essay on child labour in india

Shopping Cart

No products in the cart.

Child Labour – India’s Hidden Shame

From Current Affairs Notes for UPSC » Editorials & In-depths » This topic

One of the most unfortunate consequences of the pandemic and its wide range of restrictions has been the higher vulnerability of children to different forms of abuse and deprivation. Moreover, the second wave of COVID-19 has left several children without both or one of their parents. This situation exposed them to hopelessness, financial hardships and increased risk of child labour, exploitation, and trafficking.

Who is a child?

Child and Adolescent Labour (prohibition and regulation) Act 1986 defines the child as a person who has not completed the age of 14 years.

Express Learning Programme (ELP)

• Optional Notes
• Study Hacks
• Prelims Sureshots (Repeated Topic Compilations)
• Current Affairs (Newsbits, Editorials & In-depths)
• Ancient Indian History
• Medieval Indian History
• Modern Indian History
• Post-Independence Indian History
• World History
• Art & Culture
• Geography (World & Indian)
• Indian Society & Social Justice
• Indian Polity
• International Relations
• Indian Economy
• Environment 
• Agriculture
• Internal Security
• Disasters & its Management
• General Science – Biology
• General Studies (GS) 4 – Ethics
• Syllabus-wise learning
• Political Science
• Anthropology
• Public Administration

SIGN UP NOW

What is Child Labour?

• Child Labour as defined by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is a work that takes away children their childhood, their potential and their dignity which is harmful to their physical as well as mental development.
• ILO also explains child labour in its most extreme forms involves children being enslaved, separated from their families, exposed to serious hazards and illnesses and/or left to fend for themselves on the streets of large cities — often at a very early age.
• But Children or adolescents who involve in works that do not impact their health and personal development or affect their schooling is not child labour. For instance, helping their parents at home, helping family or earning pocket money outside school hours and on holidays.

Prelims Sureshots – Most Probable Topics for UPSC Prelims

A Compilation of the Most Probable Topics for UPSC Prelims, including Schemes, Freedom Fighters, Judgments, Acts, National Parks, Government Agencies, Space Missions, and more. Get a guaranteed 120+ marks!

How children are exploited for Labour in India?

Instead of being in school or at play or other constructive activities, they are put to work on a range of activities that span repetitive low-skill work that doesn’t aid development for future employment opportunities, they are forced to be exposed to conditions devastating to health and safety in the agriculture, industry and service sectors.

The work involves long hours on a bewildering range of tasks such as transferring pollen in cotton plants, picking the crop with their bare hands, indentured on tea or tobacco plantations and brick making factories and construction sites; being sent down dangerous mines for extracting gold and diamonds, or confined to cramped workshops for cutting and polishing gemstones; working at slaughterhouses and tanneries with minimal protection or under life-threatening conditions at fireworks factories.

Children are very commonly employed in the murky underbelly of the fashion industry in yarn and spinning mills, and garment factory sweatshops, put to work from handling silkworms in scalding water to doing painstaking embellishment work. They are on the streets picking rags – carrying an entire recycling industry on their shoulders, or in homes doing domestic work either as employees of others or in the case of girls in their own homes where they are treated as free labour and not considered as deserving of education as their brothers.

The worst of all is the human trafficking situations of modern-day slavery that children are thrown into, facing horrific abuse and lifelong trauma as bonded labourers or sold into sexual exploitation . Alongside the physical implications of this work, can we even begin to imagine the mental health consequences for these children and adolescents forced into labour?

What is the statistics of child labour in India?

According to the 2011 census,

• there were more than 10.2 million children in the age group of 5-14 working as child labourers.
• Child labour has increased rapidly in urban areas and declined in rural areas.
• The overall decrease in child labour is only 2.2% per year from 2001-2011.
• India’s biggest child labour employers are – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

What is the nature of child labour in India?

Change in work location: There has been high involvement of children in home-based works and in the informal sector.

Rural-Urban areas:

• In urban areas, a huge number of children are involved in manual domestic work, rag picking, restaurants, motor repair shops, etc.
• Agriculture including cotton growing,
• Matchbox industries,
• Brass, and lock-making factories,
• Embroidery,
• Rag-picking,
• Beedi-rolling,
• Carpet-making industry,
• Mining and stone quarrying,
• Brick kilns,
• Tea gardens etc.

Gender specific: The division of labour is gender-specific with girls being engaged in more domestic and home-based work, and boys working as wage labourers.

Bonded Child labour: refers to the employment of a person against a loan, debt or social obligation by the family of the child or family as a whole. Bonded child labourers are mostly found in the agriculture sector or helping their families in brick kilns, and stone quarries. There are around 10 million bonded child labourers in India.

Migrant Children: Children who are migrating to other locations with family are often forced to drop-out schools and unavoidably put to work at work-sites.

What are the causes of Child Labour in India?

Poverty and Indebtedness:

• Poverty is the greatest cause of child labour. For impoverished households, income from a child’s work is generally important for his or her own survival or for that of the household.
• Children are also bonded to labour because of the family indebtedness.
• Rural poverty and urban migration often expose children to being trafficked for work.

Adult unemployment and under-employment : high prevalence of adult unemployment and under-employment often force children to work to support the family.

Illiteracy and Ignorance of parents:  Illiteracy of the child’s parents further worsens the crisis. Illiteracy and Lack of awareness of the harmful consequences of child labour make them violate the law and put their children under the risk of inhuman exploitation.

Lack of access to basic and meaningful quality education and skills training:

• The current educational infrastructure is highly unsuitable to children of economically deprived families.
• Furthermore, the deteriorating quality of education has resulted in increasing dropout rates and forced children to engage in work.
• Compulsory education (RTE) does not cover the 15-18 age group (adolescents). However, being illiterate or school dropouts, these children are vulnerable and most exploited for the informal, unskilled and casual workforce.

Demand for child labour :

• Rising demand for child labour particularly in urban areas is an important cause for the prevalence and increase in child labour.
• Children are employed as they are cheap and flexible with respect to the demands of the employer and not aware of their rights.

Cultural factors:

• An expectation that children should contribute to the socio-economic survival of the family and community, as well as the existence of large families,  contribute to the prevalence of child labour.
• Children mostly take up family’s traditional work from an early age. For instance, a Goldsmith’s son takes to gold-smithery, or a carpenter’s child takes up carpentry from an early age.

Social factors:  There is a strong correlation between India’s differentiated social structure and child labour. The majority of child labourers in India belong to the so called lower castes (SCs), the tribal and Muslim religious minority.

What are the impacts of child labour?

• Affect childhood: Child labour takes away a child of his/her childhood. It not only denies his/her right to education but also right to leisure.
• Affect adult life: Child labour prevents children from gaining the skills and education they require to have opportunities for decent work when they become an adult.
• Major health and physical risks: as they work long hours and are needed to do tasks for which they are physically and mentally unprepared. Working in hazardous situations adversely impacts a child’s physical and mental health and affects intellectual, emotional and psychological development.
• Poverty: Child labour is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Household poverty makes children enter the labour market to earn money = they miss out on an opportunity to get an education = further continuing household poverty across generations in a vicious cycle.

• Affect country as a whole: Existence of a large number of child labourers has long term effect on the economy and it is a serious obstacle to the socio-economic welfare of the country.

What are the International Safeguards against Child Labour?

International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions:

• The two Core Conventions directly related to child labour are that of ILO Convention 138 (Minimum age convention) and 182 (Worst forms of Child Labour Convention).
• India has ratified both the Core Conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions.

Declaration of Rights of Child, 1959:

• Universal declaration of human rights 1948 –  mentions (under article 25) that childhood is entitled to special care and assistance.
• The above principles along with other principles of a universal declaration concerning child were incorporated in the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959.

United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989

It sets out different rights of children- civil, political, economic, cultural, social and health. Article 32 states that the government should protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or their education.

What are the measures taken by India?

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, 1986 

Based on the recommendations of the Gurupadaswammy Committee (1979), the Act was passed in 1986. It has the following objectives:

• to prohibit the engagement of children in some employment.
• and to regulate the conditions of work of children in certain other employment.

Salient features:

• The Act prohibits children from working in any occupation listed in Part A of the Schedule; for example: Catering at railway establishments, construction work on the railway or anywhere near the tracks, plastics factories, automobile garages, etc.
• The act also prohibits children from working in places where certain processes are being undertaken, as listed in Part B of the Schedule; for example beedi making, tanning, soap manufacture, brick kilns, and roof tiles units, etc.
• Part III of the act outlines the conditions in which children may work in occupations/processes not listed in the schedule.
• Any person who employs any child in contravention of the provisions of section 3 of the Act is liable for punishment with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than 3 months but which may extend to one year or fine.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016

• The Amendment Act completely prohibits the employment of children below 14 years.
• The amendment also prohibits the employment of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes and regulates their working conditions where they are not prohibited.
• The amendment also provides stricter punishment for employers for violation of the Act and making the offence of employing any child or adolescent in contravention of the Act by an employer as cognizable.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017

• The rules provide a broad and specific framework for prevention, prohibition, rescue, and rehabilitation of child and adolescent workers.
• It also clarifies on issues related to helping in family and family enterprises and definition of family with respect to the child.
• It states that the child shall not perform any tasks during school hours and between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.
• It also provides for safeguards of artists which have been permitted to work under the Act, in terms of hours of work and working conditions.
• It states that no child shall be allowed to work for more than 5 times a day, and for not more than 3 hours without rest.

National Policy on Child Labour (1987)

• It contains the action plan for tackling the problem of Child Labour.
• It focuses more on the rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention.
• The policy consists of three main attributes:
• Legal Action plan –Emphasis will be laid on strict and effective enforcement of legal provisions relating to a child under various Labour laws.
• Focusing on general development programmes- Utilisation of various on-going development programmes of other Ministries/Departments for the benefit of Child Labour wherever possible.
• Project-based plan of Action – Launching of projects for the welfare of working child in areas of high concentration of child labour.

National Child Labour Project Scheme

• For rehabilitation of child labour, the Government had initiated the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme.
• The NCLP Scheme seeks:
• To eliminate all forms of child labour through identification and withdrawal children from child labour and preparing them for mainstream education along with vocational training
• To contribute to the withdrawal of all adolescent workers from Hazardous Occupations / Processes and their skilling and integration in suitable occupations.
• Creation of a Child Labour Monitoring, Tracking and Reporting System.

Pencil:  The government has launched a dedicated platform viz. pencil.gov.in to ensure effective enforcement of child labour laws and end child labour.

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2000 and Amendment of the Act in 2006

• It includes the working child in the category of children in need of care and protection, without any limitation of age or type of occupation.
• Section 23 (cruelty to Juvenile) and Section 26 (exploitation of juvenile employee) specifically deal with child labour under children in need of care and protection.

The Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act (2009):  The Act made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children aged six to 14 years are in school and receive free education.

Many NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, ChildFund, CARE India, Talaash Association, Child Rights and You, Global march against child labour, RIDE India, Child line, Kailash Satyarthi Children Foundation etc. have been working to eradicate child labour in India.

What are the Challenges in reducing child labour in India?

Issues with Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016:

• The list of hazardous industries has been drastically decreased, this may allow the employers in industries like chemical mixing units, cotton farms, battery recycling units, and brick kilns, etc. to employ adolescent labour, which they may even get at a much cheaper price.
• Further, the amendment allows a child to be employed in “family or family enterprises”.This raises a question over a large number of child labour in agrarian rural India where poor families are trapped in intergenerational debt-bondage.

Definitional issue:  One of the biggest challenges in eradicating child labour is the confusion around the definition of a child, in terms of age, in various laws dealing with child labour.

Lack of identification:  Age identification of children is a difficult task in India due to the lack of identification documents. Child labourers often lack school registration certificates and birth certificates, creating an easy loophole in the law to exploit. Most often the children of migrant workers working as labourers and those employed in domestic work go unreported.

Weak enforcement of law and poor governance: Weak enforcement of the law, lack of adequate deterrence and corruption is a major hurdle in eradicating child labour.

What is the way forward?

• Child labour is a vicious circle of poverty, unemployment, underemployment, and low wages. There should be a concerted effort towards social protection programmes and cash transfers to improve the economic situation of families and to reduce the “need” to send children to work.
• There is an urgent need to revamp educational infrastructure- to ensure access to educational institutions, improvement in quality and relevance of education
• There is a need to bring uniformity in existing Indian laws dealing with child labour. The laws must expand the definition of a child by prohibiting the employment of and ensuring free and compulsory education (RTE, Act, 2009) for children below 18 years
• There is a need to launch a national campaign to invoke public interest and large-scale awareness on the exploitation of children and the menace of child labour.
• The government should take adequate measures to raise awareness among families and communities. Parental literacy can play an important role in ensuring the rights of children are upheld.
• Elimination of child labour demands commitment from the society e.g. family, state, civil society and those who employ children in any enterprises.

If you like this post, please share your feedback in the comments section below so that we will upload more posts like this.

GET MONTHLY COMPILATIONS

Related Posts

Anti-Trafficking Bill

Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in India – Reasons & Responses

Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act – Explained...

WOW this info was awesome

There was a problem reporting this post.

Block Member?

Please confirm you want to block this member.

You will no longer be able to:

• See blocked member's posts
• Mention this member in posts

Please allow a few minutes for this process to complete.

Essay on Child Labour for Students and Children

500+ words essay on child labour.

Child labour is a term you might have heard about in news or movies. It refers to a crime where children are forced to work from a very early age. It is like expecting kids to perform responsibilities like working and fending for themselves. There are certain policies which have put restrictions and limitations on children working.

The average age for a child to be appropriate to work is considered fifteen years and more. Children falling below this age limit won’t be allowed to indulge in any type of work forcefully. Why is that so? Because child labour takes away the kids opportunity of having a normal childhood, a proper education , and physical and mental well-being. In some countries, it is illegal but still, it’s a far way from being completely eradicated.

Causes of Child Labour

Child Labour happens due to a number of reasons. While some of the reasons may be common in some countries, there are some reasons which are specific in particular areas and regions. When we look at what is causing child labour, we will be able to fight it better.

Firstly, it happens in countries that have a lot of poverty and unemployment . When the families won’t have enough earning, they put the children of the family to work so they can have enough money to survive. Similarly, if the adults of the family are unemployed, the younger ones have to work in their place.

Moreover, when people do not have access to the education they will ultimately put their children to work. The uneducated only care about a short term result which is why they put children to work so they can survive their present.

Furthermore, the money-saving attitude of various industries is a major cause of child labour. They hire children because they pay them lesser for the same work as an adult. As children work more than adults and also at fewer wages, they prefer children. They can easily influence and manipulate them. They only see their profit and this is why they engage children in factories.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Eradication of Child Labour

If we wish to eradicate child labour, we need to formulate some very effective solutions which will save our children. It will also enhance the future of any country dealing with these social issues . To begin with, one can create a number of unions that solely work to prevent child labour. It should help the children indulging in this work and punishing those who make them do it.

