11-03-2014, 02:25 PM
CHILD LABOUR
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INTRODUCTION:
Every child is a gift of God –a gift must be nurtured with care and affection, with in the family and society. But unfortunately due to socio-economic and cultural problems, the code of child centeredness was replaced by neglect, abuse and deprivation, particularly in the poverty afflicted sections of the society.
Meaning:
Child labour is the practices 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. Child labour refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful. This practice is considered exploitative by many international organizations. Legislations across the world prohibit child labour."Child labour" is, generally speaking, work by children that harms them or exploits them in some way (physically, mentally, morally, or by blocking their access to education).
TYPES OF CHILD LABOUR:
UNICEF(United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) has classified child work into three categories:
1. Within the Family :
Children are engaged without pay in domestic household tasks, agricultural pastoral work, handicraft/cottage industries etc.
2. Within the Family but outside the Home:
Children do agricultural/pastoral work which consists of (seasonal/ full-time) migrant labour, local agricultural work, domestic service, construction work and informal occupation e.g. recycling of waste- employed by others and self employed.
3. Outside the Family:
Children are employed by others in bonded work, apprenticeship, skilled trades (Carpet, embroidery, and brass/copper work), industrial unskilled occupations/ mines domestic work, commercial work in shops and restaurants, begging, prostitution and pornography.
CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR-:
1.Poverty
2.Parental illiteracy
3.Tradition of making children learn the family skills
4.Absence of universal compulsory Primary education
5.Social apathy and tolerance of child labour
6.Ignorance of the parents about the adverse consequences of Child labour
7.Ineffective enforcement of the legal provisions pertaining to child labour
8.Non-availability of and non-accessibility to schools
9.Irrelevant and non-attractive school curriculum
10.Employers prefer children as they constitute cheap labour and they are not able to organize themselves against exploitation.
Present Status:
The position of India in terms of child labour is not an appreciable one; with a credible estimates ranging from 60 to 115 million, India has the largest number of working children in the world. Whether they are sweating in the heat of stone quarries, working in the fields 16 hours a day, picking rags in the city streets, or hidden away as domestic servants, these children endure miserable and difficult lives. They earn little and are made to work more. They struggle to make enough to eat and perhaps to help feed their families as well.
According to the statistics given by Indian government there are 20 million child labourers in the country, while other agencies claim that it is 50 million.
Child labour is a conspicuous problem in India. Its prevalence is evident in the child work participation rate, which is more than that of other developing countries.
According to a 2001 census, an estimated 185,595 children are employed as domestic help and in small roadside eateries. Most child domestic workers in India are trafficked by placement agencies operating in states like Orissa, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.\
Future:
Schooling has traditionally not been an option for many children in India’s rural families. With poverty widespread and high skilled jobs scarce, rural children typically have had to leave school early and join the workforce, earning what little they could to help feed their families.But technology may be changing things for the better. Tech-based industries are growing quickly around India and are desperate for educated workers. Newly available jobs in software design, engineering, and communications promise young people lifestyles that they could never achieve with manual labor. Growing numbers of parents are taking note and are urging their children to stay in school.