Child labour in India: a health and human rights perspective

Abstract

The problem of child labour exists throughout the world. According to 2002 estimates from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), about 246 million children aged 5–17 years are working worldwide. Poverty, the spread of HIV/ AIDS, economic crises, and natural disasters have been cited as factors contributing to or exacerbating the existence of child labour and reducing opportunities or access to alternatives. Usually, the work in which children engage is repetitious and dangerous to their health and safety. In addition to the adverse effects that such work might have on a child’s physical development, the work and associated absence of educational opportunities can be detrimental to their mental development. The agricultural sector is by far the most significant employer of children. 70% of child workers worldwide are employed either on plantations or commercial farms or in subsistence farming. These children are frequently exposed to hazardous chemicals, risk of injury or snake bites, and bad weather, typically with little or no protective gear and minimum or no access to water for both drinking and handwashing. Despite laws that prohibit children younger than 14 years of age from working in most industrial sectors, India is home to the largest number of working children in the world, with between 40 and 115 million child workers aged 5–14 years. About 80% of India’s child workers are employed in the agricultural sector. Certain types of work, including debt bondage, commercial sex work, and recruitment into armed forces, are deemed inherently hazardous to children. These forms of child labour are prohibited by international agreements, including ILO Convention 182, concerning prohibition and immediate action for elimination of the worst forms of child labour, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and national laws in India. Working conditions for children employed in work that is not deemed dangerous and is not prohibited are regulated by India’s labour laws. Monitoring of working conditions is poor, however, and enforcement of these provisions is the exception rather than the rule. Many of India’s child labourers work long hours for low wages to pay off debts incurred by Child labour in India: a health and human rights perspective s32