Furthermore, we need to keep the parents in the loop so as to teach them the importance of education. If we make education free and the people aware, we will be able to educate more and more children who won’t have to do child labour. Moreover, making people aware of the harmful consequences of child labour is a must.

In addition, family control measures must also be taken. This will reduce the family’s burden so when you have lesser mouths to feed, the parents will be enough to work for them, instead of the children. In fact, every family must be promised a minimum income by the government to survive.

In short, the government and people must come together. Employment opportunities must be given to people in abundance so they can earn their livelihood instead of putting their kids to work. The children are the future of our country; we cannot expect them to maintain the economic conditions of their families instead of having a normal childhood.

{ “@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “FAQPage”, “mainEntity”: [{ “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “What causes child labour?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”: “Child Labour is caused by many factors. The most important one is poverty and illiteracy. When people barely make ends meet, they put their children to work so they can have food two times a day.”} }, { “@type”: “Question”, “name”: “How can we prevent child labour?”, “acceptedAnswer”: { “@type”: “Answer”, “text”:”Strict measures can prevent child labour. Unions should be made to monitor the activities of child labour. Education must be made free to enroll more and more kids in school. We must also abolish child trafficking completely to save the children.”} }] }

Customize your course in 30 seconds

Which class are you in.

• Travelling Essay
• Picnic Essay
• Our Country Essay
• My Parents Essay
• Essay on Favourite Personality
• Essay on Memorable Day of My Life
• Essay on Knowledge is Power
• Essay on Gurpurab
• Essay on My Favourite Season
• Essay on Types of Sports

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download the App

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. Take the first step today

Meet top uk universities from the comfort of your home, here’s your new year gift, one app for all your, study abroad needs, start your journey, track your progress, grow with the community and so much more.

Verification Code

An OTP has been sent to your registered mobile no. Please verify

Thanks for your comment !

Our team will review it before it's shown to our readers.

• School Education /

Essay on Child Labour in 1000 Words for Students

• Updated on  
• May 21, 2024

Essay on Child Labour: A study called ‘ Campaign Against Child Labour ‘ revealed that around 12.67 million child labourers exist in India. Child labour refers to the forceful employment of children at shops, domestic and hazardous places like factories and mines. Child labour exploits children for their basic childhood rights and affects their physical and mental growth. According to the International Labour Organization, the minimum age to work is 15 years. However, some countries have set the minimum working age at 14 years.

In India, the Ministry of Labour & Employment is responsible for protecting children’s rights. The Ministry launched the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) scheme for the rehabilitation of child labourers.

Table of Contents

• 1.1 Poverty and Unemployment
• 1.2 Lack of Access to Education
• 1.3 Lack of Enforcement Laws
• 1.4 Debt Bondage
• 1.5 Ignorance and Lack of Awareness
• 2.1 Education Deprivation
• 2.2 Impact on Physical Health
• 2.3 Impact on Mental and Emotional Health
• 2.4 Cycle of Poverty
• 3 What is the Global Perspective?
• 4 Child Labour in India
• 5 5 Steps to Eradicate Child Labour
• 6 10 Lines to Add in Child Labour Essay

5 Major Child Labour Causes

Poverty, unemployment, lack of access to quality education, lack of awareness, etc are some of the common causes of child labour. Understanding all the causes of child labour is very important to eradicating its practice.

Poverty and Unemployment

Poverty and unemployment are the primary causes of child labour. Families living in extreme poverty force their children to work and meet basic needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare. On top of this, employees take advantage of their poverty and pay them low wages.

Lack of Access to Education

Children belonging to poor families have limited access to education due to inadequate infrastructure, insufficient resources and social discrimination. Due to this reason, children who are supposed to go to school are pushed towards labour instead of attending school.

“The Best Way to Make Children Good is to Make Them Happy” – Oscar Wilde

Lack of Enforcement Laws

A lot of countries do not have strict laws against child labour. Unethical employers are not afraid because the laws against child labour are not strict. Child labour is persistent because employees do not fear the law. In some cases, insufficient coordination among government agencies, NGOs, and international organizations leads to gaps in the enforcement of child labour laws.

Debt Bondage

Debt bondage or bonded labour is a type of child labour where individuals are forced to work to repay a debt or a family loan. These impoverished people have no other option but to work as bonded labourers in domestic places. 

Master the art of essay writing with our blog on How to Write an Essay in English .

Ignorance and Lack of Awareness

The lack of awareness becomes an important cause of child labour, as these people have no idea about the long-term consequences of child labour. 

Impacts on Children

Child labour can have serious impacts on a child’s physical and mental growth. However, the impacts of child labour are not limited to children only. 

Education Deprivation

Child labour deprives children of their right to education. In India, the Right to Education is a basic Fundamental Right and is also a Fundamental Duty. The Indian Constitution says that any person, who is a parent or a guardian, must provide opportunities for education to his child or ward between the ages of six and fourteen years.

Also Read: Child Labour Speech

Impact on Physical Health

Children who consistently work in dangerous or tough conditions sometimes get hurt, and sick, and can face long-term health issues. Children working in factories and mines are exposed to harmful chemicals, pollutants and dust. Prolonged exposure can lead to respiratory problems, skin disorders, and other health issues.

Impact on Mental and Emotional Health

Working for long hours in hazardous conditions is a deadly combination. These conditions can contribute to high levels of stress and anxiety, affecting the mental well-being of children. In addition to this, these children are denied the right to education, which limits their cognitive development and prospects.

Cycle of Poverty

Children are supposed to go to school and study, not work in factories or as domestic helpers. Child labour perpetuates the cycle of poverty. The cycle of poverty can only end if child labour ends. 

Also Read: Essay on Peer Pressure in 100, 200 and 350 Words

What is the Global Perspective?

According to UNICEF, 1 out of 10 children are subjected to child labour worldwide and some are forced into hazardous work through trafficking. Child labour is a complex issue with its regional challenges. In 2020, around 16 crore children in the world were subjected to child labour. 

International organisations like the ILO, UNICEF, etc. are constantly fighting against children. They collaborate with global governments, NGOs, and private organisations and discuss the root causes of child labour, such as poverty, lack of access to education, cultural norms, armed conflict, and economic pressures. It is very important to address these factors for effective solutions.

Child Labour in India

In India, there are five major sectors where child labour is most prevalent. These sectors are:

• Agriculture – The largest number of children are employed in the agricultural sector and related activities. Children in rural areas are employed in sugarcane, wheat and rice farms, where they are forced to work for long hours in scorching heat.
• Brick Kilns – For ages, the brick kiln industry has been employing children at low wages. In several brick kilns, children work for long hours with their parents and are exposed to toxic fumes and pollutants.
• Garment Industry – The Indian garment industry constitutes a large portion of child labour. Most of the Indian garment industries are managed by local start-ups, who hire children at low wages to preserve their profit margin.
• Fireworks – Firework factory owners hire a significant number of children at low wages. Children working in fireworks factories work in cramped conditions and are exposed to toxic fumes and hazardous chemicals, which hampers their physical and mental health.
• Unorganised Sectors – The unorganised sector includes local dhabas, food and tea stalls, vegetable and fruit vendors, etc. These people employ children as helpers and servants. 

Also Read: Essay on Discipline

5 Steps to Eradicate Child Labour

• Raising Awareness: Raising awareness about child labour can be the first step to eradicating child labour. If people, especially parents, are aware of the consequences of child labour, they might not force their children to work in hazardous places. 
• Support Families: Traffickers prey on vulnerable children, especially those who come from poor families and are not aware of child labour. We need to support these families by providing them with financial assistance, job training for adults, and other resources. When families have enough money to live on, they are less likely to rely on their children’s income.
• Strict Laws: There is an urgent need for stringent laws against child labour. Strict laws against child labour can bring long-lasting social changes. In India, child labour is a crime. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act of 1986, children below the age are prohibited from working. However, this law is not strictly enforced.
• Pro-child Laws: Today, various NGOs are working in collaboration with local and state governments to implement pro-child laws.
• Education for All : Education must be made compulsory and accessible to all. In India, the Right to Education is a fundamental right. Yet, a lot of children are deprived of this basic constitutional right. Strict laws and easy access to education can bring a big change, ending child labour in the country.

Also Read: Essay on Summer Vacation in 100, 250 and 350 words

10 Lines to Add in Child Labour Essay

Here are 10 lines on child labour. Feel free to add them to your child labour essay or similar topics.

• Child labour deprives children of their right to a proper childhood.
• It involves children working in harmful environments. 
• It Disrupts their physical and mental well-being.
• Poverty is a major factor pushing children into the workforce at an early age.
• Lack of access to education often perpetuates the cycle of child labour.
• Children engaged in labour are vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
• Hazardous conditions in factories and mines pose serious health risks to working children.
• Child labour hinders the development of necessary skills and knowledge for the future.
• Long working hours and limited leisure time impact a child’s social and emotional growth.
• Addressing the root causes, such as poverty and lack of education, is crucial in the fight against child labour.

Ans: Child labour refers to the practice of employing young children in hazardous places like factories and mines. Child labour exploits children for their basic childhood rights and hampers their physical and mental growth. According to the International Labour Organization, the minimum age for work is 15 years. However, some countries have set the minimum working age at 14 years.

Ans: Poverty and Unemployment, Lack of Access to Education, Law of Enforcement Laws, Debt Bondage, etc. are some of the primary causes of child labour.

Ans: Child labour is banned in India. According to the Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act, of 1986, no child below 14 years of age is allowed to work in hazardous or domestic places, like factories, mines or shops.

Related Articles

For more information on such interesting topics, visit our essay writing page and follow Leverage Edu.

Shiva Tyagi

With an experience of over a year, I've developed a passion for writing blogs on wide range of topics. I am mostly inspired from topics related to social and environmental fields, where you come up with a positive outcome.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Contact no. *

Connect With Us

45,000+ students realised their study abroad dream with us. take the first step today..

Resend OTP in

Need help with?

Study abroad.

UK, Canada, US & More

IELTS, GRE, GMAT & More

Scholarship, Loans & Forex

Country Preference

New Zealand

Which English test are you planning to take?

Which academic test are you planning to take.

Not Sure yet

When are you planning to take the exam?

Already booked my exam slot

Within 2 Months

Want to learn about the test

Which Degree do you wish to pursue?

When do you want to start studying abroad.

January 2025

September 2025

What is your budget to study abroad?

How would you describe this article ?

Please rate this article

We would like to hear more.

Have something on your mind?

Make your study abroad dream a reality in January 2022 with

India's Biggest Virtual University Fair

Essex Direct Admission Day

Why attend .

Don't Miss Out

Talk to our experts

1800-120-456-456

• Child Labour Essay

What is Child Labour?

Child Labour means the employment of children in any kind of work that hampers their physical and mental development, deprives them of their basic educational and recreational requirements. A large number of children are compelled to work in various hazardous and non-hazardous activities such as in the agriculture sector, glass factories, carpet industry, brass industries, matchbox factories, and as domestic help. It is a blot on our society and speaks immensely about the inability of our society to provide a congenial environment for the growth and development of children. 

Childhood is considered to be the best time of one’s life but unfortunately, this does not hold true for some children who struggle to make both ends meet during their childhood years. According to the Child Labour project and 2011 census, 10.2 million children are engaged in child labour in India, out of which 4.5 million are girls. 

Earlier, children helped their parents in basic chores in agriculture such as sowing, reaping, harvesting, taking care of the cattle, etc. However, with the growth of the industries and urbanization, the issue of child labour has increased. Children at a very tender age are employed for various inappropriate activities and they are forced to make hazardous stuff using their nimble fingers. They are employed in the garment factories, leather, jewellery, and sericulture industries. 

Contributing Factors of Increasing Child Labour

There are a number of factors that contribute to the rise of this peril. 

Poverty plays a major role in the issues of child labour. In poor families, children are considered to be an extra earning hand. These families believe that every child is a bread-earner and so they have more children. As these children grow up, they are expected to share their parents’ responsibilities. 

Illiteracy is an important factor that contributes to this problem. The illiterate parents think that education is a burden because they need to invest more in comparison to the returns that they get in the form of earnings from their children. Child labourers are exposed to unhygienic conditions, late working hours, and different enormities, which have a direct effect on their cognitive development. The tender and immature minds of the children are not able to cope with such situations leading to emotional and physical distress. 

Unethical employers also prefer child labourers to adults because they canextract more work from them and pay a lesser amount of wage. Bonded child labour is the cruellest act of child labour. In this type of child labour, the children are made to work to pay off a loan or a debt of the family. Bonded labour has also led to the trafficking of these impoverished children from rural to urban areas in order to work as domestic help or in small production houses or just to lead the life of street beggars. 

Role of the Government

The government has a very important role to play in the eradication of child labour. As poverty is the major cause of child labour in our country, the government should give assurance to provide the basic amenities to the lower strata of our society. There should be an equal distribution of wealth. More work opportunities need to be generated to give fair employment to the poor. The various NGOs across the nation should come forward and provide vocational training to these people in order to jobs or to make them self-employed. 

This lower stratum of our society should understand and believe in the importance of education. The government and the NGOs should reach out to such people to raise awareness and initiate free education for all children between the age group of 6-14 years. The parents must be encouraged to send their children to schools instead of work. 

Educated and affluent citizens can come forward and contribute to the upliftment of this class of society. They should spread the message about the harmful effects of child labour. Schools and colleges can come up with innovative teaching programmes for poor children. Offices and private and government institutions should offer free education to the children of their staff. 

Moreover, awareness of family planning needs to be created among these people. The NGOs and the government must educate them about family planning measures. This will help the family to reduce the burden of feeding too many mouths.

Child Labour is a Crime 

Despite the strict law about child labour being a crime, it is still widely prevalent in India and many other countries worldwide. Greedy and crooked employers also lack awareness of human rights and government policies among the people below poverty. 

Children in certain mining operations and industries are a cheap source of labour, and the employers get away with it because of corruption in the bureaucracy. Sometimes low-income families may also ignore basic human rights and send their children to earn extra money. It is a systemic problem that needs to be solved by addressing issues at many levels. 

However, to protect young children from such exploitation, the Indian government has come up with a set of punishments. Any person who hires a child younger than 14, or a child between the ages of 14 and 18 in a dangerous job, they are liable to be imprisoned for a term of 6 months-2 years and/or a monetary penalty ranging between Rs.20,000 and Rs.80,000.

Eradicating Child Labour 

Eradication of child labour will require support from multiple aspects of society. The government programs and government agents can only go so far with their efforts. Sometimes, poor and uneducated families would be reluctant to let go of their familiar ways even when better opportunities are provided.

