CHILD LABOUR

CHILD LABOUR

“The child is the father of man”, William Wordsworth says these words keeping in mind that a child has all the qualities in him that we find in his manhood the future man remains hidden in the child. But the society plays the major role in shaping the child’s life.

There is a saying that only a child’s life is real life. But the precious childhood is snatched from the innocents & they are compelled to work. Child labour means, “employment of children who have not attained the minimum age of admission to employment, which is fourteen or countries whose economic & educational facilities are in insuffeciently developed, & eighteen or hazardous occupations as per the conventions o International Labour Organization”.

The incidence of child labour is very high in India. It is estimated that one third o the child workers in Asia are in India. Extreme poverty & marginal income force the poor families in India to engage the child into laborious work. A good number of children are engaged in firework factories, tea-stalls, dhabas, restaurants, etc.

Child labour may be beneficial to the employers, as they can get more work from the children at negligible wages. But it deprives the children of their education & adversely affects their health. Above all, it spoils the future o the children as well as the country.

Child labour is considered as a national degradation. Elimination of child labour continues to be an area of great concern & article of faith or successive governments. Existing laws prohibit the employment o children below 14 years of age in factories, mines & hazardous working conditions.

As India is the signatory to the convention of International Labour Organization, it is the duty of the country to see that there is elimination of child labour. Again, the children freed from child labour should be properly rehabilitated. Those children should be allowed to have access to basic education or vocational training. Those who perpetuate child labour should be severely punished or the crime.

According to Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former president of India, only the present generation, i.e., the youth of the country have the capability of taking India into great heights. Form this, the evil of child labour should be curbed & thrown out of the country. Only then, his dream of making India a developed superpower by 2020 will be fulfilled.