CHILD LABOUR

SOME SWEET ONES

SOME BITTER ONES

CHILD LABOUR

• Child labour is not only a social problem but also an economic one

• A child who is employed in activities to feed self and family is being subjected to “child labor”.

• Carpet industry requires fine little fingers to weave the finest and tiniest knots to create the most expensive of carpets

• Firecrackers industry probably prefer kids to men because they are cost effective and efficient

• Even house hold labour-children last longer and are more honest than adults; is a claim made by most home makers.

Some Facts…• 73 million working children are less than 10 years

old• While buffaloes cost up to 15,000 rupees, children

are sold at prices between 5,00 and 2,000 rupees.• 47 out of 100 children in India enrolled in class I

reach class VIII, putting the drop rate at 52.79%.• Approximately 16.64 % of villages in the country

do not have facilities for primary schooling. (UNICEF)

• 42 million children in the age group of 14-16 years do not attend schools in India.

Causes of Child Labour

• Over Population: limited resources & more mouth to feed, children are employed in various forms of works.

• Illiteracy: Illiterate people do not realize the need for a proper physical, emotional and cognitive development of a child.

• Poverty: Many times poverty forces parents to send their children to hazardous jobs.

• Urbanization: Industries in the developing world employs children , particularly in the garment industry.

Causes of Child Labour

• Orphans: children who do not have parents and support are forced to work for their own living.

• Willingness to exploit children: This is at the root of the problem. Even if a family is very poor, the incidence of child labour will be very low unless there are people willing to exploit these children.

• Unemployment of Elders: Elders often find difficulty to get a job. The industrialists and factory owners find it profitable to employ children. This is so because they can pay less and extract more work. They will also not create union problems.

Causes of Child Labour

• Lack of Social Security network- for poor there are a few sources of loans, as a result they go to local money lenders, with whom the parents exchange their child’s labour.

• Parents’ attitude• Lack of compulsory education• Inadequate schools• International economic trends• Public opinion

Effects

• Physical injuries and mutilations• Pesticide poisoning• Growth Deficiency• Exploitation of female children• Unemployment of adults• Hindrance to literacy• Long- term health problems• HIV/ AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases• Exhaustion and Malnutrition

Solutions

• National Policy on Child Labour was formulated 1987.

• Prohibition of children being employed in hazardous occupations and processes.

• Poverty being the main cause government created employment.

• Supplementary nutrition and regular health check ups so as to prepare them to join regular mainstream schools.

Child Labour

The Silent Killer….

Children are remarkably imaginative resilient- but also

heartbreakingly fragile and vulnerable.

“ So le us share their dreams

And shape their future”