Child labour and the actIntroduction about Child labourerChild labourer are engaged in their childhood days. It is inhuman in nature. Basically the children below the age of 14 years are called as child labourer. Very often we see some minor boys and girls are working in the tea stalls, restaurants, hotels, shops, fruits & vegetable markets. At present they are working with their parents or other workers in the agricultural sector. These minor workers are called child labourers.

Child labour and the societyAccording to wealth, there are three types of people one is rich ,another is middle other is poor. Child labour is seen in the poor. The poor people are not economically strong background. They cannot effort the food, cloth and own shelter. They can’t effort another two basic needs that is medicine and study because of scarcity of money. Child of a poor people can’t get the food and nutrition. They need love and care from all. But we can’t show them humanity. We throw our unused food to the dustbin but do not give it to the needed people and needed child. So, they do the hard labour for earning money to buy some food.

Reasons of child labourThere are different reasons for child labour-*Poverty*Lack of social security*Increasing gap between rich and poor*Privatization of basic services

The poverty is the main reason which has forced the children to work. As a result , the children donot get the time for education. As they have to accept hard work before their maturity, they lose their health. They are deprived of having the scope for spiritual, psychological and cultural development.

Child labourers are engaged in different sectorsThere are physical, sexual and emotional abuse of child domestic workers in different sectors. They work as a slave as they work without money or a very low wages. There is a scarcity of food for them. There is another type of child labourer called as bonded child labourer. They become bonded because their parents take a loan and cannot return it.

Child labour act and UNICEFIn 1977, India passed a legislation to prohibit the use of bonded labour but bonded child labour continues. Child labour is highest in SC & ST children. UNICEF estimates India has highest population of child labourers in the world. According to UNICEF, 120 millions children below the age of 14 years are engaged as child labour all over the world.It is inhuman to engage the children as labourers. Now a days, many rules and regulations have been passed against this cruel system. In India, child labour system has become a problem to the society. Though in the factory Act some rules are farmed for the unemployment of labour at a specified age, the employment of the child labour has not been totally stopped. Thus it violates the Constitution of India. India's constitution, article 24 prohibits hazardous child labour.

It is a criminal offence to employ children in hazardous industries. Various laws and Indian penal code such as juvenile justice of children act 2000 and the child labour Act-1986 provides a basic law to stop child labour in India.

How child labour can be stopped?Only the law can’t protect the children from being engaged in hard work and becoming the labourers. A comprehensive propaganda planning against the child labourer should have to be taken which will make the people conscious about the problem.They are the seeds for our future. If they have a bright future, our nation and society also bears a bright and prosperous future.