It seems like a regular day when the newspaper boy rings our doorbell; he is not more than 14 years of age facing the hard side of life where he has to start working at this tender age and forgo his education. He is not the only one. So is the case with our laundry waala, tapri ka chai waala, waiter at a dhaba, cleaner in a garage or our average house helper. There are many odd employment options that these little ones pick up out of sheer helplessness.
What is child labour?
As described by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), child labour is, “work that robs children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.” It refers to employment that is hazardous to children and harmful in terms of mental, physical, social, or moral safety; it also interferes with their education.
Indian counts
India has surpassed China in the race of the most populated nation. It has more than one billion living beings spanned over 3.287 million square kilometers. While the country struggles to come out of the vicious circle of social problems, one of the biggest curse to humanity is child labour. In absolute terms, child labour for the 5- 17 years age range is highest in India counting to 5.8 million.
Legalities
The Government of India stated that it would gradually outlaw all forms of child labour in its 1992 ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), which included a reservation in Article 32. India has the chance to change the law to benefit its children after the child labour law went into effect.
The new Child Labour Act permits kids under 14 to work in family jobs after school since India’s legal structure is predicated on the idea that kids can labour and still receive an education. Though the employer has to be vigilant and check if the kid is working post his classes. However, only 49% of working children between the ages of 5 and 14 and 17% between the ages of 15 and 18 are concurrently enrolled in school.
Findings from the street
On this Child Labour Day, we interviewed a few child labourers around us, we were shocked to discover the meek implementation of the law. From the ambition of a two year old child to the helpless 14 year old boy, government seriously needs to pull up its socks and punish the ones who do not adhere to the law and hire children.
We found this 14- 12 year old brother- sister duo respectively in Fatehgunj with their mother. The 14 year old boy was trying to meet both the ends through his daily wage of 150 rupees that he earns from a Chinese lorry, while the 12 year old girl works at a kitchen in the catering service. The mother begs on the street to fulfil the basic necessities. “I was in school previously, but since the condition of school was tattered, I dropped out,” says the 12 year old girl who misses her classes. “We cannot afford education,” says the mother who wants to send her children to school.
Many children in India are not enrolled in academic institutions, which means they are not receiving the education they require. The report claims that between 2001 and 2011, there were 2.6 million fewer children working in India.
Few steps ahead, a 12 year old boy was seen collecting waste from the people of a locality. He works at the Vadodara Municipal Corporation Garbage Collection Van. Who is to be blamed here? On asking him if he wishes to go to the school he says, “I would love to, but I can’t.” The main cause of child labour is poverty.
Since one-third of people live in poverty, there are many kids who are able to work and support themselves. Poor families typically have little to no resources, so instead of investing in their education, they send their children to work to make money. These youngsters are frequently given to child merchandisers by their parents to lighten their financial load.
Sets of parents of two kids aged 2 and 3 simultaneously seemed to be hopeful for their children. “We were never privileged to have a comfortable life, but we will try our level best to educate our child and make his future bright,” says a hopeful mother who sells balloons looking at her two year old child.
Let’s be hopeful!
Nobody knows what wonders these kids would have created had they been provided with an opportunity to educate and flourish. Child labour not only restricts child from giving their best chances at life but also pushes them towards a dark future.
To uproot this social evil, we all should join hands and help these little ones in our own ways. Government must strictly keep an eye and follow the law rather than becoming a part of this issue. As responsible citizens, we must seek help from the NGOs to provide aid and relief to these innocent kids from child labour.
