India Urges Society to Acknowledge and Take Accountability on Measures of Child Labour

As India's population grows, more children fall prey to child labour, and this is what society has to say about it.

Child labour remains a persistent problem in the growing society of India, rooted in barriers such as lack of schooling, education of high quality and high poverty rates. UNICEF reports that around the world, more than one third of children in child labour are out of school. This is especially concerning, since most are younger children who are below the age of 16, leading them to drop out of school and become deprived of proper education.

In India, this issue is generally observed in its rural areas, where 90% of child labour cases arise. This is because they typically struggle from shortages of basic schooling infrastructure, such as teachers and classrooms. As such, schooling attendance becomes almost rare or nonexistent. The lack of access to education can lead to a never-ending cycle of child labour. This is when families cannot provide basic necessities, which lead to them prioritising money over education.

Additionally, in this modern society, child labour remains ceaseless. India must no longer continue to allow our younger generations to fall under dangerous control. A total of 160 million children – 63 million girls and 97 million boys – are in the child labour industry globally, accounting for almost one in ten of all children worldwide.

Nearly half of all those in child labour – 79 million children in absolute terms – are in hazardous work that directly endangers their health, safety, and moral development. As seen from this, India strives to create a better impact by taking on more initiatives. In this article, we further dwells into the societal impacts made on these children and how we can improve as nations.

Although there is a clear difference between volunteering and forced work, it could be masked. India has found ways to further identify these hidden types of child abuse to better the environment of these children. First and foremost, India plans to establish free school meals and necessities such as books and stationery. This contributes to efforts to decrease the rate of child labour, as one of the main reasons for child labour is due to education being seen as unaffordable. With the introduction of free meals and school necessities, children living in poverty are given a chance to afford basic education and parents or other legal guardians will result in them being more willing to send their children to schools. Moreover, children living in poverty, especially if not cared for at home, feel the need to find employment, even if it means earning little profit and working long hours. Employers see their vulnerability, and exploit them.

Child labour is not just a violation of rights, but also a failure to us all as a society. Since India aims to protect its future, India must go beyond sympathy and act with urgency. By ensuring access to education, holding exploitative employers accountable and uplifting vulnerable children as well as their families, India can break this vicious cycle. Every child deserves a childhood, and it is a collective duty to shape that into reality.

Written by Xandra Kuek Xhin Rong, Cuencaho Kristel Aleana Noble and Saha Pryonty Rani