India has the largest number of child laborers in the world, estimated between 60-115 million children. Many work in hazardous industries like carpet making, gem mining, glassware production, and silk weaving. An estimated 15 million children are bonded laborers who work to pay off family debts. India also has an estimated 2.3 million child prostitutes despite having laws against child labor. However, implementation and enforcement of these laws remains a challenge due to loopholes, lack of inspections, and non-ratification of key international conventions. NGOs in India and abroad work to rescue and rehabilitate children while pushing for stronger legal protections and public awareness campaigns.

3.  India has the largest number of working children
in the world (60- 115 million)
 Estimated 15 million children are bonded
labourers* (latest figures from Human Rights
Watch -1999)
 400,000 children in hazardous industries
 About 300, 000 children, aged 5 to 15 – forced to
work in carpet industry
 100,000 children, in the age group 6-14 years,
are working in the diamond industry
 About 5000 children, in the age group of 5- 16
years are employed in the silk industry of
southern Karnataka
 Child Prostitution: 15% of India’s estimates 2.3
million prostitutes are children
*Bonded labour is an extreme form of exploitation. It “takes place
when a family receives an advance payment…to hand a child
over to an employer.” (Human Rights Watch)
INDUSTRIES EMPLOYING
CHILD LABOUR
Agriculture
Beedis
Brassware
Mining
Fireworks
Gemstones
Glassware
Silk and Textile Industry
Stone Quarries
Prostitution
Fireworks and Matches
Carpets
Domestic Workers
………
2002 Global March report on Worst forms of child labour
http://www.childright.nl

4. Extreme High Mortality-rate
No Free
Time
No
Education
No or Little
Wage
No
Possessions
No Privacy
Forced Labour
Extreme Working
Hours
Exhaustion
No Sick
Leave/Health
Care
Malnutrition
No Freedom
Of Movement
Emotional
Isolation Corporal
Punishment
Arbitrary
Assault
Sexual
Abuse
Prolonged
exposure to
hazardous
conditions,
toxic
environments

5.  Born into a caste
 Sold into bondage
 Transference of debt
 Kidnapped
 Lured by false promises
 Withholding of documents, possessions
The Supreme Court of India has stated that payment
of less-than minimum wages amounts to slavery,
for all labour – adult and child

6.  Poverty is the cause of child
bonded labour.
 If children do not work their
families will starve.
 Child labour is a result of
over-population.
 There is nothing wrong in
allowing children to work in
non-hazardous
occupations.
 Child bonded labour is the
result of many complex socio-
economic factors. Moreover, it
does not solve poverty.
 In most cases, children in
bonded labour do not prevent
families from starving.
 Even though population
growth has decreased, child
labour has grown.
 Any job with long and hard
hours is hazardous to a child’s
growth (and a large fraction
are actually employed in
hazardous environments).
http://www.freethechildren.org/youthinaction/child_labour_facts_myths.htm

7.  If children work, they become
equipped with skills for the future.
 Industry will collapse if child
labour is not available.
 A global ban on child labour
products will force the elimination
of the practice of child labour and
protect children's rights.
 Legislation prohibiting child labour
is sufficient to resolve the
problem.
 Their work is monotonous,
hazardous, exhausting and retard
their development; no skills for
future are developed.
 That is no reason to enslave a
child. Moreover, research has
shown substituted adult labour
would have minimal economic
impact on these industries.
 Only 8% of products from child
labor in India is exported.
 Enough laws and resources exist;
we lack implementation and
political will.
http://www.freethechildren.org/youthinaction/child_labour_facts_myths.htm

8. Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation)
Act, 1986
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act
was enacted in 1986 and defines a child as "a
person who has not completed their fourteenth year
of age."
Exceptions/ Loopholes of this law:
•Only prohibits child labour in twenty-five “hazardous”
industries (hazardous – only as defined by adult labour standards)
•Glaring loopholes and exceptions allow employers
to violate the principles of this law e.g. child
members of the employer’s family can be employed
in such occupations - many employers use
“extended family” child members as labourers
•Tacitly allows use of child labor, even in hazardous
occupations or industries.
•The act is also inapplicable to government-
sponsored programs
Bonded Labour System
(Abolition) Act, 1976
Abolishes the "bonded labour
system" and covers all of the
many permutations of the
bonded labor system in modern
India.
Other Laws
•Factories Act, 1948
•Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966
•Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes
Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989
•Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act,
1979
•Contract Labour Act, 1970
•Minimum Wages Act, 1948
•Plantation Labour Act, 1951
•Apprentices Act, 1961
•Shops and Establishments Act, 1961

9. India is a party to these international human rights conventions and is
legally bound by them.
However, India has NOT yet ratified the following ILO conventions, which
are critical to eliminate child labour and bonded labour.
• Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour, 1959
(No.105)
• Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No.138)
• Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
•U.N. Convention on the Suppression of Slave Trade and Slavery, 1926
•ILO Forced Labour Convention 1930, (No. 29)
•U.N. Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave
Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, 1956
•ILO Abolition of Force Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
•U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966
•U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989

10. Actions include
 Awareness Raising;
 Law Enforcement;
 Labour Inspection;
 Educational Support;
 Support for Children
and Families; and
 Cooperation with
International Initiatives
Ratifying Governments must
 Design, implement and monitor
programmes
 Enforce the Convention’s provisions,
 Prevent worst forms of child labour
and remove and rehabilitate victims
 Ensure access to free basic
education
 Take account of the special needs of
girls and at-risk children ;
 Ensure Universal Education.
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/ratify_govern.pdf

11.  India has the largest number of NGOs working in
the area of child labour and bonded child labour;
e.g.
 Global March
 Bachpan Bachao Andolan SACCS
 Some very successful consumer campaigns have
been run by these organizations:
 Rugmark
 'Fair Play' In The 2002 FIFA World Cup
 International NGOs
 Freetheslaves.org
 Iccle.org
 Antislavery.org

12.  Short Term- Immediate Goal
◦ Awareness Generation
 Increase awareness in your group, town, city through presentations, group discussion sessions etc
 Hold awareness generation programmes this June 12th , marking ILO’s World Day
Against Child Labour ( visit http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/wdacl/2005/index.htm)
◦ Campaigns
 Demand that Govt. of India ratify ILO C182 convention
 Demand State Govts., district collectors, factory inspectors enforce relevant laws
 Medium Term
◦ Social Labeling, similar to Rugmark campaign
◦ Support NGOs working for rescue and rehab
◦ Insist on “no child labour” policy in all of our projects’ supply chain
 Long Term
◦ Support livelihood generation processes
◦ Organization of processes for enforcement of relevant laws
For more information on presentations and campaigns contact ranjana.ghosh@gmail.com
sanat.mohanty@gmail.com
vignesh.nandakumar@gmail.com