GOOD MORNING

“If we are to reach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with children”

- MAHATMA GANDHI

INTRODUCTION-

Children are considered as an asset of society and children are the one who take the nation forward in a due course. But unfortunately social problems such as unemployment, poverty, ignorance and illiteracy of parents force them to work.

PROBLEMS OF CHILD LABOUR

-WHERE THE NATION IS HEADING TOWARDS?

AKSHATHA PARANJYOTHI KUMAR

DEPT. OF SOCIOLOGY

GOVT. FIRST GRADE COLLEGE, RAJAJINAGAR

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF CHILD LABOUR

Indeed the problem of child labour is very old and it has been there since time immemorial. In ancient India, in Medieval India and also in pre-capitalist societies, children less than 8 years of age belonging to Scheduled Castes and lower castes were employed for doing menial works. Industrialization and large scale urbanization has aggravated the problem of child labour.

WHO IS A CHILD LABOUR?

There is no consensus with regard to the meaning of the term child labour.

According to the Child Labour( Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, ‘child means a person who has not completed his 14th year of age. Any such person engaged for wages, whether in cash or in kind, is a child worker’.

CHILD LABOUR IN DIFFERENT SECTORS

In India children are employed both in organized and unorganized sectors in rural and urban areas of which 90 percent is in rural areas. Children are engaged in activities like sowing, weeding, harvesting, tending of cattle, shoe-polishing, rag picking, beedi making, construction activities, hotels and restaurants work, helper at garages, households and so on.

HOW CHILDREN ARE EXPLOITED?

Children are damaged physically, emotionally, morally and intellectually

UNICEF states 14 percent of children between 5-14 years are involved in child labour

Bangladeshi girls and women trafficked for sexual exploitation to Pakistan, and boys were trafficked to Gulf States to work as camel jockeys, says US Dept. of State, Trafficking in Persons Report of 2005.

In Jammu and Kashmir armed groups recruit children in localized conflicts says Global Report on Child Soldiers 2004.

WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES CHILDREN FACE?

Full time work at a very early age

Dangerous workplaces

Excessive working hours

Psychological, verbal, physical and sexual abuse

obliged to work by circumstances

Limited or no pay

Work and life on the streets in bad conditions

No access to Education

PROBLEMS OF CHILD LABOUR

Child labour occurs even in developed countries

Children of ethnic minorities, immigrants, and marginalized groups are affected

Children are exposed to many health hazards at working places

Victims of many diseases

They are preferred to adult workers as children are less aware of their rights, accept dangerous work, more obidient and easier to exploit

UNICEF CLASSIFICATION OF HAZARDS OF CHILD LABOUR

Physical hazards- affect overall health of children

Cognitive hazards- Education is reduced by child labour. Cognitive development includes literacy, numeric and acquisition of knowledge

Emotional, Social and Moral hazards- Trafficking

HEALTH HAZARDS SL. NO. OCCUPATION HEALTH

HAZARDS

1. Beedi industry Chronic bronchitis and tuberculosis

2. Glass Industry Asthma, Bronchitis, T.B., Eye problem

3. Handloom Industry Asthma, T.B.

4. Zari and Embroidery Eye defects

5. Gem and Diamond cutting Eye defects

6. Construction Stunted growth of child

7. Rag picking Tetanus, skin diseases

8. Pottery Asthma, Bronchitis, T.B.

9. Stone quarries/ Slate quarries Silicosin

Source- Rural Labour Cell of Academy of Gandhian Studies, Hyderabad, 1988

PLUTCHIK’S EMOTIONAL WHEEL

LOVE

DISGUST

OPTIMISM SURPRISE

AGGRESSION AWE

CONTEMPT DISSAPOINTMENT

REMORSE

JOY ACCEPTANCE

ANTICIPATION FEAR

ANGER SURPRISE

SADNESS

The wheel indicates eight primary emotions of children grouped into four pairs of opposites-

Acceptance and disgust

Fear and anger

Surprise and anticipation

Sadness and joy

Pluthick is of the view that these primary emotions give birth to number of other emotions.

The chart shows that children who are engaged in hazardous activities are deprived of primary emotions such as joy, acceptance, surprise etc, and they experience more of secondary emotions like disgust, fear, anger and sadness at their work places.