That’s when normal citizens and volunteers need to step up for support. NGOs supported by well-meaning citizens will have to ensure that the government policies are strictly enforced, and all forms of corruption are brought to light.  

Education drives and workshops for the poor section of the economy need to help raise awareness. Parents need to understand the long-term benefits of education for their children. It can help in developing the quality of life and the potential to rise out of poverty.

The harmful consequences of child labour mentally and physically on the children need to be taught in the workshops. Government petitions can also encourage schooling for younger children by offering nutritious meals and other benefits. 

Education about family planning is also critical in helping to control the population. When low-income families have more children, they are also inclined to send them for work to help float the household. Having fewer children means that they are valued, and parents focus on providing for their nourishment, education, and long-term well-being. 

Having fewer kids also makes them precious, and parents will not send them to hazardous working environments in fear of permanent injury or death. The government should introduce incentives for families with one or two children to encourage poorer families to have fewer children and reap the benefits while providing a good life.

Government Policies

The Indian Government enacted many laws to protect child rights, namely the Child and Adolescent Labour Act, 1986, the Factories Act, 1948, the Mines Act, 1952, the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. 

As per the Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation), 1986, children under the age of fourteen years old could not be employed in hazardous occupations. This act also attempts to regulate working conditions in the jobs that it permits and emphasizes health and safety standards. 

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 mandates free and compulsory education to all children between the age group of 6 to 14 years old. 

A nation full of poverty-ridden children cannot make progress. It should be the collective responsibility of society and the government to provide these impoverished children with a healthy and conducive environment, which will help them to develop their innate capabilities and their skills effectively.

FAQs on Child Labour Essay

Q1. What do you understand by Child Labour?

Child Labour means the employment of children in any kind of work that impedes their physical and mental development, deprives them of their basic educational and recreational requirements.

Q2. What factors lead to Child Labour?

Poverty, illiteracy, no family control lead to Child Labour. Even the growth of industrialization and urbanization play a major role in the Child Labour. The exploitation of poor people by unethical employers on account of failing to pay their loans or debts, lead to child labour.

Q3. What measures should be taken to eradicate Child Labour?

The government, NGOs should raise awareness about family control measures among the weaker section of the society. The government should provide free amenities and education to children between the age group of 6-14 years. The government should generate more employment opportunities for them. The schools and colleges can come up with innovative teaching programs for them.

Q4. Which policy has banned the employment of Children?

 The Child and Adolescent Labour Act, 1986 has banned the employment of children under the age of 14 years.

Q5. What are the causes of child labour? 

Child labour is mainly caused by poverty in families from the underprivileged section of the economy. Poor and uneducated parents send children to work under unsupervised and often dangerous conditions. They do not realise the damage it causes for children in the long run. Child labour is also caused by the exploitation of poor people by crooked employers. The problem is also fueled by corruption at the bureaucratic level, which ignores worker and human rights violations.

Q6. How to prevent child labour? 

Child labour can be prevented by education programs supported by the government and also NGOs. Volunteers have educated low-income families about the dangers of child labour and the benefits of education. Government laws should be reformed and enforced more rigorously to punish people who employ underage children.

Q7. What are the types of child labour?

There are mainly four types of child labour: 

Domestic child labourers:   These are children (mostly girls) who wealthy families employ to do the household chores.

Industrial child labourers:   Children are made to work in factories, mines, plantations, or small-scale industries. 

Debt Bondage:   Some children are forced to work as debt labourers to clear the inherited debts of their families. 

Child Trafficking:   Child trafficking is when orphaned or kidnapped children are sold for money. They are exploited the most without regard for their well-being. 

• भाषा : हिंदी
• Classroom Courses
• Our Selections
• Student Login
• About NEXT IAS
• Director’s Desk
• Advisory Panel
• Faculty Panel
• General Studies Courses
• Optional Courses
• Interview Guidance Program
• Postal Courses
• Test Series
• Current Affairs
• Student Portal

• Prelims Analytica
• CSE (P) 2024 Solutions
• Pre Cum Main Foundation Courses
• 1 Year GSPM Foundation Course
• 2 Year Integrated GSPM Foundation Course: Elevate
• 3 Year Integrated GSPM Foundation Course: EDGE
• 2 Year GSPM Foundation with Advanced Integrated Mentorship (FAIM)
• Mentorship Courses
• 1 Year Advanced Integrated Mentorship (AIM)
• Early Start GS Courses
• 1 Year GS First Step
• Mains Specific
• Mains Advance Course (MAC) 2024
• Essay Guidance Program cum Test Series 2024
• Ethics Enhancer Course 2024
• Prelims Specific
• Weekly Current Affairs Course 2025
• Current Affairs for Prelims (CAP) 2025
• CSAT Course 2025
• CSAT EDGE 2025
• Optional Foundation Courses
• Mathematics
• Anthropology
• Political Science and International Relations (PSIR)
• Optional Advance Courses
• Political Science & International Relations (PSIR)
• Civil Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechanical Engineering
• Interview Guidance Programme / Personality Test Training Program
• GS + CSAT Postal Courses
• Current Affairs Magazine – Annual Subscription
• GS+CSAT Postal Study Course
• First Step Postal Course
• Postal Study Course for Optional Subjects
• Prelims Test Series for CSE 2025 (Offline/Online)
• General Studies
• GS Mains Test Series for CSE 2024
• Mains Test Series (Optional)
• PSIR (Political Science & International Relations)
• Paarth PSIR
• PSIR Answer Writing Program
• PSIR PRO Plus Test Series
• Mathematics Yearlong Test Series (MYTS) 2024
• Indian Economic Services
• ANUBHAV (All India Open Mock Test)
• ANUBHAV Prelims (GS + CSAT)
• ANUBHAV Mains
• Headlines of the Day
• Daily Current Affairs
• Editorial Analysis
• Monthly MCQ Compilation
• Monthly Current Affairs Magazine
• Previous Year Papers
• Down to Earth
• Kurukshetra
• Union Budget
• Economic Survey
• Download NCERTs
• NIOS Study Material
• Beyond Classroom
• Toppers’ Copies
• Indian Society

Child Labour in India: Causes, Consequences and Solutions

The article on Child Labour in India aims to cover the facts, statistics, causes, consequences, solutions and other related aspects of the topic in detail.

What is Child Labour?

Child Labour means when children are made to work in a way that takes away their childhood, potential, and self-respect.

• It includes work that is dangerous or harmful to children’s physical, mental, social, or moral well-being.
• It also includes work that stops them from going to school, either by not allowing them to attend or by forcing them to leave early.

Whether a particular type of work is considered child Labour depends on factors like the child’s age, the kind and hours of work, the conditions in which it takes place, and the rules set by each country. The definition may vary from country to country and even within different industries within a country.

Facts and Statistics of Child Labour in India

• Total child population (5-14 years) in India: 259.6 million (Census 2011).
• Working children in India: 10.1 million (3.9% of the total child population) as “main workers” or “marginal workers.”
• Out-of-school children in India: more than 42.7 million.
• Child Labour decreased in India by 2.6 million between 2001 and 2011.
• The decline is more visible in rural areas, while the number of child workers increased in urban areas, indicating a growing demand for child workers in menial jobs.

Causes of Child Labour

There are many other factors that contribute to the problem, such as social norms, cultural beliefs, and discrimination.

Consequences of Child Labour

The consequences faced have a far-reaching impact on the child, society, and the nation as a whole:

Solutions to the Issue of Child Labour in India

Addressing the issue of child Labour in India requires a comprehensive approach involving various stakeholders.

• Strengthening Legislative Framework: Enforce and strengthen existing laws, such as the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, to ensure comprehensive protection for children and stricter penalties for offenders. Amendments should align with international standards.
• Access to Quality Education: Ensure universal access to free and quality education for all children. Implement and enforce the Right to Education Act, focusing on reducing dropout rates and increasing enrollment in schools.
• Poverty Alleviation: Tackle the root causes of child Labour by implementing poverty alleviation programs, providing economic support to families living in poverty, and promoting livelihood opportunities for parents.
• Awareness and Sensitization: Conduct widespread awareness campaigns targeting parents, communities, and employers about the detrimental effects of child Labour on children’s physical, mental, and educational development.
• Rehabilitation and Social Protection: Develop and implement comprehensive rehabilitation programs for rescued child laborers, including access to education, vocational training, healthcare, and psychological support. Establish social protection schemes for vulnerable families to prevent children from entering the Labour force.
• International Cooperation: Collaborate with international organizations, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, to access expertise, technical assistance, and financial resources to combat child Labour effectively.
• Empowering Local Communities: Involve local communities, including parents, teachers, and community leaders, in preventing child Labour. Empower them to identify and report cases of child Labour and provide support for rehabilitation and reintegration efforts.

It is important to recognize that addressing child Labour is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires sustained efforts, collaboration, and the commitment of all stakeholders to create lasting change.

Addressing and eliminating child Labour is crucial for the well-being of children, the progress of society, and the sustainable development of a nation. It requires concerted efforts, comprehensive policies, and the active involvement of various stakeholders to ensure the protection of children’s rights and their holistic development.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Child Labour in India

How many children are presently working as labour in india.

There are around 10.1 million (3.9% of the total child population) as “main workers” or “marginal workers.”

What is the major reason for Child Labour in India?

The major reason for child Labour in India is poverty . Families living in poverty often resort to child Labour as a means of survival, as children can be paid less and are more vulnerable to exploitation.

What are the 10 Causes of Child Labour?

The 10 causes of child Labour include poverty, lack of access to education, limited enforcement of child Labour laws, cultural attitudes and norms, armed conflict, discrimination, inadequate social protection, migration, globalization, and demand for cheap Labour.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

Dr. b.r. ambedkar: biography, contributions & legacies, world population day 2024: history, theme, celebrations & significance, national statistics day 2024, ambedkar jayanti 2024 (ambedkar remembrance day), international women’s day 2024: history, theme, celebrations & significance, women empowerment and gender equality in india, leave a reply cancel reply.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Featured Post

NEXT IAS (Delhi)

Old rajinder nagar.

• 27-B, Pusa Road, Metro Pillar no.118, Near Karol Bagh Metro, New Delhi-110060

Mukherjee Nagar

• 1422, Main Mukherjee Nagar Road. Near Batra Cinema New Delhi-110009

NEXT IAS (Jaipur)

• NEXT IAS - Plot No - 6 & 7, 3rd Floor, Sree Gopal Nagar, Gopalpura Bypass, Above Zudio Showroom Jaipur (Rajasthan) - 302015

NEXT IAS (Prayagraj)

• 31/31, Sardar Patel Marg, Civil Lines, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh - 211001

NEXT IAS (Bhopal)

• Plot No. 46 Zone - 2 M.P Nagar Bhopal - 462011
• 8827664612 ,

Child labour essay for UPSC

“LET EVERY CHILD BE FREE TO BE A CHILD.” – KAILASH SATYARTHI

Yes indeed. This holds true for many of us who have lived our innocence. However, this isn’t the reality for the ‘not so privileged’.

Child Labour is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development. 

In India, child labour has been one of the biggest concerns for the authorities to overcome. In this article, we shall discuss the causes and effects of child labour in the country. This is an important topic from the IAS Exam perspective. 

Child Labour in India

As per a report by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), in India, there are 10.1 million working children between the age of 5 to 14 years. This data was based on the Census of 2011. 

As per Census 2011, the total child population in India in the age group (5-14) years is 259.6 million. Of these, 10.1 million (3.9% of total child population) are working, either as ‘main worker’ or as ‘marginal worker’. In addition, more than 42.7 million children in India are out of school. 

However, there has been a decline of 2.6 million children affected by child labour between the Census 2001 and 2011. Given below are the statistics for the same:

As per the Census of 2011, there are five major states in India that constitute 55% of the total number of child labour in the country. Refer to the table below:

To know in detail about the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) , a United Nations agency that provides developmental and humanitarian aid to children worldwide, candidates can visit the linked article. 

The definition of Child Labour must be seen in line with the different categories of the same instead of using it in a sweeping manner:

• Child Labour: Those children who are doing paid or unpaid work in factories, workshops, establishments, mines and in the service sector such as domestic labour.
• Street Children: Children living on and off the streets, such as shoeshine boys, ragpickers, newspaper-vendors, beggars, etc.
• Bonded Children: Children who have either been pledged by their parents for paltry sums of money or those working to pay off the inherited debts of their fathers.
• Working Children: Children who are working as part of family labour in agriculture and in home-based work.
• Children used for sexual exploitation: Many thousands of young girls and boys serve the sexual appetites of men from all social and economic backgrounds. Direct links between the commercial sexual exploitation of children and other forms of exploitative child labour are numerous.
• Migrant children: India faces a huge challenge with “distress seasonal migration”. At worksites, migrant children are inevitably put to work. All evidence indicates that migrations are large and growing. The number of children below 14 years of age thus affected.
• Children engaged in household activities: Apart from children who are employed for wages (either bonded or otherwise) as domestic help, there are a large number of children (especially girls) who are working in their own houses, engaged in what is not normally seen as “economic activity”. These children are engaged in taking care of younger siblings, cooking, cleaning and other such household activities. Further, if such children are not sent to school, they will eventually join the labour force as one of the above categories of child labour.

Also, refer to the following links for UPSC preparation:

Causes of Child Labour in India

Discussed below are the main causes of child labour in India:

• Over Population – The population of the country is more in comparison to the job opportunities available
• Illiteracy – This is one of the biggest causes. If a child is unable to gain education due to financial or social reasons, he/she is more likely to opt for working at wages and helping the family
• Poverty – To overcome the financial crisis and poverty, parents are forced to make their children work for money
• Urbanization is another cause
• Orphans – New provisions should be made by the authorities for orphans so that they can be educated and avoid working at a young age for their own livelihood and survival
• Adult unemployment – Until the adults are not employed, they cannot educate their offsprings which ultimately leads to child labour
• Debt trap – In cases, a financial backlog or debt also is a reason which leads to child labour
• Cheap labour – The labour salary is minimal, thus, to increase the family income, they are forced to let their children work

If the above-mentioned points are taken care of by the concerned authorities, child labour iin India can be reduced. 

Acts for Children Welfare in India

Child labour is a matter on which both the Union Government and state governments can legislate. A number of legislative initiatives have been undertaken at both levels. The major national legislative developments include the following:

• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
• Factories Act, 1948
• Mines Act, 1952
• Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act, 2000
• Right to Education Act, 2009
• National Child Labour Programme, 1988
• Article 24 of the Indian Constitution

There are a few Non-Government Organisations like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, CRY, Pratham, etc., which also work for the welfare of the country. 

World Day against Child Labour 

World Day Against Child Labour was introduced in 2002 by the International Labour Organisation. It is celebrated on June 12th every year across the world. 

In 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the day was celebrated via a virtual campaign that was organised jointly by the Global March Against Child Labour and the International Partnership for Cooperation on Child Labour in Agriculture (IPCCLA). The theme for 2020 was “Protect children from child labour, now more than ever” .

