1

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

“MAN DARES TO DREAM AND DREAM TO DARE”,

Project work gives us opportunities to express our miner creativity

.My project about, the study on “CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA” had

helped me to know about the various aspects of Indian child labour.

I am really very much greatful and harmful to our

principal DR.AVAY KUMAR PANDA for giving me such an

oppertunity which not only empowers our knowledge but also

paves the way for our journey to the infinite future.

I would at last want to thank my H.O.D., SAUDAMINI

ROUT and to my helping friends Pratisruti, Namita and Puspita

who helped me a lot and supported me to make this project a

successful one.

ITISREE LENKA

EXAM RL NO-09A10020

REGD NO-

CLASS RL NO-09DA120

2

CERTIFICATE

This to certify that Itisree Lenka of +3 final degree

arts bearing the EXAM RL NO-09A10020 has made a study on

“CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA”.

This project work is jenuine and fair to the best of

my knowledge and belief.

SAUDAMINI ROUT

H.O.D. IN ECONOMICS

F.M. (AUTO.), COLLEGE, BALASORE.

3

DECLARATION

I Itisree Lenka do here by declare that the

project entitled, A study on “CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA” Submitted

by me is original and genuine .I have not submitted by this project

anywhere before.

DATE: - ITISREE LENKA

PLACE: -BLESWAR +3 FINAL YEAR ARTS

EXAM RL NO-09A10020

4

DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to GOD, TO MY MAMA AND

BABA And others.

5

CONTENTS

1-INTRODUCTION

2-MEANING OF CHILD LABOUR

3-SITUATION ANALYSIS OF CHILD LABOUR

4- PROBLEM OF CHILD LABOUR

5-CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR

6-CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD LABOUR

7-GOVERNMENT MEASURES FOR TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF

CHILD LABOUR

8-NATIONAL POLICY ON CHILD LABOUR

9-ASSESSMENT OF CHILD LABOUR

10-SUGGETION FOR ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR

11-CONCLUSION

6

CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA

INTRODUCTION

The problem child labour has got deep social and

Economical implication .Although ,child is the father of the man but

we do little for our children ,for whom ostensibly all the great

modern shrines are put. Industries we have millions of sad faces

mainly because child labour is prevalent .Child labours refers to the

employment of children at regular or sustained labour. These child

works present a sad picture of our modern industrialism.

Children are the greatest assets of nation and they should

be brought up with almost care and he or she should grow in

environment conductive to leaving with affectionate and

understanding to his/her needs.

But the situation in India is something different. What

we see at present is nothing much compatible with what is

aforesaid. The problem of child labour has attracted attention of

many of us since the problem of child labour has been acute in India.

7

MEANING OF CHILDREN LABOUR

Child labour means a person below 14years

who is working for wage. According , to the labour investigation

committee, “one black spot of labour condition in India in this illegal

employment of children in certain industries.”

Homer Folks (The chairman of United states National

child labour committee.)Homer defines child labour as, any work by

children that interferes with their full physical development, their

opportunities for desirable minimum of education or needed

recreation.

The national sample survey defined child worker as

person below the age of 14, who is wage earner.

The concern for working children, a Bangalore based

organization, described a child labour as a person who has not

compled 15 years of age and is working with or without wage on a

part time or full time basis.

8

SITUATION ANALYSIS OF CHILD LABOUR

Magnitude of Child Labour

According to an ILO survey in 1995, after Africa

(with 26.3%) Asia has the highest percentage (13%) of child labours

in the age group of 10-14years in the world. Nearly 25% of the

children are child laboures in India .The number of employed

children below 14years of age in various economic activities

according to the statement of union labour ministry in 1995 was 17

million(9.5 million malesand 7.5 million females) in the country is

worker.

India has the second largest children population in

the world. According to 1971 census the child population(the

population in the age group of 14)was230.5 million, which

accounted for over 42%of the total population of the country

and15.7crores children(0-6years age group)making up 15% of the

population. The child population has grown faster than total

population and its share in the country’s population has increased

remarkably from over 38%in 1901 to 42% in 1971.The child

population in 1981 was 263 million, accounted for over 38.4% of

the population and it rose to 330million in 1991.In 2001 the child

population was 158.8 million in India. The child labour in India was

9

10753985 in 1971 , 13640870 in 1981 ,11285349 in

1991,12666377 in 2001.

