forms of child labour

FORMS OF CHILD LABOR

Children are employed in both formal and informal sectors. Among the occupations wherein children are engaged in work are construction work, domestic work and small-scale industries. Incidentally, agriculture is not only the oldest but also the most common child occupation worldwide. Some of the industries that depend on child labor are bangle-making, beedi-making, power looms and manufacturing processes. These industries use toxic metals and substances such as lead, mercury, manganese, chromium, cadmium, benzene, pesticides and asbestos. Child labor is very harmful and wholehearted efforts to eliminate this should be done.

law and child labour

LAW AND CHILD LABOR

The policy curbing child labor exists but lack of enforcement of labor restrictions perpetuates child labor. This is manifested in variation in minimum age restriction in different types of employment. The International Labor Office reports that children work the longest hours and are the worst paid of all laborers. In India, the Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 and Rules state that no child shall be employed or permitted to work in any of the occupations set forth in Part A of the Schedule or in any workshop wherein any of the processes set forth in Part B of the Schedule is carried on. For this purpose, “child” means a person who has not completed his 14th year of age. The Act prohibits employment of children in certain specified hazardous occupations and processes and regulates the working conditions in others. The list of hazardous occupations and processes is progressively being expanded on the recommendation of the Child Labor Technical Advisory Committee constituted under the Act

child labour causing problems

“There can be no keener revelation of a society's soul than the way in which it treats its children.”

– Nelson Mandela

Children are future citizens of the Nation and their adequate development is utmost priority of the country. Unfortunately, child labor engulfs children across the world. The world is home to 1.2 billion individuals aged 10-19 years. However, despite its menace in various forms, the data shows variation in prevalence of child labor across the globe and the statistical figures about child labor are very alarming. There are an estimated 186 million child laborers worldwide. The 2001 national census of India estimated total number of child labor aged 5–14 to be at 12.6 million.[1] Small-scale and community-based studies have found estimated prevalence of 12.6 million children engaged in hazardous occupations. Many children are “hidden workers” working in homes or in the underground economy.[2] Although the Constitution of India guarantees free and compulsory education to children between the age of 6 to 14 and prohibits employment of children younger than 14 in 18 hazardous occupations, child labor is still prevalent in the informal sectors of the Indian economy.[3] Child labor violates human rights, and is in contravention of the International Labor Organization (Article 32, Convention Rights of the Child). About one-third of children of the developing world are failing to complete even 4 years of education. Indian population has more than 17.5 million working children in different industries, and incidentally maximum are in agricultural sector, leather industry, mining and match-making industries, etc

The term “child labor” is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical-mental development. It refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children, and interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school, obliging them to leave school prematurely or requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work. The statistical figures about child workers in the world have variation because of the differences in defining categories of age group and engagement of children in formal and informal sector.

Child labor continues to be a great concern in many parts of the world. In 2008, some 60% of the 215 million boys and girls were estimated to be child laborers worldwide. Major engagement was in agriculture sector, followed by fisheries, aquaculture, livestock and forestry. In addition to work that interferes with schooling and is harmful to personal development, many of these children work in hazardous occupations or activities that are harmful. Incidentally, 96% of the child workers are in the developing countries of Africa, Asia and South America. With respect to the child workers between the ages of 5 and 14, Asia makes up 61% of child workers in developing countries, while Africa has 32% and Latin America 7%. Further, while Asia has the highest number of child workers, Africa has the highest prevalence of child labor (40%).

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child labour all around the world

Child labour is still common in many parts of the world. Estimates for child labour vary. It ranges between 250 and 304 million, if children aged 5–17 involved in any economic activity are counted. If light occasional work is excluded, ILO estimates there were 153 million child labourers aged 5–14 worldwide in 2008. This is about 20 million less than ILO estimate for child labourers in 2004. Some 60 percent of the child labour was involved in agricultural activities such as farming, dairy, fisheries and forestry. Another 25 percent of child labourers were in service activities such as retail, hawking goods, restaurants, load and transfer of goods, storage, picking and recycling trash, polishing shoes, domestic help, and other services. The remaining 15 percent laboured in assembly and manufacturing in informal economy, home-based enterprises, factories, mines, packaging salt, operating machinery, and such operations.^[42][43][44] Two out of three child workers work alongside their parents, in unpaid family work situations. Some children work as guides for tourists, sometimes combined with bringing in business for shops and restaurants. Child labour predominantly occurs in the rural areas (70%) and informal urban sector (26%).

