Child labour has often been seen as a completely negative phenomenon. However, it lies in the midst of the moral, social and economic grey area. Although no one can deny the former assertion, the latter puts things into perspective and forces us to look at the other end of the spectrum, especially in the Indian context. This paper tries to break this negative taboo and uncover a fresh perspective where seasonal child labour can be a cure to the long-standing downsides of child labour in general. While there are several existing legislations to combat these downsides, they fail to look at the seasonal absence of a child from his educational pursuits. The pre-existing laws merely propose a blanket ban on the idea of children being involved in work. These provisions work at a national scale, but keeping in mind India's vast diversity, they miss their aim when it comes to seasonal dropouts on the grassroots level. This paper further explores foreign regulations to put forth a fresh policy prescription to address all possible downsides, which may seem evident from the newly suggested model promulgated by the authors.
Child labour is a global phenomenon occurring predominantly in countries with lower socioeconomic status and resources. Societal and familial poverty, loss or incapacitation/illness of parents, lack of social security and protection, and ignorance about the value of, or limited access to, education are among the myriad reasons for the involvement of children in the workforce. Child labour is a barrier to the development of individual children and their society and economy. Global estimates indicate that 152 million children (64 million girls and 88 million boys) are working, accounting for almost one in 10 of all children worldwide. Currently the COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market consequences are having a major impact on people's lives and livelihoods. Unfortunately, impoverished families and their children are often the first to suffer, which may push many more vulnerable children into child labour situations. Child labour in India is more prevalent than in many other countries, with approximately 10 million children actively engaged in, or seeking, work. This paper focuses on the issue of child labour, its causes and its ill effects. Further, it also reviews the international legal framework relating to child labour and legislative issues in India. There is clearly an urgent need for this issue to be effectively addressed and resolved.
Child labour deprives children of their right to education, resulting in a lack of skills, human capital, and a reduction in future earnings. This study provides a better understanding of child labour by examining its relationship with socio-economic factors. Using PSLM 2019-2020 data, logit estimates show that an increase in the parental level of education reduces the chance of child labour. The well-being measured by the wealth index shows that children from wealthy households are less likely to work. Furthermore, the fathers' employment substitutes, while mothers' employment complements children's work. Girls are less likely to involve in child labour than boys. However, this may be interpreted carefully as girls are primarily engaged in household chores that are not reported. Finally, children from rural areas are more likely to do work than children from urban areas. Similarly, children from Balochistan have a greater chance of child labour than Sindh, Punjab, and KPK.
This study investigated Transnational Human Trafficking and Child Labour: “The Ugandan experience”. Its main objective was to examine the factors for the increasing transnational human trafficking and child labour in and across borders of Uganda and EAC. It was guided by three Specific Objectives including; to find out the root causes of transnational human trafficking and child labour at Mutukula and Mpondwe Border posts despite the existing legal provisions in place in Uganda and EAC; to investigate the challenges and barriers faced by institutions and law enforcement officers in stopping transnational human trafficking and child labour at Mutukula and Mpondwe Border posts in Rakai and Kasese Districts of Uganda; to suggest the possible ways Rakai and Kasese Community’s can use to come up with single legislation to curb transnational human trafficking and child labour. The case study research design was adopted for this study. I adopted a qualitative research approach. The study was carried out in Uganda along border points of Mutukula = Uganda and Tanzania and Mpondwe-Lhubiriha = of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Data was collected from 40 participants using interviews and Focus group discussions. The findings revealed several interconnected root causes of transnational human trafficking and child labour at Uganda’s Mutukula and Mpondwe - Lhubiriha border points as Poverty, Domestic violence , Cross-border tribal and familial ties, poor law enforcement capacity, including lack of resources, inadequate infrastructure, porous borders, and limited awareness of relevant laws among local leaders, Corruption among officials and irresponsible parenting. The study revealed challenges constraining efforts to curb human trafficking and child labour such as the widespread lack of legal knowledge among local leaders, who are ill-equipped to identify and respond to trafficking due to limited training and sensitization. Enforcement efforts are hampered by underpaid and under-resourced officers, leading to poor morale, corruption, and insufficient manpower to monitor porous borders. Compounding this is a troubling lack of patriotism among some law enforcers, who prioritize personal gain over national duty, often colluding with traffickers. The situation is further exacerbated by unregulated births, which leave many children without legal identity, making them invisible to the state and easy targets for exploitation. Finally, ongoing political instability in neighbouring countries like the DRC has led to an influx of vulnerable, undocumented refugee children, heightening the risk of trafficking and overwhelming the already strained protective systems. The study recommends the recruitment of more immigration and anti-trafficking officers, particularly at unofficial border points, and equipping them with modern surveillance tools. The findings also emphasize the need to invest in intelligence services to expose government insiders complicit in trafficking networks. Legal literacy is another priority, with calls to translate child protection laws and ordinances into local languages to empower grassroots leaders and communities. Civic education programs targeting local council leaders and teachers were proposed to raise awareness and improve enforcement of child labour and anti-trafficking laws. Additionally, introducing local child identification cards and quarterly-updated village child registers would enhance monitoring and protection of children in border areas. Lastly, the implementation of stricter penalties for traffickers was strongly recommended as a deterrent, with some respondents advocating for life imprisonment or capital punishment to reflect the severity of the crimes.