Although India has shown improvement in the statistics from the 2001 Census, yet there is a long way that needs to be travelled to completely eradicate child labour from the country. 

The Government must enforce stricter laws and punishment against child labour and primary education must be made free for all so that no one is deprived of education and knowledge. 

CSE aspirants can refer to the UPSC Syllabus at the linked article and accordingly start their preparation for the upcoming recruitment.

For any further exam updates, study material or preparation strategy, candidates can turn to BYJU’S for assistance. 

Frequently Asked Questions on Child Labour in India

Q 1. what is the age for child labour in india, q 2. what are the causes of child labour.

Ans. There are many factors that lead to child labour in India. Given below are a few:

• Lower Labour Pay Scale for Adults

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your Mobile number and Email id will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Request OTP on Voice Call

Post My Comment

Register with BYJU'S & Download Free PDFs

Register with byju's & watch live videos.

Child Labour in India: An In-Depth Analysis of a Persistent Social Issue

Relevant for UPSC Mains GS 2 – Social Justice

Introduction: Child labour is a pressing social issue in India, with millions of children engaged in work that deprives them of their childhood, education, and future prospects. Despite legal frameworks and numerous initiatives to eradicate child labour, the problem persists, with children working in various sectors, often in hazardous conditions. In this comprehensive blog, we will explore the issue of child labour in India, examining its causes, consequences, and potential solutions to this deeply rooted problem.

• Understanding Child Labour in India: Child labour refers to the employment of children below the legal age, in activities that are mentally, physically, socially, or morally dangerous and harmful. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), child labour is defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, potential, and dignity, and that is harmful to their physical and mental development. In India, child labour is widespread across various sectors, including agriculture, manufacturing, mining, and the informal sector. Children often work long hours in hazardous environments, with little or no access to education, healthcare, or basic rights.
• Poverty: Poverty is the primary driving force behind child labour in India. Families living in poverty often rely on the income generated by their children to meet basic needs, forcing children to work instead of attending school.
• Lack of Access to Quality Education: Inadequate access to quality education, particularly in rural areas, leads many children to drop out of school and enter the workforce. Additionally, the lack of infrastructure, resources, and trained teachers in many schools contributes to poor learning outcomes, further discouraging children from continuing their education.
• Social and Cultural Factors: Traditional beliefs, social norms, and cultural practices often perpetuate child labour in India. In some communities, child labour is considered a part of the social fabric, with children expected to contribute to their family’s income or learn a trade from an early age.
• Ineffective Legal Framework and Implementation: Although India has a legal framework in place to combat child labour, implementation and enforcement of these laws are often weak. Corruption, lack of resources, and inadequate monitoring systems contribute to the limited effectiveness of existing laws and policies.
• Impact on Child Development: Child labour has a profound impact on a child’s physical, mental, and emotional development. Long hours of work in hazardous conditions can lead to injuries, chronic health issues, and psychological trauma.
• Loss of Education and Future Opportunities: Children engaged in labour often miss out on education, limiting their future opportunities and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. Lack of education also hinders their ability to contribute to the nation’s development in the long run.
• Perpetuation of Poverty and Inequality: Child labour contributes to the perpetuation of poverty and inequality in society, as children who work instead of attending school are more likely to remain trapped in a cycle of poverty throughout their lives.
• The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016: This Act prohibits the employment of children below 14 years of age in all occupations and processes, with certain exceptions for family enterprises and child artists. The Act also regulates the working conditions of adolescent workers (aged 14-18) and prohibits their employment in hazardous occupations and processes.
• The Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009: The RTE Act guarantees free and compulsory education for all children aged 6-14 in India, ensuring that every child has access to quality education, which is crucial in preventing child labour.
• National Child Labour Project (NCLP): The NCLP is a government initiative aimed at rehabilitating child labourers through the provision of education, vocational training, and healthcare. The project also raises awareness about child labour and its adverse effects on children, families, and society.
• Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS): The ICPS is a comprehensive scheme aimed at creating a safe and protective environment for children through the establishment of child protection services at national, state, and district levels.
• Poverty Alleviation: Tackling the root cause of child labour – poverty – is essential in the fight against child labour. Implementing policies and programs aimed at poverty alleviation, such as income-generation schemes, skill development initiatives, and social security measures, can help reduce the reliance on child labour for family income.
• Ensuring Access to Quality Education: Improving access to quality education, particularly in rural and marginalized communities, can help prevent child labour. Investments in school infrastructure, teacher training, and the development of contextually relevant curricula can improve learning outcomes and encourage children to stay in school.
• Strengthening Legal Framework and Enforcement: Enhancing the effectiveness of existing laws and policies is critical in the fight against child labour. This can be achieved through better monitoring and enforcement mechanisms, increased resources for inspections and prosecutions, and the establishment of dedicated child labour courts.
• Collaboration between Stakeholders: Combating child labour requires a coordinated effort among various stakeholders, including the government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector, and local communities. Collaborative initiatives, such as public-private partnerships and community-based programs, can help pool resources and expertise to address the issue more effectively.
• Raising Awareness and Advocacy: Raising awareness about the adverse effects of child labour and promoting a change in societal attitudes towards the issue is crucial. Advocacy campaigns, community mobilization efforts, and engagement with the media can help challenge prevailing norms and practices that perpetuate child labour.

Conclusion: Child labour in India is a deeply entrenched social issue, with its roots in poverty, lack of access to quality education, social and cultural factors, and ineffective legal frameworks. Addressing the problem requires a multi-faceted approach, involving various stakeholders and focusing on strategies that tackle the root causes of child labour. With concerted efforts and collaboration, it is possible to eradicate child labour in India, ensuring a brighter future for millions of children who are currently deprived of their basic rights and opportunities.

One comment

• Pingback: Child labour menace in India| #1 Best Sociology Optional Coaching

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Classroom Programme
• Interview Guidance
• Online Programme
• Drishti Store
• My Bookmarks
• My Progress
• Change Password
• From The Editor's Desk
• How To Use The New Website
• Help Centre

Achievers Corner

• Topper's Interview
• About Civil Services
• UPSC Prelims Syllabus
• GS Prelims Strategy
• Prelims Analysis
• GS Paper-I (Year Wise)
• GS Paper-I (Subject Wise)
• CSAT Strategy
• Previous Years Papers
• Practice Quiz
• Weekly Revision MCQs
• 60 Steps To Prelims
• Prelims Refresher Programme 2020

Mains & Interview

• Mains GS Syllabus
• Mains GS Strategy
• Mains Answer Writing Practice
• Essay Strategy
• Fodder For Essay
• Model Essays
• Drishti Essay Competition
• Ethics Strategy
• Ethics Case Studies
• Ethics Discussion
• Ethics Previous Years Q&As
• Papers By Years
• Papers By Subject
• Be MAINS Ready
• Awake Mains Examination 2020
• Interview Strategy
• Interview Guidance Programme

Current Affairs

• Daily News & Editorial
• Daily CA MCQs
• Sansad TV Discussions
• Monthly CA Consolidation
• Monthly Editorial Consolidation
• Monthly MCQ Consolidation

Drishti Specials

• To The Point
• Important Institutions
• Learning Through Maps
• PRS Capsule
• Summary Of Reports
• Gist Of Economic Survey

Study Material

• NCERT Books
• NIOS Study Material
• IGNOU Study Material
• Yojana & Kurukshetra
• Chhatisgarh
• Uttar Pradesh
• Madhya Pradesh

Test Series

• UPSC Prelims Test Series
• UPSC Mains Test Series
• UPPCS Prelims Test Series
• UPPCS Mains Test Series
• BPSC Prelims Test Series
• RAS/RTS Prelims Test Series
• Daily Editorial Analysis
• YouTube PDF Downloads
• Strategy By Toppers
• Ethics - Definition & Concepts
• Mastering Mains Answer Writing
• Places in News
• UPSC Mock Interview
• PCS Mock Interview
• Interview Insights
• Prelims 2019
• Product Promos

• Daily Updates

Make Your Note

Rise in Child Labour

• 14 Jun 2023
• 15 min read
• GS Paper - 2
• Issues Related to Children
• Government Policies & Interventions

This editorial is based on Covid has led to major rise in child labour which was published in The Indian Express on 11/06/2023. It talks about the issue of Child Labour and how the Covid pandemic has led to an increase in its prevalence.

Prelims: WHO , UNICEF , ILO , National Crime Records Bureau , Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 , National Policy on Child Labour (1987), Pencil Portal

Mains: Child Labour – Causes, Laws, Socio-Economic impacts and Way Forward

The Covid-19 pandemic brought the world to its knees and exposed multiple fault-lines in the healthcare, education, economic, and job-related sectors. India has not been immune to this devastation. As per the official statistics around 5,31,843 deaths have been reported from India to the WHO .

But it is among the marginalised sections of society, especially women and children, that the effect of the pandemic has been deep and long lasting. Households that were surviving in poor economic conditions were pushed to the brink of poverty. These conditions have exacerbated the social inequities and have exposed women and children to abuse, violence and lack of security.

A 2022 report by UNICEF and International Labour Organization (ILO) said that as Covid has put children at risk of child labour globally, the number of child labour cases were expected to rise by 8.9 million by the end of 2022. As per the US Department of Labour, disruption in supply chains has thrust people into unemployment leading to an increase in poverty.

What does the Data say about Child Labour in India?

• According to the last available Census 2011 , there were 10.1 million child labourers in India.
• As per the National Crime Records Bureau Report 2022 , in 2021, around 982 cases were registered under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 , with the highest number of cases registered in Telangana, followed by Assam.
• Aide et Action’s study in India on the impact of COVID-19 on migrant children revealed a two-fold increase in the number of children who accompanied their working parents to the brick-making industry after the first wave COVID-19 pandemic.
• According to a study by Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL), there has been a significant increase in the proportion of working children from 28.2% to 79.6% out of the 818 children who were surveyed, mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools.
• According to a new report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF, the number of children in child labour has risen to 160 million worldwide with millions more at risk due to the impacts of COVID-19.
• India’s biggest child labour employers are – Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.

What are the Prominent Causes of Child Labour in India?

• Poverty: Many families are unable to afford the basic needs of life and send their children to work instead of school. Poverty also forces some children to work as bonded labourers or migrate to other places in search of work.
• Social norms: Some communities and families have a tradition of making their children work in certain occupations, such as agriculture, carpet weaving, or domestic service. Some also believe that education is not important or suitable for girls.
• Lack of decent work opportunities for adults and adolescents: Due to the high unemployment rate and low wages, many adults and young people are unable to find decent and dignified work. This leads them to engage in informal and hazardous work or push their children into labour.
• Poor School Infrastructure : Many schools in India lack adequate facilities, teachers, and quality education. Some schools also charge fees or other expenses that are unaffordable for poor families. These factors discourage parents from sending their children to school and make them drop out.
• Emergencies: Natural disasters, conflicts, and pandemics can disrupt the normal functioning of society and increase the vulnerability of children. Some children may lose their parents, homes, or access to basic services. They may be forced to work for survival or be exploited by traffickers and other perpetrators.

How has the Covid Pandemic aggravated the issue of Child Labour?

• Fall in Living Standards: The pandemic has caused economic insecurity, unemployment, poverty and hunger for many families, forcing children to work for survival.
• Loss of Guardianship: The pandemic claimed many lives, leaving numerous children without parents. As a consequence, some of these children were compelled to engage in child labor.
• Deteriorating Employment Opportunities: The disruption in supply chains, trade and foreign investment has reduced the demand for labour and income opportunities for adults, making children more vulnerable to exploitation.
• Rise in Informality: The pandemic has increased the share of informal workers who lack social protection, decent working conditions and access to health care. Children are often employed in informal sectors such as agriculture, domestic work, street vending, mining and construction.
• Migration: Economic hardships and disruptions caused by the pandemic may have resulted in increased migration, both internal and cross-border. Migrant children, particularly those who are unaccompanied or separated from their families, have been more susceptible to exploitation and forced labor. 
• Temporary School Closures: The pandemic has disrupted the education of millions of children, especially those who lack access to online learning or face barriers such as lack of electricity, devices or internet. School closures increased the risk of dropouts, early marriages, teenage pregnancies and child labour.

What is the Socio-Economic Impact of Child Labour?

• Reduced Human Capital Accumulation: Child labor diminishes children's ability to accumulate skills and knowledge, affecting their future productivity and income.
• Perpetuation of Poverty and Child Labour: Child labor lowers wages for unskilled work, contributing to the cycle of poverty and continued child labor.
• Impaired Technological Progress and Economic Growth: Child labor hampers technological advancements and innovation, slowing down long-term economic growth and development.
• Deprivation of Rights and Opportunities: Child labor deprives children of their rights to education, health, protection, and participation, limiting their future opportunities and social mobility.
• Undermined Social Development and Cohesion: Child labor weakens social development and cohesion within a country, impacting stability and democracy.
• Negative Health Impacts : Child labor exposes children to hazards, physical injuries, diseases, abuse, and exploitation, adversely affecting their physical and mental well-being, mortality rates, and life expectancy.

What Initiatives have been taken by the Government to Curb Child Labour?

• Right to Education Act (2009) : It added Article 21A to the Constitution which recognizes education as a fundamental right of every child and provides for free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years.
• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (1986): Bans the employment of children below 14 years and adolescents below 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes..
• The Factories Act (1948): Prohibits the employment of children below 14 years of age in any hazardous environment and restricts the working hours and conditions of adolescents (14 to 18 years) who are allowed to work only in non-hazardous processes.
• National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme : It seeks to provide non-formal education, vocational training, mid-day meal, stipend and health care to the rescued children and then mainstream them into formal schooling system.
• Pencil Portal: The platform aims at engaging the Central Government, State Government, District, civil society and the public in eradicating child labour to achieve the target of a child labour free society. It was launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
• The Minimum Age Convention (1973) - No. 138: This convention requires States party to set a minimum age under which no one shall be admitted to employment or work in any occupation. The minimum age should not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, not less than 15 years. However, developing countries may initially specify a minimum age of 14 years.
• The Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999) - No. 182 : This convention calls for the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, forced labour and trafficking; the use of children in armed conflict; the use of a child for prostitution, pornography and in illicit activities (such as drug trafficking); and hazardous work that is likely to harm the health, safety or morals of children.

What more should be done to Address the issue?