One estimate puts the number of working children in our country at

44million-5.2% of the total population. According to a study of

UNICEG, there are more than a lakh child laboures in the age group

of 5-15 years in mirzapur carpet industry, 50,000 in Firozabad glass

industry, 50,000 in zari industry in Luckhnow, 10,000 in Aligarh

lock industries and 30,000 in brass industry in muradabad, 79%

working children in rural areas. Two third of working children

belong to the 12-15 years of age and the rest are below 12years.

SA majority of working children are concentrated in rural areas.

About 60% of them are below the age of 10years. Business and

trade absorb 23% while work in hour holds covers 36%.The

number of children in urban areas who work in canteens and

restaurants, engaged in picking rags and hawking goods is vast but

10

unrecognized. Among the more unfortunate are those employed in

hazardous industries

A considerable number of child labour was employed in India in

organized sectors between 1891 and 1923.The number children

employed in factories increased from18,880 to 74,290.There has

been step decline in the proportion of child labour in factories from

0.48 in 1948 to 0.25 in 1952 to 0.10 and 0.05 in 1970.

According to conservative estimate, it has been

found that at least 50,000 to 1.5 lakh children are employed in

carpet industry in Kashmir and Punjab. Children are great demand

in bidi factories as their supply fingers are best suited for rolling the

dry leaves into bidi.

11

According to the labour investigation

committee,” in most of the glass factories the basic factories the

basic materials viz, silica, soda, ash, calcium oxide, bora, saltpeter

etc. are mixed by workers in closed rooms and workers are

provided with neither dirt respirators nor goggles nor hand gloves.

Again to arrangement was made for the control of temperature.

Children are found to work with burns and cuts in their bodies.

In Delhi alone it is estimated that the more

affluent citizens employ about 25,000 children as domestics. Their

life is usually one of more monotonous routine. They often work

right throughout the month and throughout the year. The census

figure reveals that greater Bombay has the largest number of

working children among the metropolitan cities. This is because

Mumbai is highly industrialized and offers large number of job

opportunities to children in the tertiary sectors.

12

According to 1991 census there are 36 lakh child

laboures in Karnataka of which 2lakh children are in sericulture

industry. Children employed in the sericulture industry (mulberry

cultivation, cocoon rearing, cooking, reeling, twisting) are

approximately 3500-4500 in the taluks of ramanagaram and 1000-

1500 in channapatna. According to the recent estimate, more than

15,000 children work in the construction industry in Bangalore.

More than 25,000 children work in the silk industry in Karnataka.

Fire works and match box units in Shivakashi in

Ramanathapuram districts of Tamilnadu employ 45,000 children. In

the state of pencil industry of Mandraur in Madhyapradesh 1000

children are below the age of 14 years . Mumbai has the largest

number of child workers . In Solapur 10,000 child workers are

engazed the in the wood carving industry. In Varanasi 5000 children

work in silk weaving industry . Even in Delhi 60,000 children work

in dhabas, tea stall and resturants . In the tea garden of Assam and in

various plantation employment of children below 12 years is

13

prohibited. Girls who bring food to their mothers are encourege to

work . Children mostly, bays have an important role to play in

mining operations.

The growth rate of child workers is faster than the growth

rate of child population.

PROBLEMS OF CHILD LABOUR-

Child labour is more a rural phenomena than an

urban phenomena. Due to acute poverty poor families residing in

rural areas send their children to urban areas for bread and butte. In

urban areas to survive a competition, manufactures have lowered

the real wages for adult workers in order to employ. Child workers

on low wages. The problem is very much vast in its dimension.

Children are forced to work in the most hazardous, unhygine

conditions , where they are vulnerable to many several health

problems. In small trade industries , trades and crafts. Using little or

no machinery and power but employing a large number of workers.

In these factories, child workers are extensively employed

Children work in industries in which child labour

is prevented are wood and cork, furniture and fixtures, printing and

publishing and alied activities , lather products , rubber products,

transport equipment and personal services like laundries dying and

cleaning . countless children are employed as domestic servants ,

workers in hotels, wayside shops and establishments, hawkers and

news papers, sellers, ice cream and sweet venders ,shop polishing ,

helpers in services stations and repair shops . They are often hired

14

along with their parents in construction works and take part in

loading, un loading and breaking stones.

Children work in dangerously polluted factories

whose brick walls are searved with black powder in smoke and

there is same an appersive smell in the air. They work near furnaces

which burn at a temperature of 14000 degree centigreate. They

handle dangerous chemicals like arsenic and potassium. They works

in glass blowing units, where the work experts their bodies and

creates diseases like TB, eye disease, asthma, bronchitis and black

aches. Among the working children many are the main or major

wage earners in the family who always remain workers about

feeding their dependents . The migrant children labours whose

parents live in some far including nights, when the factories are fully

functional are paid not more than Rs. 500 per month. They hand

over all their to their guardian who do not give them a rupee a day

for tea during the night shifts. There are times when bodies ache,

minds far, hearts cry but one order of the employer.

