Peer-reviewed article
Migrant Child Labour in Indian Metro Cities
Sudha, Chandra Mohan Upadhyay ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper examines the relationship between internal migration and child labour in India's major cities. It explores how poverty drives families to migrate from rural areas, often resulting in children being pulled out of school and into work. The study synthesizes research and policy data to identify the causes, impacts, and industries involved in migrant child labour, as well as the legislative frameworks and stakeholder efforts to address the problem.
Key points
- An estimated 152 million children were working as child labourers worldwide in 2016, comprising 64 million girls and 88 million boys
- Poverty is identified as the prime reason driving labour migration and child labour in developing and underdeveloped nations
- Migrant children face particular risks and protection challenges compared to non-migrant working children
- The paper examines involvement of governmental and non-governmental organizations in rehabilitation and reintegration of migrant child workers
- Specific industries employing migrant children in Indian metro cities are identified in the study
Limitations
This is a synthesis and descriptive study based on secondary research, census data, and policy analysis rather than primary data collection, so it does not provide empirical evidence about the effectiveness of interventions or detailed quantitative outcomes for Indian metro cities specifically. The document does not appear to present original experimental or quasi-experimental evidence evaluating particular programmes.
Abstract
Labour migration and child labour have become the prevalent obstacles for developing and underdeveloped nations, and the prime reason is poverty. To earn a better living, villagers leave their native places and come to cities in search of work; resulting in dropping out of their children from school. In some cases, many child workers migrate within the country either with their parents or independently, without a parent or guardian. In 2016, an estimated 15.20 crore children were working as child labourers worldwide. There were 6.4 crore girls and 8.8 crore boys in this group. This paper attempts to describe how child labour and internal migration are interlinked in India. The complicated problem of migrant child labour in Indian cities is examined in this study. It explores the causes, the socioeconomic and psychological impacts on children, the particular industries in which they labour, and the legislative and governmental frameworks that are in place to address this issue. ‘The involvement of other stakeholders, including governmental organizations and non-governmental organizations, in the rehabilitation and reintegration of these children is also examined in the article.’ The conclusions, which emphasize the particular risks of migrant children and the difficulties in protecting them, are based on a synthesis of previous research, census data, and policy studies.