• It should also ensure that the laws are effectively implemented and enforced, by allocating adequate resources, capacity, coordination, data, accountability and political will. 
• The penalties for violating the child labour laws should be severe and consistent.
• This could include regular cash transfers, subsidies, pensions, health insurance, food security, etc. 
• The government should also facilitate access to credit, savings, microfinance and other livelihood opportunities for poor households.
• It should also improve the quality, relevance, safety and inclusiveness of education, by providing adequate infrastructure, teachers, curriculum, materials, scholarships, etc. 
• It should also follow up with children who drop out or do not enrol in school, and provide them with bridge education, vocational training or alternative learning opportunities.
• It should also mobilize action and support for the initiatives against child labour, by creating platforms, campaigns, networks, coalitions, etc. 
• The role of Panchayats can also be explored for raising awareness.
• It should provide humanitarian assistance and protection to affected children and families, such as food, water, shelter, health care, psychosocial support, etc. 
• It should also ensure the continuity of education and social protection services during and after the crises.

UPSC Civil Services Examination, Previous Year Question (PYQ) 

Q. International Labour Organization’s Conventions 138 and 182 are related to: (2018)

(a) Child Labour (b) Adaptation of agricultural practices to global climate change (c) Regulation of food prices and food security (d) Gender parity at the workplace

Q. Examine the main provisions of the National Child Policy and throw light on the status of its implementation. (2016)

Child Labour Essay

Child Labour refers to the employment of children of the age group of 5 to 17 years, so as to deprive them of their childhood and force them into a life of deprivation and illiteracy. The main factor behind child labour is poverty; therefore, it is more rampant in developing or under developed countries. Children in these countries are often forced into labour to supplement the everyday income of their families.

Short and Long Essay on Child Labour

We have provided below short and long essay on Child Labour in English for your information and knowledge. These Child Labour essays have been written in simple yet effective English language for you to make it easy to remember them as well as to present them when required.

After going through the essays you will know a lot of information about child labour and its vital statistics. You will also know about the industries employing child labour in India; negative effects of child labour on the children; ways to tackle child labour; how child labour is related to poverty; history of child labour; types of child labour in India and statistics of child labour in India 2019.

These Child Labour essay will be extremely useful to you in your school/college assignments and various competitions like speech giving, debate and essay writing competitions.

Child Labour Essay 1 (100 Words)

Child labour is defined as the employment of children, often belonging to the age group of 5 to 17 years. At such a young age children are a lot less demanding and could be very easily managed by the employees. For this reason many unorganized sectors around the world prefer to work with child labors.

There are nearly 152 million child labors the world over; most of them are driven by poverty. Poor families unable to meet their everyday requirements of nourishment are forced to send their children to manual work in different sectors. This way the children could also supplement their family’s income apart from fending for their own vital requirements.

Child Labour Essay 2 (150 Words)

Child labour is defined as the employment of children in such a way so as to deprive them of their childhood, education and growth opportunities. Many unorganized small sectors around the world prefer to employ children for they are less demanding and easily manageable.

Sometimes, the families of the children, themselves push the children into child labour for want of money or they find it unable to feed the children. Such children often live in unhygienic and deprived conditions, with no medical aid at all as well as no education opportunity.

Child labour forces a child into the vicious cycle of deprivation, illiteracy and poverty. Such children are not able to find a reputed and suitable job as adults and are often regarded as socially backward. They live a solitary life of isolation and often take to unwanted and unethical means.

Child Labour Essay 3 (200 Words)

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors around the world. It includes sectors like mining, production industries, farming and other unorganized sectors. Children are often employed in these sectors for they are paid less and easy to manage.

Child labour is widely practised throughout the world and deprives the children of their childhood, education and other growth opportunities. Children are forced to engage in hazardous working conditions to support their families by supplementing its income.

They work under a verbal or written contract between their employer and parents. Sometimes, it is to repay a debt taken by their families from the employer. Child labour is more common in developing and under developed nations. Poverty is the main driving factor behind the child labour as the children are forced into child labour by their own families in order to fend for their everyday requirements for food and other necessities.

There are many strict laws against child labour in the world and many countries including India have norms of imprisonment and fine if a person and organization is found involved in child labour. Despite all the laws, still there is a need to forcibly implement them if we want the child labour to be eliminated.

Child Labour Essay 4 (250 Words)

The term “Child Labour” is used to refer to the employment of young children into various sectors like industries, hotels, farming etc. The term is used mainly to denote the employment of children falling in the age group of 5 – 15 years.

Child labour deprives the children of their childhood and proper physical and mental growth opportunities. It also considerably reduces a child’s possibility to get educated and progress in life.

Worldwide around 218 million children in the age group of 5 to 17 years are employed as child labour. These children are subjected to live in poor hygienic conditions and are deprived of very basic necessary amenities of life.

They never get an opportunity to go to school, thereby forcing them into decades of poverty and labour. Working in poor health conditions they also become susceptible to various kinds of diseases and their conditions are rarely addressed.

Such children are also subjected to live a life of isolation and are not allowed to socially interact with people and to make friends to play. Such poor work environment is stressful for a child and often results in several mental conditions like depression etc. Such children often tend to take drugs and other substances, consequently resulting in further physical and mental damages.

There is a need to strictly supervise the sectors prone to employing children and impose harsh penalties with money and imprisonment on them for doing so.

Child Labour Essay 5 (300 Words)

Introduction

The employment of children for different works, so as to interfere with their normal mental, physical and social growth opportunities is termed as child labour.  It also deprives the children of the much-needed education.

Industries Employing Child Labour in India

There are five major sectors in India, employing the children as child labors. They are as described below-

1) Garment Industry

Child labour constitutes a considerable workforce in the Indian garment industry. These industries operate in small owner-managed setups mainly operated from homes. Thousands of children in Delhi are employed by the garment industry and are subjected to loud noise, extensive working hours and sharp tools.

2) Unorganized Sectors

This sector is one of the greatest employers of children in India. It is very easy to spot a child working in dhabas, roadside eateries, tea shops and other businesses. The children are also employed in small shops as servants or help. Family based businesses prefer to employ children as they are easily manageable and cost less.

3) Brick Kilns

The brick kiln industry of India has long been witnessing child labour. Often the children in brick kilns, work for long hours along with their parents. Children working in brick kiln are subjected to hazardous conditions and are exposed to toxic fumes and heated temperatures.

4) Fireworks

Fire sector is one of the biggest employers of children in India. Children in this sector often work in cramped spaces and are exposed to dangerous chemicals and hazardous substances, posing a risk to their health and life. They are also forced to work for longer hours in festive season.

5) Agriculture

Agriculture sector might be the biggest employer of children in India. Children are hired in cotton industries, sugarcane industries, paddy fields and other agriculture related fields. The children working in agriculture sectors have to work for longer hours are paid less and have to work in unhygienic conditions.

Children are forced into child labour as a result of poverty and in order to supplement their family’s income. There is a need to identify these sectors and make necessary policies and laws to prevent the employment and exploitation of children in these sectors.

Child Labour Essay 6 (350 Words)

The engagement of children as manual labors in different organized and unorganized sectors is termed as child labour. It deprives the children of their educational opportunities, opportunity to growth, socialize and health. Child labour is physically and mentally harmful to the students.

Negative Effects of Child Labour

Child labour has many negative impacts on the children. Children working as child labour often work in challenging and life threatening conditions with no one to take care of them. They are paid less as compared to an adult doing the same job; moreover, they are also underfed.

Their employers do everything to keep them cut-off from the other parts of the world, forcing them to live a life of isolation and labour. They are even not allowed to talk or meet anyone. Situations like these often results in mental disorders like depression and leads to drug addiction and substance abuse etc.

How can we Help to Stop Child Labour?

There are few simple steps that we can take to help stop child labour. One should be aware of the child labour laws in the country and must always diligently follow them.

Also by keeping an eye for the businesses employing children and by reporting the same to the competent authorities will also prove helpful in elimination child labor.

A risk assessment of the workplace for the dangers it poses to the children must also be carried out. Also, hiring children for wok should be immediately stopped at any cost.

Child Labour and Poverty

One of the main factors behind the child labour is poverty. Children are forced in labour mainly to supplement their families’ income. Either they are given as contractual labour by family to the employer in exchange of money, or they are employed by the family itself in any of its traditional businesses of occupation.

For instance, poor farmers in India are forced to use their own children as labour as it would be difficult to pay for adult labors.

Child labour is one of the serious threats that impede the growth of a nation and the world as well. Moreover, it deprives the children of childhood, love and education and forces them into arduous, hazardous, non sociable and pathetic conditions.

Child Labour Essay 7 (400 Words)

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors so as to deprive them of their childhood, education and other growth opportunities and causing physical and mental harassment to them. The prime reason behind child labour is poverty and more often than not the children are employed to supplement their family’s income.

History of Child Labour

During the preindustrial societies the concept of childhood was inexistence. Children as young as 10-13 years were engaged in works like hunting, wood cutting and farming etc. Though, it wasn’t child labour in true sense and the children did these jobs to facilitate the survival of their group or family.

Low productivity and low life expectancy were two of the main characteristics of preindustrial area. Hence, preventing the children from engaging in productive work would mean to stalling their progress and lowering their survival chances. Education in those days wasn’t considered necessary for survival than the skills.

The exploitation of children as child labour began in the late 18 th century with industrial revolution. Cities like Birmingham and Liverpool in Britain fast grew into big industrial cities, attracting millions from villages and other rural areas. The situation was same in other developing economies.

The Victorian era in Britain that ranged from 20 th June 1837 to 22 January 1901 was the most infamous for child labour in its period. Children as young as four years are known to have employed in factories and mines in the Victorian era. They worked in unimaginably arduous and life threatening conditions.

World Statistics on Child Labour

World Statistics reveal that nearly 218 million children all over the world are employed. These children fall in the age group of 5 to 17 years and approximately 152 million are in true sense employed as child labour.

Statistics also reveal than nearly 73 million children worldwide, work in hazardous and life threatening conditions.

Going by the numbers, Africa has around 72.1 million children employed as child labour, which is nearly half of the world’s figure of 152 million. Asia and the pacific have 62.1 million child labors; America has 10.7 million child labors while Central Asia, Europe and Arab states have 5.5 million and 1.2 million respectively.

Child Labour has been in existence for centuries even in some of the developed economies of the world. Sometimes the reason is to make the child employable and sometime it is to supplement their family’s income, nevertheless, in both of the cases, it interferes with the child’s ability to grow, get educated and be happy.

Child Labour Essay 8 (500 Words)

Child Labour refers to physical exploitation of the children by engaging them into any form of work that deprives them of their childhood, education, growth and development and is physically and mentally harmful. Strict laws prohibiting child labour are in place in countries around the world including India, but there is a need to implement them more effectively than before.

Causes of Child Labour in India

The UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to the children around the world, states poverty as the biggest cause of child labour in India as well as in the other developing and under developed countries around the globe.

Due to poverty, children are subjected to labour, in order to supplement their family’s income. Also, the absence of adequate educational infrastructure in rural India along with a lack of awareness is also a reason behind child labour in India.

Types of Child Labour in India

There are two types of Child Labour existent in India, one is the debt bondage child labour and other form includes the employment of children to supplement their family’s income. Nevertheless, in both kinds of child labour, the will of others is partially or fully forced upon the child.

In debt bondage child labour, a child is employed for work, through a verbal assurance or written agreement, specifically to clear the debt taken by his parents from the creditor. Though, the solicitation of child labour is banned by legislature in India, the instances of bonded child labour continue even today.

Another form of child labour is where the parents of a child have an agreement with the employer, for employing their child in order to supplement the family’s income. However, poverty is the main factor behind all the types of child labour in India as well as in other parts of the world.

Child Labour in India Statistics 2019

Statistics provided by the UNICEF reveal that nearly 10.1 million children in India are engaged as child labour. These children fall in the age group of 5 to 14 years and consist of 4.5 million girls and 5.6 million boys. Over 90% of child labors are employed in rural India.

Child Labour in India is more prevalent in Uttar Pradesh (2.1 million), Bihar (1 million), Madhya Pradesh (0.7 million), Maharashtra (0.72 millions) and Rajasthan (0.84 millions).

Indian industries employing a major share of child labors in India are cotton industry, match box making industry, agriculture sector and other small unorganized sectors.

Child Labour Laws in India

There are several laws enacted in India those prohibit engagement of children in workforce. Two of the major laws are Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act -2000 and Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act -1986. These acts form the basis of all other child labour laws in India.

Child Labour is a serious hindrance in the growth of a nation and its social and economical development. Though there are many laws to eliminate child labour, yet they are required to be effectively implemented.

A range of students studying in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc classes can use any of the above given essay on child labour. All are simply worded to let students understand without any difficulty. Apart from child labour essay, you can get other related essays and information such as:

Slogans on Child Labour

Paragraph on Child Labour

Speech on Child Labour

Child Labour in India

Child Rights Day

National Girl Child Day

Children’s Day

Essay on Bal Swachhta Abhiyan

Essay on Poverty

Essay on Corruption

Essay on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao

Essay on Beggars

Related Posts

Money essay, music essay, importance of education essay, education essay, newspaper essay, my hobby essay, leave a comment cancel reply.

