Child labor is defined as work that harms children's development and deprives them of their dignity, affecting 168 million children globally, with the highest incidences in Sub-Saharan Africa and India. In India, 33 million children engage in child labor, predominantly in agriculture and hazardous conditions, with Uttar Pradesh accounting for a significant portion. Various initiatives and laws are in place to combat child labor, supported by both government and non-government organizations, aiming to eradicate the issue and improve children's access to education.

2. INTRODUCTION
The term “child labour” is often defined as work that deprives
children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and
that is harmful to physical and mental development.
It refers to work that:
 is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and
harmful to children; and/or
 interferes with a child’s ability to attend and participate in
school fully by obliging them to leave school prematurely; or
requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with
excessively long and heavy work.

3. GLOBAL FACTS AND FIGURES
The global figure of child labourers stands at 168 million (ILO).
Asia and the Pacific still has the largest numbers of child labourers (almost 78
million or 9.3% of child population), but Sub-Saharan Africa continues to be
the region with the highest incidence of child labour (59 million, over 21%).
A total of 160 million children –64 million girls and 96 million boys – are in
child labour globally, accounting for almost one in ten of all children
worldwide. Nearly half of all those in child labour – 73 million children in
absolute terms – are in hazardous work that directly endangers their health,
safety, and moral development.
- The agricultural sector accounts for by far the largest share of child labour.
The sector accounts for 71 per cent of all those in child labour and for 108
million children in absolute terms
.

4. Indian Statistics
• India alone has 33 million child labourers
• Rural India has the highest percentage of child labour, accounting to 80% of the total
burden in India.
• Children from rural India are most vulnerable to the vicious web of child labour in India.
• According to Census 2011, the highest number of child labourers work in Uttar Pradesh.
• Apart from industrial and agricultural tasks, many are made to work as maids, baby sitters
by the privileged.
• Did you know there is a 25 percent reservation for free education in private schools for
children from lower economic backgrounds?
• As per Census (2011), a little over 10 million child labourers are under 14 years of age
Different fields of child labour in India
Year Percentage of working children (5-
14)
Total number of working
children
(5-14) (in millions)
Rural Urban Total Rural Urban Total
2001 5.9 2.1 5.0 11.4 1.3 12.7
2011 4.3 2.9 3.9 8.1 2.0 10.1

5. STATES WITH HIGH INCIDENCES OF CHILD LABOUR
States Percentage Numbers (In million)
Uttar Pradesh 21.5 2.18
Bihar 10.7 1.09
Rajasthan 8.4 0.85
Maharashtra 7.2 0.73
Madhya Pradesh 6.9 0.70
The main states in India where child labor is present are Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. This is where over half of the country’s total child labor
population works. Uttar Pradesh has the highest amount of child laborers, with over 20%
of India’s child workers being residents in that state alone. (Save the Children, 2016) Most
of these child laborers are employed in the silk industry that is prevalent in the region.
Together, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh constitute
nearly 55%of total working children in India.
*Source – Census 2011

6. TYPES OF CHILD LABOUR
 Child labour in agriculture.
 Child labour and armed conflict.
 Commercial sexual exploitation of children.
 Child labour and domestic work.
 Migration and child labour. Resources on migration and child
labour. » » Resources on migration and child labour [+]
 Mining and quarrying.
 Safe work for youth.
 Trafficking in children

7. ROOT CAUSES 0F CHILD LABOUR IN
INDIA
Child labor extends into many different activities such as agriculture,
manufacturing, mining and domestic service (i.e prostitution).
Children are forced into child labor because of distinct factors;
migration, emergencies, the lack of decent work available and
poverty which is known as the most influencing factor. (UNICEF,
2017).
 Poverty. ...
 Lack of access to quality education. ...
 Poor access to decent work. ...
 Limited understanding of child labour. ...
 Natural disasters & climate change. ...
 Conflicts & mass migration. ...

8. EFFECT OF CHILD LABOUR
Labor at an early stage prevents children from going to school
and obtaining such abilities. There is a large amount of stress –
in most cases – put on these children to provide for their families
since there is normally no other mode of income within the
household. (ILO, 2017)
Additionally, psychological effects of child labor are often as
critical as the physical effects, which can lead to long-lasting
traumas. The children who have suffered horrific acts
of violence may grow up to develop mental illnesses such as
depression, guilt, anxiety, loss of confidence and
hopelessness. (Khan, 2016)

9. INITIATIVES

10. Constitution of India
Article 24 (Part III) – Prohibits children below the
age of 14 years to be employed in a factory or mine
or any other hazardous employment.
Article 39 (Part IV) – State to ensure that children
are not forced to do work unsuited to their age and
are given opportunities and facilities to develop.

11. National Legislations protecting Children rights
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
Procurement, bondage and exploitation of children below the age of 18 years in any
hazardous employment
Provisions under Indian Penal Code
Children (Pledging of Labour) Act, 1933
The Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act, 1976
Factories Act, 1948
Plantation Labour Act, 1951
The Mines Act, 1952 – Amendment 1983
The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966

12. GOVERNMENT OF INDIA INITIATIVES
The measures taken by the Indian government to reduce and eradicate the child labor are explained below:
 In 1998, the government of India launched the National Child Labor Project (NCLP).
 The government of India launched the main program to remove or eradicate child labor working in dangerous
or hazardous occupations and to rehabilitate them by setting up unique schools.
 The government has worked to put them in unique schools where they are furnished with education,
vocational training, monthly stipends, and nutrition and health checks.
 Education for all children is the key that can bring about a fundamental change and aid to end or stop the
difficulty permanently.
The government of India is determined to totally stop child labor in the country. The world largest child labor
elimination program in India, with primary education targeted for nearly 250 million. The international program on
the elimination of child labor (IPEC) has the world’s largest elimination of child labor in India.

13. Bodies set up by Ministry of Labour and Employment
 Child Labour Technical Advisory Committee (CLTAC)
 Central Advisory Board (CAB) on Child Labour
 Central Monitoring Committee (CMC)
 National Authorities for Elimination of Child Labour (NAECL)
In addition, the Indian government has also set up committees and institutions such as the
Gurupadswarmy Committee to investigate the exploitation of children.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment has also implemented numerous projects to
rehabilitate child workers since the late 1980s. Non-government organizations (NGOs) such
as Care India, Child Rights and You and Hand in Hand India have been set up to help the
government in its fight to end child labor. (Wikepedia, n.d)

14. International Agencies
• United Nations Organisation (UNO)
• United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
• United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)
• International Labour Organisation (ILO)
The Sustainable Development Goals include a renewed global commitment to ending child
labour. Specifically, target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals calls on the global
community to: Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern
slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of
child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all
its forms.
Date recognition
• June 12 is World Day Against Child Labour

16.  Suggestions
What can we do to stop Child Labour in
India?
 Spread Awareness
 More stringent laws and effective
implementation
 Sending more children to school
 Discouraging people to employ children in
homes, shops, factories, etc
 Supporting Government initiatives and working
in hand with them