Child labour has persisted through many decades despite national and international legal frameworks of prohibition world over. In South Asia, this issue has been specially compounded by concerns of poor implementation and the linkage of debt bondage and intergenerational labor. This article examines the traditional systems of bonded child labour prevalent in South Asia and anticipates the manner in which technological applications could aid in anti-child labour policy implementation. The authors suggest that automation, physical mapping and supply chain tracing that technology brings in, has the potential to reduce prevalence of child labour in South Asia.
While adverse consequences of war for the generation who lived through the conflict have been well documented in the literature, the intergenerational impacts of war have received far less attention. We provide causal evidence on the impact of bombings during the Vietnam War on the prevalence of child labour among second-generation Vietnamese, defined as those born after the Vietnam War. Our preferred results, which instrument for bombing intensity using distance to the 17th parallel north latitude, suggest that a 10% increase in the intensity of bombings generates a 1.9 percentage point increase in the probability that a child worked in the last 12 months. This result is robust to several checks. We examine several potential channels and find that this relationship is mediated through household poverty.
Sefa Awaworyi Churchill, Russell Smyth, Trong‐Anh Trinh
Children are considered as the asset of the nation however would a nation develop whose children are working for a one time meal? India is a largest democracy in the world with a strongest legal framework yet it is lacking behind in the field of elimination of the child labour. It is true that child labour in India is a product of Socio-Economic factors and the society is accepting this social evil as a social norm. In India the socio-economic factors are dominating the legislative efforts and safeguards. India judiciary has done a commendable job with its landmark judgements and set a milestone to a good start against this social evil. But if we see the numbers the present status of child labour in India is not good as 152 million children are still in child labour. The International Labour Organization look forward towards the UN Sustainable Development Goal Target 8.7 set by the International Community calling for an end to child labour in all its forms by 2025. It is high time now, we must completely participate in achieving the goal to make India free from the curse of child labour.
Child labour has been prevalent in our society and across the world since ages and is a growing concern for the development around the globe. Much is taken away in the name of labour: childhood. Childhood is the foundation of a human being and hence is the foundation of future. Childhood is the time where the best possible development and advancement of the kids in all viewpoints like rationally, physically, socially and mentally is possible by learning from their parents and environment .These children are not even able to attain that certain age where one can think of their education and they are burdened with the mundaneness of the hunger prevailing due to poverty or other reasons which has dragged them to the class of labour.
Child labour is a major social problem in the developing countries like India. Millions of Child labour not only removes of all joy of childhood but also crush the right to normal physical and mental development. Child labour is the most mistreated labour class in India. Child labour in unorganised sector is unsecured and backward physically, socio-economically, educationally and in other aspects. Child labour is mostly concentrated in Asia and Africa, which together account for more than 90 % of the total child employment. Asia is led by India which has more than 44 million child labourers and the largest child workforce in the world. Children work to help their families in ways that are harmful and exploitative. This paper focuses on the working, economic, health, problems and vulnerabilities of child labours in Aligarh lock industry. Child labour hampers the normal physical, intellectual, emotional and moral development of a child. Children who are in the growing process can permanently distort or disable their bodies when they carry heavy loads or are forced to adopt unnatural positions at work for long hours. Occupational diseases are mainly caused due to improper management of the occupational health of the workers. The study is mainly based on primary data collected through field surveys. Questionnaire based interviews of child workers household have taken from different wards of the city. Various information of 1000 child workers has been gathered from extensive survey of field investigation. Analysis shows that the conditions of child labour are poor and they are facing many problems, such as low wages, long working hours, abuse, beating and heath problems ,etc.
Child labour is still a major issue in many parts of India, including Keonjhar district in Odisha. Even though there are laws like the Factories Act, 1948, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, child labour continues to exist in great numbers. This study looks at why this problem is still going on, focusing on reasons like poverty, insufficient education facilities, and lack of support for families. The research incorporates both primary and secondary data to provide a better understanding of the issue. The research especially highlights child labour in hotels, farms, small shops, and even in households across the district. Using both interviews and government data, the study shows how children are being forced into work at a young age, skipping school and suffering from both physical and mental pressure. The paper points out that while some efforts have been made by the government and NGOs are not sufficient. It suggests stronger and better law enforcement, better schooling opportunities, more consciousness among people, and support for poor families to help stop this problem from growing. Solving this issue in Keonjhar is not just important for the children, but for a better future of the whole world.
