Peer-reviewed article
Child Labour In India: A Sociological Observation
Sri. Jagadevappa Chakki ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This paper examines child labour in India as a widespread social problem affecting millions of children. It documents that children work in both formal and informal sectors including factories, mining, agriculture, and domestic service, with bonded labour being particularly severe. The paper notes that legal frameworks have been inadequate in addressing child labour, and highlights that poverty and lack of educational opportunities are key drivers of the problem.
Key points
- Approximately 10 million bonded children work as domestic servants in India
- Nearly 55 million bonded child labourers are employed across other industries
- Children work in multiple sectors: factories, mining, quarrying, agriculture, and informal urban work
- Poverty, unemployment, and inadequate access to education are significant contributing factors
- Existing laws have not effectively contributed to eradicating child labour
Limitations
This paper is a sociological observation and does not present empirical research findings or evaluate any intervention. It provides descriptive analysis and estimates but cannot tell us about effectiveness of solutions or causality.
Abstract
This research paper attempts to analyze the Child labor is a curse to our society and a crime against humanity. Child labor is a major problem in India. In Indian, despite, there is no enactment which genuinely contributed for eradication of child labor. Children are employed in both formal and informal sectors. Thus, the clarification of the term ‘hazardous’ is unclear and inadequate especially in the case of child labor. Child labor can be factory work, mining, or quarrying, agriculture, helping in parents’ business, having one’s own small business, or doing odd jobs. There are many types of child labor but bonded child labor or slave labor is one of the worst types of labor for children. It is estimated that approximately 10 million bonded children laborers are working as domestic servants in India. Apart from this there are nearly 55 million bonded child laborers who are employed across several other industries. Employment of children in the urban informal sector is an enormous problem in many parts of the world. This is especially true in areas where poverty, unemployment and inadequate opportunities for education and training are widespread. Some child rights activists argue that child labour must include every child who is not in school because he or she is a hidden child worker.