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

• Insights IAS Brochure |
• OUR CENTERS Bangalore Delhi Lucknow Mysuru --> Srinagar Dharwad Hyderabad

Call us @ 08069405205

Search Here

• An Introduction to the CSE Exam
• Personality Test
• Annual Calendar by UPSC-2025
• Common Myths about the Exam
• About Insights IAS
• Our Mission, Vision & Values
• Director's Desk
• Meet Our Team
• Our Branches
• Careers at Insights IAS
• Daily Current Affairs+PIB Summary
• Insights into Editorials
• Insta Revision Modules for Prelims
• Current Affairs Quiz
• Static Quiz
• Current Affairs RTM
• Insta-DART(CSAT)
• Insta 75 Days Revision Tests for Prelims 2024
• Secure (Mains Answer writing)
• Secure Synopsis
• Ethics Case Studies
• Insta Ethics
• Weekly Essay Challenge
• Insta Revision Modules-Mains
• Insta 75 Days Revision Tests for Mains
• Secure (Archive)
• Anthropology
• Law Optional
• Kannada Literature
• Public Administration
• English Literature
• Medical Science
• Mathematics
• Commerce & Accountancy
• Monthly Magazine: CURRENT AFFAIRS 30
• Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)
• InstaMaps: Important Places in News
• Weekly CA Magazine
• The PRIME Magazine
• Insta Revision Modules-Prelims
• Insta-DART(CSAT) Quiz
• Insta 75 days Revision Tests for Prelims 2022
• Insights SECURE(Mains Answer Writing)
• Interview Transcripts
• Previous Years' Question Papers-Prelims
• Answer Keys for Prelims PYQs
• Solve Prelims PYQs
• Previous Years' Question Papers-Mains
• UPSC CSE Syllabus
• Toppers from Insights IAS
• Testimonials
• Felicitation
• UPSC Results
• Indian Heritage & Culture
• Ancient Indian History
• Medieval Indian History
• Modern Indian History
• World History
• World Geography
• Indian Geography
• Indian Society
• Social Justice
• International Relations
• Agriculture
• Environment & Ecology
• Disaster Management
• Science & Technology
• Security Issues
• Ethics, Integrity and Aptitude
• Insights IAS Brochure

• Indian Heritage & Culture
• Enivornment & Ecology

• How to Study Art & Culture?
• What is Art and Culture? What is the difference between the two?
• Indus Civilization
• Evolution of rock-cut architecture in India
• Important rock-cut caves
• The contribution of Pallavas to Rock-cut architecture
• Comparision of art form found at Ellora and Mahabalipuram
• Buddhist Architecture
• Early Temples in India
• Basic form of Hindu temple
• Dravida style of temple architecture
• Nagara Style or North India Temple style
• Vesara style of temple architecture
• Characteristic features of Indo-Islamic form of architecture
• Styles of Islamic architecture in the Indian subcontinent
• Types of buildings in Islamic architecture in the Indian subcontinent
• Evolution of this form of architecture during the medieval period
• Modern Architecture
• Post-Independence architecture
• Indus Civilization Sculpture
• Bharhut Sculptures
• Sanchi Sculptures
• Gandhara School of Sculpture
• Mathura School of Sculpture
• Amaravati School of Sculpture
• Gupta Sculpture
• Medieval School of Sculpture
• Modern Indian Sculpture
• Pre Historic Painting
• Mural Paintings & Cave Paintings
• Pala School
• Mughal Paintings
• Bundi School of Painting
• Malwa School
• Mewar School
• Basohli School
• Kangra School
• Decanni School of Painting
• Madhubani Paintings or Mithila paintings
• Pattachitra
• Kalighat Painting
• Modern Indian Paintings
• Personalities Associated to Paintings
• Christianity
• Zoroastrianism
• Six Schools of Philosophy
• Lokayata / Charvaka
• Hindustani Music
• Carnatic Music
• Folk Music Tradition
• Modern Music
• Personalities associated with Music
• Bharatanatyam
• Mohiniattam
• Folk Dances
• Modern Dance in India
• Sanskrit Theatre
• Folk Theatre
• Modern Theatre
• Personalities associated with Theatre
• History of Puppetry
• String Puppetry
• Shadow Puppetry
• Rod Puppetry
• Glove Puppetry
• Indian Cinema and Circus
• Shankaracharya
• Ramanujacharya (1017-1137AD)
• Madhvacharya
• Vallabhacharya
• Kabir (1440-1510 AD)
• Guru Nanak (1469-1538 AD)
• Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
• Shankar Dev
• Purandaradasa
• Samard Ramdas
• Classical Languages
• Scheduled Languages
• Literature in Ancient India
• Buddhist and Jain Literature
• Tamil (Sangam) Literature
• Malayalam Literature
• Telugu Literature
• Medieval Literature
• Modern Literature
• Important characteristics of Fairs and Festivals of India
• Some of the major festivals that are celebrated in India
• Art & Crafts
• Ancient Science & Technology
• Medieval Science & Technology
• Famous Personalities in Science & Technology
• Tangible Cultural Heritage
• Intangible Cultural Heritage
• Cultural Heritage Sites
• Natural Heritage Sites
• Important Institutions
• Important programmes related to promotion and preservation of Indian heritage
• Ochre Colored Pottery (OCP)
• Black and Red Ware (BRW)
• Painted Grey-Ware (PGW)
• Northern Black Polished Ware (NBPW)
• Origin of Martial arts in India
• Various forms of Martial arts in India
• Situation of Child Labour in India

Poverty and Child labour- a vicious cycle

• Impact of the pandemic
• Government measures undertaken to eradicate child labour in India
• Challenges before policy makers with respect to child labour.
• Way Forward
• Facts and figures about the prevalence of Child marriage in India
• Factors leading to child marriage in India
• Interlinkages of poverty and child marriages in India
• Impact of child marriage on Indian economy
• Government measures undertaken so far to curb Child Marriages in India
• Measures needed to prevent child marriages
• The Poor state of Hunger and Malnutrition in India
• Multi-dimensional determinants of malnutrition
• Covid-19 impact on malnutrition in children in India
• Government effort to fight malnutrition
• Addressing malnutrition: Measures needed
• Procedure in place to protect children
• Government measures needed
• Role of NCPCR
• Shortcomings of NCPCR
• Way forward
• Key findings of the report in India
• Impact of COVID-19
• Government Measures undertaken
• Measures needed
• Constitutional Provisions to safeguard children
• Child Abuse in India
• Impacts of child abuse
• Government initiatives undertaken
• On children
• On families
• On individual
• Challenges to ban child pornography
• Causes for child mortality
• Government initiatives
• Geographic spread of minorities in India
• Socio-economic status of minorities in India
• Importance of recognition of rights of minorities
• Parameters to define minority in India
• Lack of uniformity in determining minorities
• Prejudice & Discrimination
• Problem of Identity
• Problem of Security
• Problem Relating to Equity
• Problem of Communal Tensions and Riots
• Lack of Representation in Civil Service and Politics
• Problem of Providing Protection
• Failure to Stick on Strictly to Secularism
• Problem of Lack of Representation in Civil Service and Politics
• Key findings related to minorities
• Various factors responsible for under-representation of enrolled minorities
• Problem of Separatism
• Problem Relating to the Introduction of Common Civil Code
• Problems faced by minority women in India
• Factors leading to anger against minorities
• Constitutional Safeguard for Minorities
• Government Welfare Measures for Minorities
• Composition
• Lacunae in NCM
• Measures needed to make NCM more effective
• Major Findings
• Main Recommendations
• Review of the implementation of recommendations of Sachar committee report after Ten Years
• Status of Education in India
• Importance of Education for India
• Contemporary challenges in education sector in India
• Other existing issues
• Measures Needed for Issues related to Education Sector
• Way forward for Issues related to Education Sector
• Feature of Right to Education (RTE) Act, 2009
• Significance of RTE Act, 2009
• Achievements of RTE Act,2009
• Limitations of RTE Act, 2009
• Measures needed foe Right to Education
• Importance of Education as a necessary public good
• Challenges faced by Government schools
• Measures needed for Public Education System in India
• Way forward for Public Education System in India
• Key highlights of the NEP
• Significance of National Education Policy 2020
• Issues with the NEP- 2020
• Measures needed for effective implementation
• Way Forward for New Education Policy
• Three language policy
• Concerns associated over three language formula
• Way forward for Three language formula in India
• Significance of emphasizing native languages in the education system of India
• Way forward for Native language in education
• Significance of ECCE
• NEP 2020 and ECCE
• Challenges for Early Childhood Care and Education
• Way forward for Early Childhood Care and Education
• Need for reforms
• Findings of ASER Report 2019
• Challenges faced – Primary Education in India
• Government Schemes for Elementary Education
• Measures needed for Primary Education in India
• Government Schemes for Secondary Education
• Challenges facing higher education system
• Government schemes for Higher Education
• Measures needed for Higher Education in India
• Way forward for Higher Education in India
• Reasons behind poor quality of teachers
• Opportunities present
• Government Initiative so far
• Way forward for Teacher Education in India
• Present Status
• Advantages of Developing Female Education in India
• Challenges for Gender Imparity in Education
• Way Forward for Gender Imparity in Education
• Crisis of education in India in times of Pandemic
• Impacts on education due to COVID-19 pandemic
• Challenges posed by Online Education
• Online education as a supplement to Traditional Educational Institutes
• Challenges facing medical education in India
• Can private participating alleviate the concerns?
• Government proposal in this regard
• Way forward for Medical Education in India
• Need for value education
• Importance of value education
• Issues related to SC/ST
• Scheduled Caste
• Issues faced by Scheduled Castes
• Major reasons behind miserable conditions of Scheduled Castes
• Constitutional mechanism for upliftment of SC
• Government Initiatives taken for Scheduled Caste development
• Educational Empowerment
• Economic Empowerment
• Social Empowerment
• Evaluation of Government Schemes
• Failure of the Indian judiciary to protect the rights of the people
• Measures needed for Scheduled Caste
• Way forward for Scheduled Caste
• Dalit Women
• Challenges faced by Dalit Women
• Atrocities against Dalit women
• Role of Indian judiciary in protecting sexual violence victims
• Criticism against ignorance of caste-based violence
• Aspects which have improved so far
• Measures needed for Dalit Women
• Way forward for Dalit Women
• National Commission for Scheduled Castes
• Issues related to the role of National Commission for Scheduled Castes
• Measures need to be taken up by NCSC
• Scheduled Tribe
• Definition of Scheduled tribe
• Various problems of tribal communities in India
• Constitutional Safeguards for STs
• Educational & Cultural Safeguards
• Social Safeguard
• Economic Safeguards
• Political Safeguards
• Service Safeguards
• The Fifth Schedule of the Constitution
• The Sixth Schedule of the Constitution
• Need for Sixth Schedule
• Sixth Schedule areas: Benefits of devolving powers
• Issues related to sixth schedule areas
• Legislative measures
• The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006
• Rights under the Act
• Eligibility
• Need for the law
• Issues with the law and its implementation
• Measures needed in FRA’s
• XAXA Committee
• Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996
• Problems with PESA
• Government Initiatives for ST
• Way Forward in women and health
• Way forward for ST
• Way forward for PVTGs
• Way forward in Violence/crime against Women
• Way forward in sex ratio

Home » Social Justice » Issues related to children » Child Labour

Child Labour

Child labour typically means the employment of children in any manual work with or without payment. It is a deep rooted social ill in India. As per the 2011 Census, in the age group 5-14 years, 10.1 million of 259.6 million constituted working children. Even though there was a decline in the number of working children to 3.9% in 2011 from 5% in 2001, the decline rate is grossly insufficient to meet target 8.7 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) , which is to end child labour in all forms by 2025 .

The Indian constitution provides free and compulsory education for all children in the age group of six to 14 years as a fundamental right under article 21A. Child labour in India decreased in the decade 2001 to 2011, and this demonstrates that the right combination of policy and programmatic interventions can make a difference.

• The number of children working as child labourers came down by 100 million in last two decades ( 1991 to 2011) which demonstrates that the right combination of policy and programmatic interventions can make a difference ; but COVID-19 pandemic has undone a lot of gains
• The Covid-19 crisis has brought additional poverty to these already vulnerable populations and may reverse years of progress in the fight against child labour- ILO
• A report by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and UNICEF warns that 9 million additional children are at the risk of being pushed into child labour by the end of 2022 globally , as a result of the pandemic.
• In India, the closure of schools and the economic crisis faced by the vulnerable families , triggered by the pandemic, are likely drivers pushing children into poverty and thus, child labour and unsafe migration.
• There has been a significant increase in the proportion of working children from 28.2% to 79.6% out of the 818 children who were surveyed , mainly because of the COVID-19 pandemic and closure of schools, reveals a study conducted by Campaign Against Child Labour (CACL).
• The coronavirus pandemic is forcing India’s children out of school and into farms and factories to work, worsening a child-labour problem that was already one of the direst in the world.
• Orphaned children are particularly vulnerable to trafficking and other exploitation like forced begging, or child labour. In such families, there is also the likelihood of older children dropping out of school to support their younger siblings.
• Children are seen as a stop-gap measure to fill jobs left vacant by migrant labourers who fled cities for their rural homes during the lockdown.
• According to the CACL survey , more than 94% of children have said that the economic crisis at home and family pressure had pushed them into work. Most of their parents had lost their jobs or earned very low wages during the pandemic.
• A total of 591 children were rescued from forced work and bonded labour from different parts of India during the lockdown by Bachpan Bachao Andolan , a civil society group on children’s rights

• The nationwide lockdown imposed, pushed millions of people into poverty, which is encouraging trafficking of children from villages into cities for cheap labour.
• School closures have aggravated the situation and many millions of children are working to contribute to the family income. The pandemic has also made women, men and children more vulnerable to exploitation.
• According to the  International Labour Organisation (ILO) some 25 million people could lose their jobswith those in informal employment suffering most from lack of social protection during this pandemic.
• As per the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy’s (CMIE) weekly tracker survey, the impact of COVID-19 has already pushed the urban unemployment rate to 30.9%
• Children are seen as a stop-gap measure to fill jobs left vacant by migrant laborers who fled cities for their rural homes during the lockdown.
• A total of 591 children were rescued from forced work and bonded labour from different parts of India during the lockdown by Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a civil society group on children’s rights
• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act(1986) to prohibit the engagement of children in certain employments and to regulate the conditions of work of children in certain other employments
• Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 : The Amendment Act completely prohibits the employment of children below 14 years.
• The amendment also prohibits the employment of adolescents in the age group of 14 to 18 years in hazardous occupations and processes and regulates their working conditions where they are not prohibited.
• On World Day Against Child Labour (June 12) in 2017 , India ratified two core conventions of the International Labour Organization on child labour .
• National Policy on Child Labour (1987) , with a focus more on rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and processes, rather than on prevention.
• Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act2000 and amendment of the JJ Act in 2006 : includes the working child in the category of children in need of care and protection, without any limitation of age or type of occupation.
• Section 23 (cruelty to Juvenile) and Section 26 (exploitation of juvenile employee) specifically deal with child labour under children in need of care and protection.
• Pencil : The government has launched a dedicated platform viz. pencil.gov.in to ensure effective enforcement of child labour laws and end child labour.
• The Right to Education Act 2009 has made it mandatory for the state to ensure that all children aged six to 14 years are in school and receive free education. Along with Article 21A of the Constitution of India recognizing education as a fundamental right, this constitutes a timely opportunity to use education to combat child labour in India.
• Amendments made to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act prescribes severe punishment for people found guilty of retaining bonded labour.
• The amendment stipulates rigorous imprisonment for those who force children to beg, handle or carry human waste and animal carcasses.
• The draft National Policy for Domestic Workers , when goes into force, will ensure minimum Rs.9,000 salary for household helpers.
• Every police station in the country has a separate cell for juvenile, women and child protection.
• Many NGOs like Bachpan Bachao Andolan, CARE India, Child Rights and You, Global march against child labour, RIDE India, Child line etc . have been working to eradicate child labour in India.
• The pandemic is hampering enforcement of anti-child labour laws , with fewer workplace inspections and less vigorous pursuit of human traffickers .
• NGOs point to the fact that the real spike in child labour is yet to come . When economic activity begins accelerating, there is a risk of returning migrants taking children along with them to the cities.
• Children’s access to education, basic nutrition and other critical requirements for their development and wellbeing , have suffered a huge setback and many new children have fallen into the trap of forced labour along with further deteriorated conditions for the existing child labourers.
• Incoherency between laws that prescribe a minimum age for employment and those for completion of compulsory school education. It also means that the expansion of quality universal basic education has to extend beyond the fulfilment of statutory provisions.
• Multiple forms exist: Child labour is not uniform. It takes many forms depending upon the type of work that children are made to do, the age and sex of the child and whether they work independently or with families.
• Due to this complex nature of child labour, there is no one strategy that can be used to eliminate it.
• The absence of national legislation to give effect to global conventions on the employment of children in hazardous industries, as well as on the minimum age of work.
• The lack of harmony between global commitments and domestic priorities.
• Lack of effective labour inspections in the informal economy. Around 71% of working children are concentrated in the agriculture sector, with 69% of them undertaking unpaid work in family units.
• Abolition of child trafficking, elimination of poverty, free and compulsory education, and basic standards of living can reduce the problem to a great extent.
• Strict implementation of labour laws is also essential in order to prevent exploitation by parties or multinational companies
• Strengthening policy and legislative enforcement, and building the capacities of government, workers’ and employers’ organisations as well as other partners at national, State and community levels should be prioritized.
• Spreading literacy and education is a potent weapon against the practice of child labour, because illiterate persons do not understand the implications of child labour
• The single most effective way to stem the flow of school-aged children into child labour is to improve access to and quality of schooling.