A visit to several factories in Delhi, Tamilnadu,

Andhrapradesh, Maharastrra reveals that a large number of child

workers have sunken chest and thin borne frames, which give them

a fragil look. They looks like rock dolls, unwashed and scarggly ,

they wear coarse and tailored cloths. Must of these children come

from extremely poor households. They are either school dropouts or

have not seen any school at all. The earn a very meager wage and

work in most unsafe conditions.

In the Country child prostitutes also become a

common phenomena . Thus , may have been rubbed of their

childhood life rather they are forced to live in destitute conditions.

15

CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR

Chronic poverty has been identified as the most

important factor for the prevalence and perpetuation of child labour

in India. Poor parents believe that children can provide them the

best economic assets. Further, children can raise no voice when they

are employed in factories and therefore they can be best exploited.

The other reason for the ever increasing child labour is said to be,

the accelerated pace of mechanization of agriculture which pushes

the surplus farm labour to the cities in search of livelihood. A survey

conducted by the commission of child labour in Calcutta revealed

that socio economic conditions of the families compelled children to

come in search of employment in urban sectors. Thus, child labour is

the result of poverty and unemployment.

The problem of child labour is complex one.

There are many causes of child labour. These causes are discussed

as under:

1. ECONOMIC CAUSE-

In a country like India, 40% of the population is living in the

condition of extreme Poverty. Children work out of necessity

and without their earning ,the standard of living of their family

would decline .Low incomes of the family ,economic insecurity

,chronic diseases, ancestral ineptness are the inevitable factors.

The children either supplement their parents’ income. With the

collapse of the rural economy and the disintegration of joint

family system, large scale industrialization and the consequent

16

erosion of agriculture economy compel the rural families and

the children to find monetary resource to maintain the family.

Unregulated industries take advantage of the situation and

employ large number of children at very low wage.

2-INTERST FOR CHEAP LABOUR-

Another important of child labour is that they are

deliberately created to get cheap labour. The owners of the

industries want to get more profit by engaging children as

labourers. Because the owners give wage to child labours.

Child labour is beneficial to industries.

3-EMPLOYERS JUSTIFICATION-

Employers of child labour give certain justifications for

employing children to support their guilt feelings. They say

that the works keeps children away from starvation.

They are also prevented from committing crime which they

would have indulged in if they had no jobs. It is also a fact that

poor parents are not able to give education to their children.

Hence , they do not send their children to schools. The children

who do not go to school move here and there with bad

companies. In order to keep them away from bad and anti-

social activities the parents engage their children in certain

work.

4-FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT MACHINERY-

Another cause of child labour is the failure of

government machinery. There is a nexus between the personal

17

of labour department and the owners. Government has not

been able to provide alternative to child labour who do not

have any family income or support.

5-FAMILY CONDITION-

Family condition is also responsible for child labour.

Faulty socialization, violence in family and lack of care etc. are the

causes of child labour.

CONSEQUENCE OF CHILD LABOUR-

Child labour is the result of poverty and

unemployment. This spoils the adulthood life of the children and

their potentialities are not harnessed in the night manner. C. B.

MEMORIA has discussed the following consequence of child labour.

Child labour is directly related to child’s health

and exerts a negative effect upon it. It tends to interfere with the

moral family life and to encourage the break down of the social

control that is largely dependent upon it to preserve the existing

social order. It seriously interferes with education and thus

precludes the most productive participation, in the privileges and

obligation of citizenship.

It is the economic backwardness, which pushes

the child to the world of social and familiar problems which result in

child begging, juvenile delinquency, vagrancy, truancy etc..The

various problems that arise because of employment of children as

follows:

1-The emotional ties between children and their parents are

disturbed.

18

2-As a result of such international distortion, the children slip off

from the family bondage and step into the world of disorganization.

The emotional affectionate relation between parents and child turns

into commercial interaction. The parents who live below poverty

line are compelled to sell the labour of their children, which results

in exploitation of child, through demand of maximum turnover at

minimum wages, thereby causing economic loss to society. Child

workers are necessarily handicapped by limitation of physical

strength and experiences so that they are not so productive as the

adults. Totally “The child labour is economically unsound,

psychologically disastrous and physically as well as morally

dangerous and harmful.”

