on India, the World’s
largest democratic country.
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They are either
in debt bondage or pledged for advances contracted by parents.
Some of them are victims of illusory promises made by procurers
about bright prospects after undergoing training in certain
trades. The major areas of their employment are agriculture,
carpet industry, brassware industry, glass and bangles industry,
leather industry, gems cutting and polishing, matches and
fire works, stone quarries, brick kilns, handlooms etc.
It is commonly contended that
the child labour as a harsh reality is borne out of social,
economic and historical reasons. It is believed that four
factors namely poverty, unemployment, population and
illiteracy are the main reasons for this malady and
removal of these is a pre-requisite for wiping out the child
labour system. But we argue the other way. Our experience
and the various studies conducted by researchers corroborate
the fact that child labour is equally, if not solely responsible
for causing and perpetuating unemployment, poverty, population
growth and illiteracy.
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Another area which
has caused confusion is the stratification of child labour. The
Government’s instrument covers only children working in intolerable
conditions and not other child labour, and as such, any attempts
by NGOs to end child labour in any form as mandated in the constitution
and prohibitive laws have proved futile because of many escape
routes in the relevant laws. Bandhua Mukti Morcha
has been vehemently opposing such a line of approach. Children
working for 10 to 16 hours a day too come under the category of
hazardous in the real sense, as long working hours adversely affect
their health, mental, physical and moral development, thereby
reducing their span of life. Thus potential assets wither
away before blossoming. In the long run, these factors outweigh
the short gains acquired by employment of children. In the present
set up, the major capital resource of our country i.e. Human resources
are being depleted surreptitiously.
Bandhua Mukti Morcha
has been pressing the Government to abolish the distinction between
hazardous and non-hazardous. Any form of child labour at the
cost of a child’s education should be made illegal and necessary
amendment to child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) act of
1986 be made.
Still another dismal
feature is the absence of political will to abolish child labour
in any form. Realising this deficiency, BMM had convened a meeting
with leaders of the leading political parties in India in February,
1996 and impressed upon them to include this issue in their manifestoes.
Some political parties did mention this issue in their manifestoes.
Following this, the United Front Government in its Common Minimum
Programme (CMP) clearly committed itself for total elimination
of all forms of child labour and to make education upto 14 years
of age, free and compulsory (1996).
The New Government
of BJP & allies in its National Agenda for governance prescribes
accessibility to primary education (5th standard) for
all. The present trend is to employ children in the place of adults
because of the well known advantages of employing the former;
namely, children can work for longer hours, say 10 to 14 hours
a day without any grumble, they cannot form unions and work for
a pittance or no wages, being in debt bondage.
CHILD
LABOUR LAWS ONLY ON PAPER
BONDED
CHILD LABOURERS FAST IN CITY
7
ORISSA CHILDREN ESCAPE BONDAGE
PARTIES
LACK WILL ON CHILD, BONDED LABOUR ISSUES
FOUR
CHILDREN RESCUED FROM BONDAGE
WEAVING
WOES INTO A CHILD'S LIFE
FOCUS
ON CHILD RIGHTS
FORTY
CHILDREN RESCUED FROM BONDED LABOUR
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