Eradicate Unemployment:

• Another way to stop child labour is to eliminate or rein in unemployment. Because of inadequate employment, many families cannot afford to meet all their expenses. If employment opportunities are increased, they will be able to let their children read and write and become worthy citizens
• Continued progress against child labour requires policies that help mitigate the economic vulnerability of households. Accelerating progress towards universal social protection is key, as social protection helps prevent poor households from having to rely on child labour as a coping mechanism.

Attitude change:

• It is important that the attitudes and mindsets of people are changed to instead employ adults and allow all children to go to school and have the chance to learn, play and socialize as they should.
• A sector-wide culture of child labour-free businesses has to be nurtured.
• Coordinated policy efforts should be taken to provide employment and income support to all informal sector workers to stimulate the economy and labour demand.
• States should prioritise efforts to continue education for all children, using all available technology.
• Financial support or relaxation of school fees and other related school expenses should be given to those children who wouldn’t be able to return to school otherwise.
• School authorities need to ensure that every student will have free lunches at home until schools open. Special efforts should be taken to identify children orphaned due to COVID-19, and arrangements of shelter and foster care for them should be made on a priority basis.

Eliminating child labour is firmly placed within Goal 8 of the SDGs. A stronger nexus between the discourse on SDGs and the discourse on eliminating child labour can take the advantage of complementarities and synergies of a wide range of actors engaged in both areas of work. The fight against child labour is not just the responsibility of one, it is the responsibility of all.

• Our Mission, Vision & Values
• Director’s Desk
• Commerce & Accountancy
• Previous Years’ Question Papers-Prelims
• Previous Years’ Question Papers-Mains
• Environment & Ecology
• Science & Technology

• Skip to main content

India’s Largest Career Transformation Portal

Essay on Child Labour for Students in English [500 Words Essay]

December 10, 2020 by Sandeep

Essay on Child Labour: Illegal exploitation of a child for financial or other gains is known as Child labour. It is a crime to employ children below the age of 14 years. According to UNICEF, 13% of the total workforce in India are children. Child labour is not only illegal but also detrimental & unfortunate for a society.

Essay on Child Labour 500 Words in English

Below we have provided Child Labour Essay in English, written in easy and simple words for class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 school students.

“Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at stake here. A lot of work still remains, but I will see the end of child labour in my lifetime”. – Kailash Satyarthi, Nobel Peace Laureate

Child Labour is defined as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development,” by Article 1 of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child. It refers to the illegal exploitation of a child for financial or other gains. Data from UNICEF shows that more than 10 million children in India are part of the workforce. This constitutes 13% of the total workforce.

The term is often used by news channels or movies to talk about children who are forced to work from a budding age.  Children from poor families are forced to work and fend for themselves and their families. It is a crime to send or employ children below the age of 14 in any industry or factory. Thus, various restrictions and limitations have been put on children who work. The legally acceptable age for employing children is 15.

Child Labour is not only unfortunate but also detrimental to society. It robs from children, the opportunity to go to school, and getting an education. The right to education is a fundamental right of every child. It also prevents them from growing up in a conducive environment. Further, such children are burdened by responsibilities and hence cannot have a proper childhood. Research has also proven that their physical and mental development is hampered. Though illegal, the menace is far from being eradicated.

Causes of Child Labour

It is important to identify the causes of child labour to be able to deal with it effectively. Some causes are region-specific, while others are universal. Here are a few common causes of child labour:

• Increasing levels of unemployment and poverty, especially in developing countries, are the primary causes of child labour. About 1/4th of the world’s population is currently categorised under the global poverty line. When families do not have enough money to sustain, they force children into work. If adults cannot find work or are sick, the responsibility of earning a livelihood comes down to children.
• Lack of social security pushes people into a cycle of poverty, which inevitably leads to child labour. The increasing rich-poor divide and privatisation of the organisation have led to the concentration of wealth in the hands of few. Small children are in situations where they must work in order to earn two meals a day.
• The lack of awareness about the importance of education and very little accessibility has also played a role in contributing to child labour. Without the opportunity to obtain an education, children are pushed into working. Uneducated parents think of short-term benefits and send their children to work so they can survive in the present.
• Industries are not efficiently regulated. Multiple factories prefer children as labourers because they have to pay lesser to children than to adults for the same work. This decreases labour expenses for those industries. Many factories which possess significant health hazard, like the firecrackers industry also prefer children. Children are also easier to manipulate and influence. Thus, factory owners often take advantage of children’s circumstances for their profit.
• Children are also sent to work for non-monetary payments like rice or wheat. This is due to the vicious nature of hunger. Often, after the death or illness of a parent, the eldest children are forced to take up the burden of the rest of the family. Most of the social welfare schemes in developing and developed countries do not reach the poor due to factors like corruption. Thus, the poor are often left directionless, with child labour being necessary for their survival.
• Another major reason is the lack of effective implementation of child labour related laws. Many industries openly indulge in employing children without fear of law. The police and law enforcement agencies have failed miserably at being able to create fear about the use of children for labour. Even if the state tracks down child labour rackets, it is unable to provide an alternative to child labour for those families. This pushes children back to work.
• Due to the increased demand for child labourers, child trafficking rackets often sell children to people who will extract work from them. Begging is yet another form of child labour that is often forced and ignored.

Measures to Eradicate Child Labour

As a society, it is our collective responsibility to find methods by which we can get closer to eradicating child labour. This requires significant support and effort from the government, law enforcement agencies, NGOs, and the general public. Here are some ideas to think about:

• Creation of communities or unions that are specifically aimed at eradication of child labour can be effective. This can be a citizen initiative supported by the government. These communities’ sole objective will be to identify child labourers and find ways to rehabilitate them. It can also further indulge in involving law enforcement agencies to ensure that the guilty are punished.
• Creating social awareness about the presence and downfalls of child labour is necessary. Once people understand the problems of child labour, they can be instigated to boycott any shop or establishment that hires children. This way, these industries can be discouraged from employing child labourers.
• Education should be a nation’s priority. Economic and military development should not come at the cost of social wellness schemes. The poor should be made aware of the benefits of education, along with ensuring that every village and town has access to free and compulsory education.
• Creation of employment opportunities is also essential to combat child labour. If an adult can earn sufficient income for the family, the need to send the children to work is reduced. This involves, in particular, the creation of unskilled labour. A country must also take measures to reduce the rich-poor divide.
• Population control measures are also necessary in order to ensure that we reduce family sizes. This leads to a family having lesser mouths to feed. NGOs and the government must give family planning attention.
• Effective and strict implementation of laws is necessary to ensure that factory owners do not try to hire child labourers. Measures to combat child trafficking are also significant. The government must focus on the depth and long-term impact of the problem and create practical and enforceable laws.

“When the lives and the rights of children are at stake, there must be no silent witnesses,” said Carol Bellamy. It is true that we cannot estimate the real number of child workers in the country. But it is important that we, as a society, take responsibility to acknowledge, identify, and combat the problem.

10 Lines on Child Labour Essay

• Child labour refers to the exploitation of children by forcing them to work or taking advantage of poor children.
• It interferes with their ability to have a normal happy childhood and can lead to trauma.
• A lot of child labourers are victims of child trafficking and are also exposed to abuse.
• Although child labour is illegal, it still takes place in sectors that are unmonitored or left unregulated.
• A lot of the work that child labourers are forced to do can be dangerous and detrimental to their physical and mental health .
• In such cases, businesses are basically taking advantage of helpless and engaging in immoral acts.
• A lot of these businesses choose child labourers because they either have to pay them very less or sometimes not at all.
• The people put in charge of making sure the children work are often very cruel to them and hand out punishments if they do not work according to their requirements.
• Because it is unmonitored, the children are forced to work for long hours without breaks and are fed very little food.
• Child labour is still a prevalent issue in society today, and that’s why it is important to monitor business practices carefully.

Child Labour Essay – Infinity Learn

Table of Contents

Child Labour Essay: Child Labour refers to the employment of children aged 5 to 17 years to deprive them of their childhood and force them into a life of deprivation and illiteracy. The main factor behind child labour is poverty; therefore, it is more rampant in developing or underdeveloped countries. Children in these countries are often forced into labour to supplement the daily income of their families.

Fill Out the Form for Expert Academic Guidance!

Please indicate your interest Live Classes Books Test Series Self Learning

Verify OTP Code (required)

I agree to the terms and conditions and privacy policy .

Fill complete details

Target Exam ---

Short and Long Essay on Child Labour

For your information and knowledge, we have provided a short and long essay on Child Labour in English. These Child Labour essays have been written in simple yet effective English for you to make it easy to remember them and present them when required.

After going through the essays, you will learn a lot about child labour and its vital statistics. You will also know about the industries employing child labour in India; the negative effects of child labour on children; ways to tackle child labour; how child labour is related to poverty; the history of child labour; types of child labour in India, and statistics of child labour in India 2019.

These Child Labour essays will be extremely useful in your school/college assignments and competitions like speech giving, debate, and essay writing competitions.

Child Labour Essay 1 (100 Words)

• Child labour is the employment of children, often aged 5 to 17 years. At such a young age, children are a lot less demanding and could be very easily managed by the employees. For this reason, many unorganized sectors worldwide prefer to work with child laborers.
• There are nearly 152 million child labors worldwide, most driven by poverty. Low-income families unable to meet daily nourishment requirements are forced to send their children to manual work in different sectors. This way, the children could supplement their family’s income apart from fending for their vital requirements.

Child Labour Essay 2 (150 Words)

• Child labour is defined as the employment of children in such a way as to deprive them of their childhood, education, and growth opportunities. Many unorganized small sectors worldwide prefer to employ children for they are less demanding and easily manageable.
• Sometimes, the families of the children themselves push them into child labour for want of money, or they cannot feed the children. Such children often live in unhygienic and deprived conditions, with no medical aid and no education opportunity.
• Child labour forces a child into the vicious cycle of deprivation, illiteracy, and poverty. Such children cannot find a decent and suitable job as adults and are often regarded as socially backward. They live solitary lives of isolation and often take to unwanted and unethical means.

Are you looking for J EE Study Material 2023 ? Infinity Learn offers comprehensive study material for your JEE preparation.

Child Labour Essay 3 (200 Words)

• Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors worldwide. It cludes mining, production industries, farming, and other unorganized sectors. Chil ren is often employed in these sectors for they are paid less and easy to manage.
• Child labour is widely practiced worldwide and deprives children of their childhood, education, and other growth opportunities. Chil ren is forced to engage in hazardous working conditions to support their families by supplementing their income.
• They work under a verbal or written contract between their employer and parents. Sometimes, it is to repay a debt taken by their families from the employer. Chil labour is more common in developing and underdeveloped nations. Love ty is the main driving factor behind child labour as the children are forced into child labour by their own families to fend for their everyday requirements for food and other necessities.
• There are many strict laws against child labour, and many countries, including India, have norms of imprisonment and fine if a person and organization is found involved in child labour. Deep te all the laws, we still need to forcibly implement them if we want child labour to be eliminated.

Child Labour Essay 4 (250 Words)

• The term “Child Labour” refers to the employment of young children in various sectors like industries, hotels, farming, etc. The time is used mainly to denote the employment of children falling in the age group of 5 – 15 years.
• Child labour deprives the children of their childhood and proper physical and mental growth opportunities. It a so considerably reduces a child’s possibility of getting educated and progressing in life.
• Worldwide, around 218 million children aged 5 to 17 years are employed as child labour. The children are subjected to live in poor hygienic conditions and are deprived of the basic necessities of life.
• They never get an opportunity to go to school, forcing them into decades of poverty and labour. Working in poor health conditions, they also become susceptible to various diseases, and their conditions are rarely addressed.
• Such children are also subjected to living in isolation and are not allowed to interact with people socially and make friends or play. Such a poor work environment is stressful for a child and often results in several mental conditions like depression. Such children often take drugs and other substances, resulting in further physical and mental damage.
• There is a need to strictly supervise the sectors prone to employing children and impose harsh penalties with money and imprisonment on them for doing so.

Child Labour Essay 5 (300 Words)

Introduction

Child labor is the employment of children for different works to interfere with their normal mental, physical, and social growth opportunities. T al o deprives the children of the much-needed education.

Industries Employing Child Labour in India

There are five major sectors in India employing children as child labors. ey an e as described below-

• Garment Industry – Child labour constitutes a considerable workforce in the Indian garment industry. E industries operate in small owner-managed setups mainly operated from homes. Ads of children in Delhi are employed by the garment industry and are subjected to loud noise, extensive working hours, and sharp tools.
• Unorganized Sectors – This sector is one of India’s greatest employers for children. It every easy to spot a child working in dhabas, roadside eateries, tea shops, and other businesses. Children are also employed in small shops as servants or help. Based businesses prefer to employ children as they are easily manageable and cost less.
• Brick Kilns – The brick kiln industry of India has long been witnessing child labour. E children in brick kilns work for long hours with their parents. Working in the brick kiln are exposed to hazardous conditions and toxic fumes, and heated temperatures.
• Fireworks – The fire sector is India’s most significant employer for children. N this sector often work in cramped spaces and are exposed to dangerous chemicals and hazardous substances, posing a risk to their health and life, and so forced to work for long hours during the festive season.
• Agriculture – The agriculture sector might be the biggest employer of children in India. E hired in cotton, sugarcane, paddy, and other agriculture-related fields. C il e working in agriculture have to work for longer hours, are paid less, and work in unhygienic conditions.

Children are forced into child labour due to poverty and to supplement their family’s income. E s d to identify these sectors and make necessary policies and laws to prevent the employment and exploitation of children in these sectors.

Child Labour Essay 6 (350 Words)

The engagement of children as manual labors in different organized and unorganized sectors is termed child labour. Derives t children of their educational opportunities, growth opportunities, socialization, and health. D bo I physically and mentally harmful to the students.

