Childhood is a dream; innocence and
joy, an age to blossom and should be free from all responsibilities and
shackles of the society. The brilliance of childhood gets tarnished when those
little shoulders are made to carry the burden of earning their living.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIGQVkNL-5HvMmriYj1xn0sRizqqB4dfapajonW8mnRkQv96-QBRYcZT6484hnSGM03V1o-venjWi6OX7MwYhmYykaNLok2HrPpjzfFL9ULiscG1KLMkrtLotFNYf_TCNfNHghfofVoz4/s200/child_labour121.jpg)
The International Labour Organization estimates
that 215 million children ages 5-17 are engaged in child labour. An estimated
12 percent of children in India
ages 5-14 are engaged in child labour activities. Most of them work under
unhygienic and unsafe conditions. They are forced to work over 18 hours a day
in the confines of a factory. Many children work daily in
carpet making factories, glass blowing units and make fireworks with bare
little hands, making them prone to disastrous hazards. The degree of child
labour is not the same everywhere. In some areas it takes a much worse form
where children trafficked in one form of labour may be sold into another one.
Many girls recruited for various other works are often sold to sex industry
forcefully and are not allowed to move out of it.
Poverty is the main reason responsible for child
labour in various countries. Due to acute poverty in various regions, families
are deprived of basic health care and they do not have enough money to fulfil
their basic consumption requirements, let alone supporting the basic education
system for their children. As a result, parents force their children to work so
that they could have an additional source of income. Children under their
parental pressure take up jobs which are mostly under the unorganized sector of
the society where they work with no job security and in unhygienic conditions.
Child labour activities are more prevalent in
developing countries like India where around 90% of the population works under
the unorganized sector. Most of the production in the country demands unskilled
labour in huge amounts. According to the
given statistics, around 350-400 million people in India are below poverty line which
means that a large number of families are in need of jobs. Since the poor
people do not have enough money to educate their children, children end up
taking marginal jobs and giving up education. Thus we see that apart from lack
of importance given by parents to their child’s education and considering him
an extra earning hand, affordability of education is also a problem resulting
in child labour.
The corruption levels in our country are very high
due to which many school authorities demand huge amount of money as the
admission fees. This accentuates affordability constraints. Another factor
influencing low literacy rates and high child labour is the accessibility. There are not many institutions especially in
rural areas which provide children with basic educational facilities. Lack of a
school in the vicinity, unsafe conditions, lack of teachers and other
facilities in schools reduces a family’s incentive to educate their children.
Child labour can be curbed if steps are taken by the
government in the right direction. If most of the families can be raised above
the poverty line, it can solve a major part of the problem. If families are
able to meet their basic consumption needs then they would not wish to send
their children to work instead of sending them to school. Government spends a
significant amount on education and for the development of the economy. Hence
we should ensure effective implementation of government schemes and laws and
this can be achieved by opening schools in various regions and employing good
teachers who can educate their students properly. Regular inspection,
appointment of responsible and credible officials and creating awareness about
benefits of education can ensure effective implementation. Families sending
their children to school should be incentivised. This will prompt more families
to send their children to school and avail of the benefits. Also, families
should be educated about the family planning schemes and healthcare facilities
so that they are not burdened by large number of children and they can manage
proper schooling and health facilities for them.
Child labour is one of the most serious
and dangerous issues in front of the government which needs to be eradicated
from its very roots. Children are the future of our country and they need to be
safeguarded from any kind of harassment. Serious steps need to be taken to
ensure that no child is deprived of his or her own rights and is supported with
basic educational and health facilities. It is every child’s right to study and
enjoy their childhood to the fullest. At this tender age we need to nurture
them with care and should mould them into beautiful human beings. We should set
them free from all the chains of baseless social norms so that they can feel
the beauty of the nature around them rather than confining their childhood to
dark and dingy factories.
No comments:
Post a Comment