How to Prevent Child Labour in India?

Children are the future of any nation as they are the ones who will grow to brace the nation’s economy in the coming future. Hence, it is the responsibility of every citizen to take proper care of the children so that they do not have to face darkness such as childhood labour. 

Child labour is a concerning issue worldwide and has increased after COVID according to UNICEF. Finding out the right solution for child labour surely helps in improving the current condition of the country. 

What is Child Labour?

Childhood labour is the concept in which children are enforced into any kind of manual task. Though the idea of child labour is noticed across the world, the condition is devastating in India. 

In India, children even below the age of 10 years are seen working at different places for an earning. The pathetic part is that there are also some cases where these children work without pay because their parents took a loan and were not able to repay them. This is known as bonded labour. Also, many children start working as young as 5 years on farms with their families. So, there is an extreme necessity to get a solution for child labour to protect the future of the country.  

Causes of Child Labour on Social Environment in India

Child labour has shown a massive impact on the social environment in India. Children who are forced to work are deprived of basic child rights like education and leaving them illiterate most of the time. Also, as children are not physically fit for hard labour, it takes a toll on their physique as well.

According to the International Labour Organization, children aged between 5 years to 17 years are exposed to hazardous work environments, especially boys, that definitely takes a toll on their health somehow. 

If the labour problem in India is continuously sorted by utilizing children, then the future of the nation is in danger. These children will go up illiterate and with lesser development. So, they will not be able to contribute much to the nation’s economy, ultimately adding to the country’s doom. 

How We Can Stop Child Labour in India? 

It is extremely necessary to stop child labour in India to see a nation that is booming and prospering. Indian Government has incorporated many regulations to prevent child labour such as making employment below 14 years a punishable offense. But it is the responsibility of every individual to do their bit. Here are some of the essential ways how the citizens of India can help in controlling childhood labour in the country. 

1. Educate & Spread Awareness

Most childhood labour is a result of unawareness among parents. Traffickers mostly target children of such parents who are illiterate and such children end up being in the pithole of child labour. It is extremely essential to educate such parents and spread awareness about the different child rights in India as well as the reasons why educating children is essential. Also, when the bad consequences of child labour are explained in a proper way, many parents mold their minds and look toward the development of their children. 

2. Aware of the Laws

A strict law is extremely essential to curb the situation of child labour. India has come up with Article 24 according to which no children below the age of 14 years should be engaged in any hazardous environment for work. Different NGOs are working on these policies and laws along with the authorities to prevent child labour. 

3. Have a conscious discussion with child labourer's parents 

While spreading awareness has motivated many parents to enrol their children in schools, there are still many parents who consider earning more important than education. Often major problems in India and their solutions require one-to-one conversation. Hence, it is essential to have a discussion with such parents to understand their problems and then offer a solution to eradicate child labour. Many NGOs like CRY India, work on this line to convince parents of many child labourers in order to offer these children a new life by sending them to school instead of work. 

4. Stop people to employ children in homes, shops, factories, etc 

One of the major reasons why child labour is not reduced is that people do not stop employing children. So, responsible citizens of India should take preventive measures to stop other people from employing children in homes, shops, and factories. One of the ways is to stop buying items from a shop that has employed a child for work. When children will stop getting work, half of the issue will get solved here. These children will go to school rather to make a great future. 

5. Partner With movements or NGOs 

It is quite obvious that you may not be able to do much apart from just spreading awareness and speaking out to the parents around you. Hence, in order to impact society on a larger ground, one of the solutions for child labour is to be a part of different movements and campaigns run by different NGOs. The aim of the NGOs remains to work on the ground level so that results can be noticed. These NGOs also work with several authorities and this makes such movements even more impactful. All you need to do is to partner with these NGOs and do your bit in helping society to stop child labour. 

6. Send more children to school 

Two of the major reasons for child labour are poverty and labour problem in India. Most parents cannot afford education for their children and so they consider children to be a useful resource for employment. But today there are so many policies such as free elementary education, mid-day meals, and others that can surely motivate children as well as their parents. It is only that parents should be educated about these schemes and ultimately send more children to school. 

While child labour is one of the major problems in India and their solutions are still getting incorporated, many individuals have succeeded in offering a dignified life to many children so that they can cherish their childhood like other children. Governments can just make policies, following them and preventing child labour from occurring is the responsibility of the citizens.