Adverse Effects of Child Labour

• Child labour has many negative impacts on children. D e wo n as child labour often works in challenging and life-threatening conditions with no one to care for them. Re pai e than an adult doing the same job; moreover, they are underfed.
• Their employers do everything to keep them cut off from the other parts of the world, forcing them to live a life of isolation and labour; re not n allowed to talk to or meet anyone. An io like this often results in mental disorders like depression, drug addiction, substance abuse, etc.

How can we Help to Stop Child Labour?

We can take a few simple steps to help stop child labour. s ould be an Sf the child labour laws in the country and must always diligently follow them.

Also, keeping an eye on the businesses employing children and reporting the same to competent authorities will prove helpful in eliminating child labor.

A workplace risk assessment for the dangers it poses to the children must also be carried out. Hiring chi e for work should be immediately stopped at any cost.

Child Labour and Poverty

One of the main factors behind child labour is poverty. D en e forc i o labor mainly to supplement their families’ income. e the are gi c actual labour by the family to the employer in exchange for money, or the family employs them in any of its traditional businesses.

For instance, poor farmers in India are forced to use their children as labor because it would be difficult to pay for adult laborers.

Child labour is a severe threat that impedes a nation’s growth and the world. O er, i depriv t child deprives childhood, love, and education and forces them into arduous, hazardous, nonsociable, and pathetic conditions.

Child Labour Essay 7 (400 Words)

Child Labour refers to the employment of children in various sectors to deprive them of their childhood, education, and other growth opportunities and cause physical and mental harassment. p ime reason beh Pild labour is poverty, and more often than not, the children are employed to supplement their family’s income.

History of Child Labour

• During the preindustrial societies, the concept of childhood was in existence. Den as ung as 1 year was engaged in hunting, woodcutting, farming, etc. though it wasn’t child labour in the true sense, the children did these jobs to facilitate the survival of their group or family.
• Low productivity and low life expectancy were two of the main characteristics of the preindustrial area. e preven ng the l en from engaging in productive work would mean stalling their progress and lowering their survival chances. An ion in t se days s t considered necessary for survival than skills.
• The exploitation of children as child labour began in the late 18 th century with the industrial revolution. Br tain, cities like Birm gham and Liverpool fast grew into big industrial cities, attracting millions from villages and other rural areas. S situation was the same S the develop same economies.
• The Victorian era in Britain ranged from 20 June 1837 to 22 January 1901. It was the most infamous for child labor as you as your ar are employed in factories and mines in the Victorian era and worked in unimaginabl rd us and life-threatening conditions.

World Statistics on Child Labour

World Statistics reveal that nearly 218 million children worldwide are employed. E children f l in the g of 5 to 17 years, and approximately 152 million are, in the true sense, employed as child labour.

Statistics also reveal that nearly 73 million children worldwide work in hazardous and life-threatening conditions.

By the numbers, Africa has around 72.1 million children employed as child labour, nearly half of the world’s figure of 152 million. The Pacific has 62 million child labors; America has 10.7 million child labors, while Central Asia, Europe, and Arab states have 5.5 million and 1.2 million, respectively.

Child Labour has existed for centuries, even in some of the world’s developed economies. t mes the rea n is to ma the child employable, and sometimes it is to supplement their family’s income; nevertheless, in both cases, it interferes with the child’s ability to grow, get educated, and be happy.

Child Labour speech 8 (500 Words)

Child Labour refers to the physical exploitation of children by engaging them in work that deprives them of their childhood, education, growth, and development and is physically and mentally harmful. c laws prohib ing child ou are in place in countries worldwide, including India, but there is a need to implement them more effectively than before.

Causes of Child Labour in India

The UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund), a United Nations agency responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to children around the world, states poverty is the biggest cause of child labour in India and other developing and underdeveloped countries around the globe.

Due to poverty, children are subjected to labour to supplement their family’s income. the absence of good e at nal infrastructure in rural India and a lack of awareness are reasons behind child labour in India.

Types of Child Labour in India

Two types of Child Labour exist in India: debt bondage child labour and the employment of children to supplement their family’s income. r less, in bo kin of c d bour, the will of others is partially or fully forced upon the child.

In debt bondage child labour, a child is employed for work through a verbal assurance or written agreement, specifically to clear the debt taken by his parents from the creditor. g the legislation bans the s ci tion of child labour in India, the instances of bonded child labour continue even today.

Another form of child labour is where the parents of a child agree with the employer to employ their child to supplement the family’s income. v r, poverty is t main facto eh d all the types of child labour in India and other parts of the world.

Download NCERT Solutions for CBSE Class 6-12 for free on Infinity Learn.

Child Labour in India Statistics 2019

Statistics provided by UNICEF revealed that nearly 10.1 million children in India engaged in child labour. Children fall in the age 14 years 4.5 million girls and 5.6 million boys. 0% of child labors employed n ral India.

Child Labour in India is more prevalent in Uttar Pradesh (2.1 million), Bihar (1 million), Madhya Pradesh (0.7 million), Maharashtra (0.72 million), and Rajasthan (0.84 million).

Indian industries employing a major share of child labors in India are the cotton industry, matchbox making industry, agriculture sector, and other small unorganized sectors.

Child Labour Laws in India

Several laws enacted in India prohibit the engagement of children in the workforce. m jor laws are the Juvenile Justi (c e and protection) of Children Act -2000 and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act -1986. e acts form the basis of all other il labour laws in India.

Child Labour a serious hindrance to the growth of a nation and its social and economic development. There are many la to eliminate il labour, they must effectively implemented.

A range of students studying in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, etc., classes can use any of the above-given essays on child labour. a e worded to let students understan wit ut any difficulty. t from the child labo essay, you ca et ther related essays and information such as:

• Slogans on Child Labour
• Paragraph on Child Labour
• Speech on Child Labour
• Child Labour in India
• Child Rights Day
• National Girl Child Day
• Children’s Day
• Essay on Bal Swachhta Abhiyan
• Essay on Poverty
• Essay on Corruption
• Essay on Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
• Essay on Beggars

Related content

Get access to free Mock Test and Master Class

Register to Get Free Mock Test and Study Material

Offer Ends in 5:00

Select your Course

Please select class.

UK Edition Change

• UK Politics
• News Videos
• Paris 2024 Olympics
• Rugby Union
• Sport Videos
• John Rentoul
• Mary Dejevsky
• Andrew Grice
• Sean O’Grady
• Photography
• Theatre & Dance
• Culture Videos
• Fitness & Wellbeing
• Food & Drink
• Health & Families
• Royal Family
• Electric Vehicles
• Car Insurance Deals
• Lifestyle Videos
• Hotel Reviews
• News & Advice
• Simon Calder
• Australia & New Zealand
• South America
• C. America & Caribbean
• Middle East
• Politics Explained
• News Analysis
• Today’s Edition
• Home & Garden
• Broadband deals
• Fashion & Beauty
• Travel & Outdoors
• Sports & Fitness
• Climate 100
• Sustainable Living
• Climate Videos
• Solar Panels
• Behind The Headlines
• On The Ground
• Decomplicated
• You Ask The Questions
• Binge Watch
• Travel Smart
• Watch on your TV
• Crosswords & Puzzles
• Most Commented
• Newsletters
• Ask Me Anything
• Virtual Events
• Wine Offers
• Betting Sites

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in Please refresh your browser to be logged in

Children make up a quarter of workers in Bangladesh’s leather industry, survey finds

Children as young as eight work long shifts every day of the week for £30 a month, article bookmarked.

Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails

Sign up to our free breaking news emails, thanks for signing up to the breaking news email.

More than a quarter of the workers in Bangladesh ’s small leather workshops are children, according to a new survey, highlighting the grim situation of child labour in the South Asian country.

The survey, done by the University of Sussex’s Institute of Development Studies, found that at least 237 of the 880 leather industry workers in Hazaribagh and Hemayetpur areas of Dhaka and in Bhairab, about 85km from the capital city, were under 18, compelled to work at a young age to support their poor families.

The children, some as young as eight, worked in hazardous conditions, carrying heavy loads, manually dyeing leather with harmful chemicals, and operating cutting tools and heavy machinery with little or no safety gear.

“The children, as young as eight or nine years old, are on as little as £30 a month and working seven days a week in peak season in shifts that just run on and on. A light work day for them is around 10 hours,” said Dr Jody Aked, a technical specialist with the Institute of Development Studies who worked on the report. “A heavy shift is 13 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week for three weeks straight.”

Most of the child labourers surveyed had lost one or both parents and often went to work hungry, Dr Aked said. The older children who could do more work were paid a little more than the younger ones.

“There is definitely a direct link between health emergencies or death in the family and the worst forms of child labour as it plunges the family into financial crisis when they have no savings to dip into. The instant response is to take a child out of school and put them in work,” she told The Independent .

“The sad reality is that many NGOs talk about getting children education, but if you are in a family where there isn’t enough money to eat or pay the rent, it isn’t actually a choice for the children not to work.”

The survey covered nearly 1,700 families living in Dhaka’s slums over five years as part of the institute’s Child Labour Action Research Innovation in South and Southeastern Asia, or CLARISSA, project.

Researchers found that 34.6 per cent of the children were exploited under the worst forms of child labour per the definition of the International Labor Organisation.

This exploitation enabled the leather industry to become Bangladesh’s second largest exporter after garment manufacturing. The country’s leather exports amount to about $2bn (£1.5) a year.

Jiniya Afroze, country coordinator for the CLARISSA project, called for tighter control to address the problem.

“Many informal businesses rely on child labour simply because they lack financial means. By offering flexible business capital, we can help them transition to more responsible practices and reduce their dependence on child workers,” she said.

“At the same time, if employers are forcing children to work longer hours through abuse or coercion, they must be held accountable. This could mean stricter penalties for violations or giving them the training that they need to implement ethical practices.”

Professor Danny Burns, lead author of the report, said Bangladesh’s profitable leather industry was run off the back of some “children living and migrating into rapidly evolving informal settlements”.

Dr Aked said Bangladesh’s interim government, installed last month by protesters who toppled prime minister Sheikh Hasina and forced her into exile, needed to work with informal leather businesses to bring change.

"Understanding their realities and seeing them as an agent of change could be amazing because they really are keen to improve the fiscal conditions of their business so they wouldn’t need to rely on child labour to generate profit,” Dr Aked said.

“The government will need to work on that. Informal businesses have very little say with the government. They are defused, not organised. Officials working a bit more with them would help these children.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article

Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.

New to The Independent?

Or if you would prefer:

Hi {{indy.fullName}}

• My Independent Premium
• Account details
• Help centre

Press release

Widespread and harmful child labour uncovered in bangladesh leather sector.

Published on 20 September 2024

Calls for Bangladesh’s interim government to protect poorest children seeking to support their families through dangerous work.

• First of its kind study designed by and conducted with children in worst forms of child labour.
• 35% of children in slum neighbourhood around small leather businesses are in the worst forms of child labour.
• Growing domestic market for leather in Bangladesh driving up use of child labour.

A five-year study with child workers in Bangladesh’s growing leather industry has uncovered children working in dangerous and harmful conditions at every stage of leather processing and production, driven by the need to support their families financially.

Hazardous child labour

Hazardous child labour was found among by children as young as eight, including carrying heavy loads, manually dyeing leather using harmful chemicals, working in extreme heat and operating cutting tools and heavy machinery without safety measures.

Researchers conducted the study using participatory action research as part of the Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA) project , led by the Institute of Development Studies. They are calling on the new interim government of Bangladesh to protect children from the worst forms of child labour , as part of wider reforms to injustice and human rights in the country.

Support is especially needed for the country’s poorest children, and their families, living in slum neighbourhoods around the small, informal leather production and processing businesses, in and near Dhaka, where the harmful child labour was found.

Growing domestic leather market

Leather is Bangladesh’s second largest export item (after ready-made garments), and the growing domestic leather market is worth US$ 2billion (Bangladesh Investment Development Authority).

The study looked at over 1,700 households in slum neighbourhoods connected to leather processing and production and found that 34.6 percent of the children were working in worst forms of child labour, as defined by the International Labor Organization.

Working in small leather enterprises

As part of the project, a survey conducted in the Hazaribagh, Hemayetpur and Bhairab areas of Bangladesh found that over a quarter of workers at 158 small leather enterprises were children (27 per cent of 880 workers).

While not directly comparable, the CLARISSA research suggests a far higher prevalence of worst forms of child labour than was reported in Bangladesh’s last National Child Labour Survey (2022) , which estimated that 4.4 percent of children were engaged in child labour, and just 2.7 percent of children worked in hazardous sectors, like the leather industry.

Jiniya Afroze, Country Coordinator for Bangladesh for the CLARISSA research project, said:

“Many informal businesses rely on child labour simply because they lack financial options. By offering flexible business capital, we can help them transition to more responsible practices and reduce their dependence on child workers. At the same time, if employers are forcing children to work longer hours through abuse or coercion, they must be held accountable. This could mean stricter penalties for violations or giving them the training they need to implement ethical practices.

“Most importantly, we must listen to children’s voices and experiences, ensuring that any interventions we design are truly effective in bringing about positive change in their lives.”

Professor Danny Burns , Research Fellow at the Institute of Development Studies, who led the CLARISSA research project, said:

“The leather sector is one of the most profitable sectors in Bangladesh and is a major contributor to the country’s economy, but this billion-dollar industry relies on the informal economy and its use of cheap labour, including children living and migrating into rapidly evolving informal settlements.

“It’s important to listen to children and their employers to understand how child labour has become critical in Bangladesh’s leather supply chain system and an important contributor to their households financially.”

A total of 160 million children are in child labour globally – equating to almost one in ten children worldwide and despite efforts of the UN, NGOs and governments to eliminate all forms of child labour by 2025 , the target now seems a long way off.

To help eliminate the worst forms of child labour in Bangladesh and globally, the researchers want to see more direct engagement with communities, including working children, parents, health workers, schools and local businesses, financial support for families of child workers and recognition of the role of education and affordable, quality schooling.

The researchers also want countries, including Bangladesh, to prioritise universal health coverage to alleviate child labour, as a health crisis in the family is often the reason children first have to work, to repay loans taken out to pay medical expenses or to cover the loss of income from a parent who is ill or has sadly died.

Download the report

Read more about CLARISSA’s work with children as agents of change and the life stories of children in the worst forms of child labour in the leather industry in Bangladesh at hardlabour.info .

About this press release

Programmes and centres, related content, worst forms of child labour in the bangladesh leather industry: a synthesis of five years of research by children, small business owners, ngos, and academics.

CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper 11

19 September 2024

Child Labour: What are our common priorities?

11 June 2024

Child Labour: Action-Research-Innovation in South and South-Eastern Asia (CLARISSA)

Life stories from children working in bangladesh’s leather sector and its neighbourhoods: told and analysed by children.

CLARISSA Research and Evidence Paper 5

8 November 2023