3-The hazardous working conditions adversely affect the health of

child workers. Data reveals that a large number of child workers

have sunken chests and thin bone frames which give them a fragile

look. They look like rag dolls, limp, unwashed and scraggly. They

wear coarse and badly tailored clothes. Many of them have scabies

on hands, arms and legs. The heads of a few are tonsured probably

because the skin on their skull has developed severe infections.

A large number of the child workers are virtually

confined in small rooms under inhuman conditions and in the most

unhygienic surroundings. Most of these children come from

extremely poor households. They earn a very meager wage and

work in most unsafe conditions. The hazardous conditions take their

tool. Children suffer from lung diseases, tuberculosis, eye diseases,

asthma, bronchitis and backaches. Some are injured in fire

accidents. Many become unemployable even at the age of 20.If

injured or incapacited, they are discarded mercilessly by their

employers.

19

Work in childhood is a social good and national gain,

but the circumstances under which child labour is prevalent, is a

social evil and national waste. The social problem arising out of child

labour implies the fact that: the child labour is directly related to

child health and exerts a negative effect upon it. It tends to interfere

with the normal family life and to encourage the breakdown of the

social control that is largely dependent upon it to preserve the

existing social order. It seriously interferes with education and thus

preludes the most productive participation in the privileges and

obligations of citizenships.

GOVRENMENT MEASURES FOR TACKLING THE PROBLEM

OF CHILD LABOUR-

In India, attempts were made from time to time to

provide legal protection to child labour. The following acts were

passed in India before independence to provide protection child

workers.

-The Factory Act, 1881

-The Indian Merchant Shipping of Labour Act, 1923

-The Children Pledging Of Labour Act, 1933

-The Employment of Children Act, 1338

-The Act Passed after independence are discussed as under:

-The Indian Factories Act of 1948.

-The plantation labour act of 1951.

20

-The mines act of 1952.

- The child labour (prohibition and regulation)act, 1986.

THE INDIAN FACTORIES ACT OF 1948-

This act has limited hours of work for children,

prohibited night work and provided for weekly holiday.

‘No person who has not completed his 14 year may be

require or allowed to work in any factories.

THE PLANTATION LABOUR ACT OF 1951-

This act applies to all tea, coffee and rubber plantation,

child under the age of 12 shall not work in any plantation, no child

shall be employed except between the hours 6 am and 7pm, except

with permission of the state government. Employer must possess a

certificate of fitness of the workers given by surgeon.

THE MINES ACT OF 1952-

Under this act number of child under 15 years of age

may be employed in any mine, number of child may be allowed to be

present underground or in any excavation. where mining operations

are carried on. No of adolescent may work below ground in any time

unless he is certified to be medically fit to work as an adult by a

certifying surgeon.

THE CHILD LABOUR (PROHIBITION AND REGULATION) ACT

1986-

This acts provides for ban on the employment of children

and regulate the condition of work .It says down penalties for

employment of children in violation of the provision of this act.

21

“No child shall be employed or permitted to work in any

of the occupation or in any workshop”. This includes a shop,

commercial establishments, workshops, farm, residential, hotel and

restaurants, eating houses, theatre or other place of public

amusement or entertainment.

On 23rd July 1998 included the following occupation

viz, handing of toxic substances , inflammable or explosives , carpet

weaving, cloth printing, dying and weaving including preparatory

and incident at process, plastic units, fiber glass and molding,

processing auto mobile workshop, sericulture units, manufacture of

lime stone, breaking, crushing, cotton ginning, pressing, pottery and

ceramic industry, production of hosiery goods, manufacture of

cement ceramic industry, manufacture of cement pipes and other

related work, gem cutting and polishing, process of agriculture

where tractors, threshing and harvesting machines are used, glass

manufactures, bricks, roof tile, polishing ,mould cutting, welding and

manufacturing of brass goods, paper making, manufacture of dyes

and dye staff , pesticides and insecticides, toxic substances, metal

cleaning, manufacturing process having high noise level, involving

thermal radiation, oil expelling and refinery, fabrication workshop,

tire making repairing , these work the children are more sufferer.

NATIONAL POLICY ON CHILD LABOUR-

The government believes that it is not easy to

completely wipe out child labour. It therefore only tries to improve

their working conditions reduce working hours, ensure minimum

22

wages and provide facilities for health and education. It could be

said that the national policy has been main ingredients viz,

1-Legal action focusing on general welfare.

2-Developpment programs for the child workers and their families.

3-A project based action plan.