Contrary to popular beliefs, most child labourers are employed by their parents rather than in manufacturing or formal economy. Children who work for pay or in-kind compensation are usually found in rural settings, then urban centres. Less than 3 percent of child labour aged 5–14 across the world work outside their household, or away from their parents.^[14]

Child labour accounts for 22% of the workforce in Asia, 32% in Africa, 17% in Latin America, 1% in the US, Canada, Europe and other wealthy nations.^[45] The proportion of child labourers varies greatly among countries and even regions inside those countries. Africa has the highest percentage of children aged 5–17 employed as child labour, and a total of over 65 million. Asia, with its larger population, has the largest number of children employed as child labour at about 114 million. Latin America and Caribbean region have lower overall population density, but at 14 million child labourers has high incidence rates too.^[46]

A boy repairing a tire in Gambia.

Accurate present day child labour information is difficult to obtain because of disagreements between data sources as to what constitutes child labour. In some countries, government policy contributes to this difficulty. For example, the overall extent of child labour in China is unclear due to the government categorizing child labour data as “highly secret”.^[47] China has enacted regulations to prevent child labour; still, the practice of child labour is reported to be a persistent problem within China, generally in agriculture and low-skill service sectors as well as small workshops and manufacturing enterprises.^[48][49]
In 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor where China was attributed 12 goods the majority of which were produced by both underage children and indentured labourers.^[50] The report listed electronics, garments, toys and coal among other goods.

Maplecroft Child Labour Index 2012 survey^[51] reports 76 countries pose extreme child labour complicity risks for companies operating worldwide. The ten highest risk countries in 2012, ranked in decreasing order, were: Myanmar, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, DR Congo, Zimbabwe, Afghanistan, Burundi, Pakistan and Ethiopia. Of the major growth economies, Maplecroft ranked Philippines 25th riskiest, India 27th, China 36th, Viet Nam 37th, Indonesia 46th, and Brazil 54th - all of them rated to involve extreme risks of child labour uncertainties, to corporations seeking to invest in developing world and import products from emerging markets.

child labour in postindustrial societies

Child labour in postindustrial societies

Child labour forms an intrinsic part of pre-industrial economies.^[18][19] In pre-industrial societies, there is rarely a concept of childhood in the modern sense. Children often begin to actively participate in activities such as child rearing, hunting and farming as soon as they are competent. In many societies, children as young as 13 are seen as adults and engage in the same activities as adults.^[19]

The work of children was important in pre-industrial societies, as children needed to provide their labour for their survival and that of their group. Pre-industrial societies were characterised by low productivity and short life expectancy, preventing children from participating in productive work would be more harmful to their welfare and that of their group in the long run. In pre-industrial societies, there was little need for children to attend school. This is especially the case in non literate societies. Most pre-industrial skill and knowledge were amenable to being passed down through direct mentoring or apprenticing by competent adults.^[19]

child bullying in child labour

beaten, bullied, shoeless and dirty, they toiled all day, and often night, in conditions of Dickensian squalor. But the popular image of working children in Victorian times ignores one key part of their experience: the young labourers were remarkably stoical about their suffering.

From the 11-year-old pin-maker who proudly said she had never been ill during her 12-hour working days to the nine-year-old who got cut and beaten round the head by his masters, there was little moaning from the mouths of 19th century child labourers in hundreds of testimonies that are today made available online (originsnetwork.com).

The voices of children as young as five working in paper mills, iron foundries, bleachfields, potteries and factories are vividly revealed in transcripts of interviews for the second report of the Children's Employment Commission. Set up in 1840, the royal commission was headed by Lord Ashley - later Earl of Shaftesbury - who made his name campaigning to reduce the working hours of women and children

Image of child labour statistics

Child labour laws in pakistan

Child labour in Pakistan. Both the Constitution and Labour laws prohibit the employment of children before the age of 14 years.

The Employment Of Children Act 1991 defines “child” as a person below 14 years of age and an “adolescent” as a person below 18 years of age (the definitions of child and adolescent in this act override these definitions in other labour laws). As mentioned above, the Constitution of Pakistan also regards the minimum age as 14 years. However, the 18th amendment has actually raised the minimum age up to 16 years without amending the labour laws, so contradiction continues. Article 25(A) of the Constitution says that the state now has to provide compulsory education to all children between the ages of five and sixteen years, which means that, a child can’t be allowed to work before 16 years of age.

