Child Labors in Ganjam District of Odisha: Exploring Livelihood

Abstract

Child labor is a critical and sensitive issue globally. In India the percentage of labour force constitutes ‘child labor’ is very high. Serious attention is given to contentious issue of child labour by the Government, social activists and voluntary organizations. The Indian Constitution also guarantees protection of the rights of children. Regardless of several stringent dealings, in India the problem of child labor is gloomier and constantly increasing. Child labour cannot end overnight because its roots are very deep. Laws should be strictly implemented to prevent child labor. The intent of the current study was to learn the socio-economic condition of families whose children were engaged as child labors in major blocks in Ganjam district of Odisha. Poverty, parent unemployment, limited education resources, social backwardness and lure of cheap labor have been explored as driving factors for child labor creation. The study also assessed the working conditions and environment of child laborers and to determine their morbidity pattern if any. The child laborers were interviewed in their work places using a predesigned and pre-tested questionnaire. Data were collected and analyzed a total of 254 child laborers who participated in the study from selected blocks of the Ganjam district. As a consequence, the study can be a good example for law makers to devise better policies uplift the socio-economic lives of the children engaged as labors in the rural sectors nationwide.