Child Labour

Child Labour

A nation that cannot look after its children has no right to dream of growing stature in the world. It is very much true of India. European Parliament committee bluntly stated that India, Nepal and Pakistan are the countries ' where the export goods are manufactured under inhuman conditions. Accord-ing to their estimate two to three lakh children in India are working in carpet industry. The working conditions are like those of slavery. As a result of their findings the European countries have made it compulsory for the countries exporting carpets to give undertaking that no child has been engaged as a worker in the manufacture of carpets.
The foregoing statement makes it clear that children are exploited in India. There is estimated to be 20 million working children in India. Over 90% of the child labour population in the country is to be found in 11 states. According to Anti-Slavery Society Report estimated number of children forced into slave . labour is highest in India in comparison to other South Asian countries. It is obvious that employment of child labour is a wide spread evil in the country. It is inspite of the fact that Indian Constitution prohibits under article 24 the employment of children below the age of 14 years in factories & hazardous jobs. It is a matter of national shame that even after 55 years of independence our country has not been able to do away with this evil. The sight of small children working in hotels, factories, units making carpets, slates, brass work and crack¬ers is appalling. There are those who are engaged in rag picking & organized begging work. Article 45 of our constitution ensures that the govt, will under¬take the free education of children till they attain the age of 14 years. Right to education has also been now enshrined as a fundamental right in our constitu¬tion. Inspite of this the problem of child labour is increasing everyday.

The problem of child labour is beyond manageable dimension. Increasing population, poverty, illiteracy and unemployment are the reasons for the hor-rible increase of the problem. The reasons are obvious. First, child labour is cheap & children can be forced to work under every inhuman condition. They are trouble free lot because they don't belong to any organised sector. Even when they are fatally injured or contract lung and breathing problems, they can be easily disposed of. For example in the brass industries in Moradabad, Children are normally engaged to fan the furnace. Upto 60% of the labour in lock making units in Aligarh are children. About 82% of the labourers engaged in manufacturing fire works are children. This tragic drama goes on with the . blatant connivance of labour department, labour unions and organisations engaged in social uplift of the poor. The girls and boys are employed as sex workers in metropolis, hotels and brothels. Moreover children are exported to foreign countries and it is a thriving business.
Population is the mother of all evils in our country. More children means more income to the family. Inspite of constituting National Authority on Elimination of Child Labour in 1994 no tangible results have come out. The future of children cannot wait even for a day. Immediate and drastic steps need to be taken to do away with the problem of child labour.