The law also provides for certain exceptions. It says that no child has to be employed in any occupation, establishment or process defined as hazardous for children except where such process is carried by the family as a business or in any (training) school established, assisted and recognized by the government

child labour impact in our society

In order to overcome our daily living needs we need to work and earn according to individual capacities. In a healthy society individual perform their role according to their age, capabilities and health condition. In contradiction to this, many of the children are deprived of their basic right of freedom and education and they are compelled to start work in a very early age. They are paid very less so they start to work long hours in order to full fill their needs. This causes compromise in normal physiology. So it starts to affect every aspect of life from health, education and off course the socioeconomic status, thus automatically affecting the family and the whole society. According to Freedman (1998), "Child labor is... Work done by kids full-time under the age of 15. Work that prevents kids from attending school, such as unlimited or unrestricted domestic work. Work that is dangerous for kids and that is hazardous to their physical, mental or emotional health". There are number of children who are engaged in different kind of labours. According to International Labour Organization (2009), in Pakistan there are 40 million children age between 5- 14 years and among them 3.3 million children are engaged in labour.

Solution for child labour

SOLUTION TO STOP CHILD LABOUR

Solutions to avoid Child Labour :-

1) Increased family incomes .
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2) Education - That helps children learn 3skills that will help them earn a living .Children need to learn how to read and write. They need social and professional skills that only school and a nurturing environment can provide.Some countries have compulsory schooling and some provide free public schooling. However, in many countries, particularly for those where structural adjustment lending has led to the privatization of schools-the cost of teaching, books,and uniforms makes it impossible for children to get an education. 
3) Social Services - That helps children and families survive crises such as diseases or loss of home and shelter.

4) Family Control or Fertility - So that families are not burdened by children. 

5) Eliminate poverty - Boycotting is not the solution because it forces children, who otherwise have no specific training,to quit their jobs and return to the streets or to more dangerous activities. 
6) Enforce labour laws - Most countries have laws against child labour; however, some governments support child labour (regardless of existing laws) as a way of gaining a competitive market advantage.Preventing children from working is not necessarily the best solution; children may end up in worse situations and their families may become even poorer. 
7) Abolish child trafficking - Everywhere in the world, there are adults who earn a living by buying and selling children. The governments of all countries must take harsh measures against child trafficking. 
8) Promote fair trade Fair trade practices guarantee a fair price to small-scale producers. In 44 developing countries, fair trade helps keep 550 co-operatives in business. These co-operatives consequently provide goods to 5 million people and often reinvest profits in the community, where the money is used to build schools, medical clinics, wells, etc.

9) Replace child workers by adult workers - There are 800 million unemployed adults in the world; and yet, the number of working children is estimated to be at over 300 million. 

Child labour in agriculture

  

In many countries child labour is mainly an agricultural issue. Worldwide 60 percent of all child labourers in the age group 5-17 years work in agriculture, including farming, fishing, aquaculture, forestry, and livestock. This amounts to over 98 million girls and boys. The majority (67.5%) of child labourers are unpaid family members. In agriculture this percentage is higher, and is combined with very early entry into work, sometimes between 5 and 7 years of age1. Agriculture is one of the three most dangerous sectors in terms of work-related fatalities, non-fatal accidents and occupational diseases. About 59 percent of all children in hazardous work aged 5–17 are in agriculture.

Poverty is the main cause of child labour in agriculture, together with limited access to quality education, inadequate agricultural technology and access to adult labour, high hazards and risks, and traditional attitudes towards children’s participation in agricultural activities. Especially in the context of family farming, small-scale fisheries and livestock husbandry, some participation of children in non-hazardous activities can be positive as it contributes to the inter-generational transfer of skills and children’s food security. It is important to distinguish between light duties that do no harm to the child and child labour, which is work that interferes with compulsory schooling and damages health and personal development, based on hours and conditions of work, child’s age, activities performed and hazards involved.

Participation in some agricultural activities is not always child labour. Age- appropriate tasks that are of lower risk and do not interfere with a child’s schooling and leisure time can be a normal part of growing up in a rural environment. Especially in the context of family farming, small-scale fisheries and livestock husbandry, some participation of children in non-hazardous activities can be positive as it contributes to the inter-generational transfer of technical and social skills and children’s food security. Improved self-confidence, self-esteem and work skills are attributes often detected in young people engaged in some aspects of farm work. Therefore it is important to distinguish between light duties that do no harm to the child and child labour, which is work that interferes with compulsory schooling and damages health and personal development, based on hours and conditions of work, child’s age, activities performed and hazards involved.