WORKING CONDITIONS

Terrible working conditions in urban and industrial areas

Miserable working conditions in Industrial units and mining areas

Victims of diseases

Exploitation at the hands of Intermediaries

PROBLEMS AT WORK PLACES

Lack of basic facilities

Lack of safety measures by employers

Lack of first-aid facilities

No compensation for injuries

No insurance

No incentives or perks

No bonus

No break in between working hours

Harassment by employers

WHAT CAUSES CHILD LABOUR

Economic factors

Extreme poverty

Introduction of the factory system

More work for less wages

Benefits to industries

Familial factors

Divorce

Rigid family relations

Desertion

Cruelty at home

Parent-child conflicts

Other factors

Failure of Government machinery and Legislative system

Lack of public awareness

STATISTICS ON CHILD LABOUR

17 million children in India work

children put in an average of 21 hours of labour per week

19% of children work as domestic help

90% working children are in rural India

85% working children in unorganized sectors

80% engaged in agricultural work

2 million child commercial sex workers between the age of 5 and 15 years and 3.3 million between 15 and 18 years

Form 40% of the total population of commercial sex workers

71% of them are illiterate

500,000 children are forced into this trade every year

WHERE INDIA IS HEADING TOWARDS?

Labour Ministry stated that India has 12.6 million working children between the ages of 5-14, the largest number of child labourers in the world

1979 declared as “International Year of the Child” by UN General Assembly

No proper enforcement of Policies and Programmes

What is the purpose of Constitutional Articles?

June 12th – Anti Child Labour Day- Is it serving any purpose?

RECOMMENDATIONS

Increased Family incomes

Education- universalisation of primary education

Social services- that help children and families survive crises such as disease, or loss of home and shelter

Family control of fertility

Proper enforcement of policies and programmes

Awareness among the masses

Effective role of Government and Non-Governmental Organizations

The development of India as a nation is being hampered by child labour. The Government of India must ensure that the needs of the poor are satisfied. If poverty is addressed, the need for child labour will diminish.

Concerted efforts are required from all section of the society to make a dent in the problem. There should be combined efforts of government, international agencies, non-governmental organizations and above all the citizens. Let us hope that child labour issue would be addressed genuinely and eradicated completely from our society in the coming years and near future.

WE ALL CAN HELP

When the setting sun asked,

Who shall do the rest?

A little lamp offered

I shall do my best.

- RABINDRANATH TAGORE

REFERENCES-• Agarwal, Rashmi: “Street Children- A Socio-Psychological Study”,

Shipra Publications, New Delhi, 1999

• Ahuja, Ram: “Social Problems in India”, Rawat Publications, New Delhi,1999

• Child Labour: Targeting the Intolerable, Geneva, 1998

• Dwarakanath, H.D.: “Child Labour:A Social Evil”, (an article in Little Hands in Chains- Child Labour in India edited by Gandhi, P. Jegadish et.al, Southern Economist Publications, Bangalore, 2001

• Gandhi, P. Jegadish and Subrahmanya, Susheela: “Little Hands in Chains- Child Labour in India”, Southern Economist Publications, Bangalore, 2001

• Khan, Ali Mumtaz: “Sociological Aspects of Child Development- A Study of Rural Karnataka”, Concept Publishing Company, New Delhi, 1980

• Singh, Dolly: “Child Development- Issues, Policies and Programmes, Kaniska Publishers Distributors, New Delhi, 1995

WEBSITES:

Census Of India

Department of Labour- Government of Karnataka

Helplinelaw.com

indianembassy.org

International Labour Office, Geneva- Website

International Labour Organization

OneWorld.net

Unicef website

NEWS PAPER ARTICLES:The Hindu, Monday, December 06, 2004: Reported by Sahana

Charan

Prajavani, Sunday, June 11, 2006: Reported by C.T. Shantaraj

The Hindu, Wednesday, May 23, 2007: Reported by Bageshree S.

Prajavani, Sunday, June 10, 2007: Reported by Sacchidananda Kuragunda

The Hindu, Wednesday, June 13, 2007The Hindu, Thursday, June 14, 2007The Hindu, Friday, June 15, 2007: Reported by Bageshree S.The Hindu, Friday, July 13, 2007 The Hindu, Monday, October 15, 2007The Times of India, June 12, 2009