Child labour

Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful.

• 

According to the committee on child labour,”child labour can be broadly defined as that segment of the child population which participates in work either paid or unpaid”.Child labour means a working child who is between 6 and 15 years of age,not attending school during the day,and working under a employer or learning some trade as an apprentice.

A child may be found employed in many different kinds of activities to earn.The child may be employed forcibly or voluntarily,in an organized or in an unorganized sector.The common places of employment may be carpet weaving,match factories, fireworks, restaurants,auto garages,quarries, household work etc.,

Poverty seems to be one of the most explicit reasons for child labour.Poverty of parents,or parental neglect leads children to seek employment.Inadequate income of the parents do not fulfil the minimum requirement of the children which in most of the cases induce the children to enter into the jobs market,by foregoing their education.The greedy employers attract such poor children to their factories,hotels and other work places by promising them food and salary.The child labour becomes a convenient tool for employers to escape from giving salary to employees.Employing child labour for dangerous works,for low salary and without required service condition has serious socio,economic, cultural implications.

Physical labour and consequent work pressure make the child weak at times.The use of children as a source of labour force,raises many other questions with regards to demographic and economic implications.Among other implications child labour causes adult unemployment,low productivity with economic loss to the society.

Free and compulsory primary education,mid day meal schemes,and other incentives are meant to reduce the child labour.