Consequences of child labour

consequences of child labour

Injuries among Young Workers

One quarter of economically active children suffer injuries or illnesses while working, according to an International Labor Organization survey of 26 countries.Each year, as many as 2.7 million healthy years of life are lost due to child labor, especially in agriculture.Many of the industries that employ large numbers of young workers in the United States have higher-than-average injury rates for workers of all ages, such as grocery stores, hospitals, nursing homes, and agriculture.

Why do young workers have more accidents than adults?




Metal Worker

India, 1995

Photo: David Parker

“Unskilled” and labor-intensive jobs may be risky.Training and supervision may be inadequate.Work may be illegal and inappropriate.Lesser experience at work can increase the risk of aaccidents.

Poverty: An Additional Risk Factor

Low-income youth are more likely to work in high-risk occupations such as agriculture, mining, and construction.Poverty-related health problems (e.g., malnutrition, fatigue, anemia) increase the risks and consequences of work-related hazards and may lead to permanent disabilities and premature death.

Psychosocial Effects of Child Labor

Long hours of work on a regular basis can harm children’s social and educational development.
U.S. adolescents who work more than 20 hours per week have reported more problem behaviors (e.g., aggression, misconduct, substance use), and sleep deprivation and related problems (falling asleep in school). They are more likely to drop out of school and complete fewer months of higher education.The unconditional worst forms of child labor (e.g., slavery, soldiering, prostitution, drug trafficking) may have traumatic effects, including longer term health and socioeconomic effects.

Hazards of Agricultural Child Labor

child labour causing danger to children

child labour causing danger to children

Working conditions that are safe and healthy for adults may not be safe and healthy for children because of their physical differences. Risks may be greater for children at various stages of development and may have long-term effects. Factors that may increase the health, safety, and developmental risk factors for children include:

Match Factory Worker

India, 1993

Photo: David Parker

• Rapid skeletal growth
• Development of organs and tissues
• Greater risk of hearing loss
• Developing ability to assess risks
• Greater need for food and rest
• Higher chemical absorption rates
• Smaller size
• Lower heat tolerance

5 easy steps to stop child labour

5 easy steps to stop child labour

                            5 steps to stop child labour

1. Abstain from employing a child as domestic help

Abstain from employing a child. This is biggest step one can take to curb child labour. In India people tend to employ children as domestic help or for petty works in shops and garages e.g. helper, cleaner etc. As per United Nations development report 40% of domestic help in Mumbai are under-15 girls. A major chunk of child labour works as domestic help. Most of us have a flawed notion of morality and tend to justify employment of children as domestic help by reasoning that we are providing them better life as against what they would have been living at their home. However, it cannot be justified by any argument and in any case

2. Report to Police when you see child labour

Report to the police whenever you witness child labour. In addition to it you can also report to media and various NGOs like Bachpan Bachao  Andolan, Cry , Save the Children which are working for child rights. This will ensure the child being exploited get’s timely help and is rescued.

 3. Counsel the poor who send their children to work

Counsel the poor who have to employ children to ensure two square meal for the entire family. In our neighborhood or locality we do come across poor people like our maid, milkman, newspaper vendor, plumber, gardener etc who have got their children working instead of being in school. Try to convince them that their vicious cycle of poverty will be broken only when their children are educated and gain a meaningful employment after growing up. Counsel the children as well who are engaged in labour.

 4. Encourage children to take up education instead of work

Encourage children to take up education instead of work. A child’s mind is highly impressionable. Leave good impressions on it. Encourage him to dream for a better world. Inspire him to study and grab hold of a better life full of dignity and respect that awaits him

 5.  Donate to organisations fighting against child labour

Donate to prominent  and credible NGOs like CRY , World Vision , Save the Children , Bachpan Bachao Andolan  and many others to ensure that every single child gets timely help, every single child witnesses the dawn of hope and dusk of exploitation. These organisations also ensure these children take up education instead of work. Additionally, you can also donate and sponsor a child’s education. This will ensure that poor children don’t face financial crunch and complete basic minimum education. 

stop child labour

stop child labour

Rate of child labour in the world

Rate of child labour in the world

 Now a days people are miss using children. . they are buying them and they are taking harmful work from them. in these ages where children were suppose to read they are doing labour.children are uesd for begging, cleaning, helping and much more.

The following is the graph that shows the rate of child labour used all over the world;