Initially ten projects were proposed to cover

the areas where child labour is prevalent. They include the glass

industry in Firozabad, carpet weaving in mirzapur, diamond cutting

industry in surat and zaipur , brassware industry in Moradabad,

match and fire works in shivakashi and so forth.

The union government set up a National

Authority in 1993 to eliminate child labour in hazardous industries

by the turn of the country. Rs.850 corers were provided in this plan

for benefiting into two million children. The plans aim at rehabiting

the child workers, giving them education in 15,000 schools in

different parts of the country.

The Government is also implementing the

international program for elimination of child labour. The program

was launched in January 1993. 33 action programs under this have

been approved and more proposals are under consideration. one

project with an interpreted approach aims rehabiting 5,000

children every year from the carpet trade. Ofcorse, the Indian

Government is spending annually Rs. 10 corers on ten National level

pilot projects in priority industries to wear away child labour and

rehabilitate them.

23

For Successful implementation of the project, the

action plan has suggested the following strategies: Mass enrolment

of children into the schools, identifications of child labour.

Strengthening of enforcement machinery and

release of child labour assistance of child labour, involve of NGO’

Sand local bodies.

Center has fixed 2010 AD as the target year to

eliminate child labour completely from the country. Labour ministry

has 96 schemes to eliminate the problems.

So far 64 jobs have been identified as hazardous for

children. The budget of the 2000-2001year has been fixed at Rs.36

corers when compared to Rs. 34 corers last year.

The 96 projects cover 2 lakh children in 13 states, but

center is willing to extend this to other states Karnataka is among

the 13 states, which have larger population of child labour in the

country.

The government is preparing an action plan for

removing all children from hazardous occupation by 2005 and to

provide more funds for projects where they can be employed more

healthy and economically. The number of such projects is beings

increased from 96 to 100.

There are at present over 35,000 schools in the country

where over two lakh children have been rehabilited.

ASSESSMENT OF CHILD LABOUR:

In spite of various acts passed and measures taken by

the Government for the amelioration of the problem of child labour,

24

the still continues. The legislation have been ineffective in affording

a measure of protection to children. The root cause of child labour is

poverty .Since poverty can not be eliminated overnight, the

employment of children bellow 14 years has been allowed in

selected unhazardous sectors. The child workers still continue to

work in conditions dangerous to their wealth.

The child workers have no shelters, no food and no

education. They are vulnerable to exploitation by everyone the

employers the parents and even the common man.

SUGGESTION FOR ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR:-

The problem of child labour is a complex one. There

various factors which are through to be responsible for child labour

which needs holistic approach for its elimination. Following

measures may be taken for elimination of the problem.

1-STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF LAGISLATION-

Various acts have been passed for amelioration, of the problems of

child labour. But these acts have not been effective due to lack of

proper implementation. Hence, existing labour legislation must be

strictly enforced so that much of the evils will disappear.

2. ELIMINATION OF POVERTY:-

The root cause of child labour is poverty. The child labour can

not be eliminated without the eradication of poverty of parents of

child labour. Child labour due to economically necessities. If this is

removed the problem will be solved.

The problem of elimination of child labours should be

doubly attacked, on the one hand, the income of the poor sections of

25

the peoples should be increased and on the other prohibition of

child labour should be strictly followed.

3-PROVISION FOR EDUCATION OF CHILDREN-

Free and job oriented education should be given to

children up to the age of 15. The child workers should also

given education along with their work. The National

communism on labour has observed, while the economic

difficulties are real, a way has to be found to give the child the

necessary education in his more receptive years. We fell this

can be ensured by fixing employment hours of children.

The Gurupadaswamy committee has

emphasized that, A part strict enforcement of statutory

provisions is existence, steps should be taken to make jobs

safe, secure and healthy while dovetailing job oppertunity with

education should be pragmatic keeping in view the future

prospects of the child.

26

CONCLUSION-

Child labour is an international evil. It requires

cumulative efforts to wipe it out. Toiling long hours for a

pittance, these little breadwinners accept exploiting as a way of

life. The government on this front has also taken a few steps.

The (ILO) launched the international program for elimination

of child labours in 1991 and India was the first join the same in

1992. But still the problem presents due to poor

implementation of the plans and programs. The need of the

hours is to expand the machinery for enforcing the various

lows of child labour. There is a plethora of lows but nothing

can eradicate. Child labour unless there is awareness among

parents and children, which will go a long way in saving, the

future of millions children in India. Lastly instead of blaming

the supply side, we most focus on the demand side.