Question

2-5 min speech on child labour

Answer 1

Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on part- or full-time basis. The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development. Poverty, lack of good schools and growth of informal economy are considered as the important causes of child labour in India. The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labour, aged 4–15, to be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in 5–14 age group.

A 2009–10 nationwide survey found child labour prevalence had reduced to 4.98 million children (or less than 2% of children in 5–14 age group).The 2011 national census of India found the total number of child labour, aged 5–14, to be at 4.35 million,and the total child population to be 259.64 million in that age group.The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children work, many full-time.

Indian law specifically defines 64 industries as hazardous and it is a criminal offence to employ children in such hazardous industries.In 2001, an estimated 1% of all child workers, or about 120,000 children in India were in a hazardous job.Notably, Constitution of India prohibits child labour in hazardous industries (but not in non-hazardous industries) as a Fundamental Right under Article 24. UNICEF estimates that India with its larger population, has the highest number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age, while sub-saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as child labour. International Labour Organisation estimates that agriculture at 60 percent is the largest employer of child labour in the world, while United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 70% of child labour is deployed in agriculture and related activities.  Outside of agriculture, child labour is observed in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy.

Companies including Gap,Primark,Monsanto have been criticised for child labour in their products. The companies claim they have strict policies against selling products made by underage children, but there are many links in a supply chain making it difficult to oversee them all. In 2011, after three years of Primark's effort, BBC acknowledged that its award-winning investigative journalism report of Indian child labour use by Primark was a fake. The BBC apologised to Primark, to Indian suppliers and all its viewers.

In December 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor and India figured among 74 countries where significant incidence of critical working conditions has been observed. Unlike any other country, India was attributed 23 goods the majority of which is produced by child labour in the manufacturing sector.

Article 24 of India's constitution prohibits hazardous child labour. Additionally, various laws and the Indian Penal Code, such as the Juvenile Justice (care and protection) of Children Act-2000, and the Child Labour (Prohibition and Abolition) Act-1986 provide a basis in law to identify, prosecute and stop child labour in India.

Answer 2

Child labor has been an international concern because it damages, spoils and destroys the future of children. The problem of child labor is a serious matter not only in India but also in other developing countries. It is great social problem. Children are the hope and future of a nation. Yet, there are millions deprived children in our country who have never known a normal, carefree childhood.

The law in Indian soil says that any child below age of 14 cannot be employed either in a factory or office or restaurant. In fact, India’s international business has been severely affected in many cases because child labors, violating human rights, have been used in some stage or the other in manufacturing, packaging a transport of those items. And, in a large number of cases of export of ready-made garments, prawn and several other items from India has been rejected on grounds of child labor being used.

Truly speaking child labor is frequently utilized in India in various places of production and service e.g., small scale industry, restaurant service, domestic aid, shopkeeper’s assistant, stone breaking, book binding, in fact in every house-hold industry.

Causes of Child Labor

Now what is the background of engaging child labor,

·         To have or increase the income of a poor family

·         To reduce the labor cost in a production organization

·         Misc. reasons for engaging as domestic aid as the children are less doubtful about dishonesty or less liable to misbehave or be violent.

In a developed society where every citizen counts and all citizens have to have proper education, health care supports, games and entertainment and complete his education so that when he is a fully grown adult he can get a full employment with standard salary.

Solutions to Child Labor

The solution to the problem of Child Labor are:

·         The Child labor laws need to be strictly enforced by the Government.

·         The general public need to be made aware of the severe consequences of Child labor.

·         An increase in employment opportunity for adults would help in overcoming the problem of poverty and child labor.

·         Government should ensure that every child gets the opportunity to go to school.

·         The owners of factories and mines should take the pledge of not engaging child in their place of business.

Conclusion

If the boy or girl takes up a small job as a domestic help or restaurant boy against a nominal salary of Rs. 750-1800 per month, he does not get enough time time for primary and secondary education and is most likely to remain completely illiterate, unskilled, perhaps with a weak health and will have to remain unemployed or be engaged as an unskilled labor when he is grown up. Hence in his own benefit and interest no child should be engaged as labor both from legal point of view as well as the child’s future interest.