Itisree Lenka completed a project on "Child Labour in India" for their class. The project examined the definition, situation, causes, and consequences of child labor in India. It found that poverty is the main driver of child labor, and that many children work in hazardous conditions that harm their health and development. The document calls for government action and policies to eliminate child labor in India.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
“MAN DARES TO DREAM AND DREAM TO DARE”,
Project work gives us opportunities to express our miner creativity
.My project about, the study on “CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA” had
helped me to know about the various aspects of Indian child labour.
I am really very much greatful and harmful to our
principal DR.AVAY KUMAR PANDA for giving me such an
oppertunity which not only empowers our knowledge but also
paves the way for our journey to the infinite future.
I would at last want to thank my H.O.D., SAUDAMINI
ROUT and to my helping friends Pratisruti,Namita and Puspita
who helped me a lot and supported me to make this project a
successful one.
ITISREE LENKA
EXAM RL NO-09A10020
REGD NO-
CLASS RL NO-09DA120

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CERTIFICATE
This to certify that Itisree Lenka of +3 final degree
arts bearing the EXAM RL NO-09A10020 has made a study on
“CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA”.
This project work is jenuine and fair to the best of
my knowledge and belief.
SAUDAMINI ROUT
H.O.D. IN ECONOMICS
F.M. (AUTO.), COLLEGE, BALASORE.

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DECLARATION
I Itisree Lenka do here by declare that the
project entitled, A study on “CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA” Submitted
by me is original and genuine .I have not submitted by this project
anywhere before.
DATE: - ITISREE LENKA
PLACE: -BLESWAR +3 FINAL YEAR ARTS
EXAM RL NO-09A10020

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DEDICATION
This project is dedicated to GOD, TO MY MAMA AND
BABA And others.

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CONTENTS
1-INTRODUCTION
2-MEANING OF CHILD LABOUR
3-SITUATION ANALYSIS OF CHILD LABOUR
4- PROBLEM OF CHILD LABOUR
5-CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR
6-CONSEQUENCES OF CHILD LABOUR
7-GOVERNMENT MEASURES FOR TACKLING THE PROBLEM OF
CHILD LABOUR
8-NATIONAL POLICY ON CHILD LABOUR
9-ASSESSMENT OF CHILD LABOUR
10-SUGGETION FOR ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR
11-CONCLUSION

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CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA
INTRODUCTION
The problem child labour has got deep social and
Economical implication .Although ,child is the father of the man but
we do little for our children ,for whom ostensibly all the great
modern shrines are put. Industries we have millions of sad faces
mainly because child labour is prevalent .Child labours refers to the
employment of children at regular or sustained labour. These child
works present a sad picture of our modern industrialism.
Children are the greatest assets of nation and they should
be brought up with almost care and he or she should grow in
environment conductive to leaving with affectionate and
understanding to his/her needs.
But the situation in India is something different. What
we see at present is nothing much compatible with what is
aforesaid. The problem of child labour has attracted attention of
many of us since the problem of child labour has been acute in India.

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MEANING OF CHILDREN LABOUR
Child labour means a person below 14years
who is working for wage. According , to the labour investigation
committee, “one black spot of labour condition in India in this illegal
employment of children in certain industries.”
Homer Folks (The chairman of United states National
child labour committee.)Homer defines child labour as, any work by
children that interferes with their full physical development, their
opportunities for desirable minimum of education or needed
recreation.
The national sample survey defined child worker as
person below the age of 14, who is wage earner.
The concern for working children, a Bangalore based
organization, described a child labour as a person who has not
compled 15 years of age and is working with or without wage on a
part time or full time basis.

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SITUATION ANALYSIS OF CHILD LABOUR
Magnitude of Child Labour
According to an ILO survey in 1995, after Africa
(with 26.3%) Asia has the highest percentage (13%) of child labours
in the age group of 10-14years in the world. Nearly 25% of the
children are child laboures in India .The number of employed
children below 14years of age in various economic activities
according to the statement of union labour ministry in 1995 was 17
million(9.5 million malesand 7.5 million females) in the country is
worker.
India has the second largest children population in
the world. According to 1971 census the child population(the
population in the age group of 14)was230.5 million, which
accounted for over 42%of the total population of the country
and15.7crores children(0-6years age group)making up 15% of the
population. The child population has grown faster than total
population and its share in the country’s population has increased
remarkably from over 38%in 1901 to 42% in 1971.The child
population in 1981 was 263 million, accounted for over 38.4% of
the population and it rose to 330million in 1991.In 2001 the child
population was 158.8 million in India. The child labour in India was

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10753985 in 1971 , 13640870 in 1981 ,11285349 in
1991,12666377 in 2001.
One estimate puts the number of working children in our country at
44million-5.2% of the total population. According to a study of
UNICEG, there are more than a lakh child laboures in the age group
of 5-15 years in mirzapur carpet industry, 50,000 in Firozabad glass
industry, 50,000 in zari industry in Luckhnow, 10,000 in Aligarh
lock industries and 30,000 in brass industry in muradabad, 79%
working children in rural areas. Two third of working children
belong to the 12-15 years of age and the rest are below 12years.
SA majority of working children are concentrated in rural areas.
About 60% of them are below the age of 10years. Business and
trade absorb 23% while work in hour holds covers 36%.The
number of children in urban areas who work in canteens and
restaurants, engaged in picking rags and hawking goods is vast but

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unrecognized. Among the more unfortunate are those employed in
hazardous industries
A considerable number of child labour was employed in India in
organized sectors between 1891 and 1923.The number children
employed in factories increased from18,880 to 74,290.There has
been step decline in the proportion of child labour in factories from
0.48 in 1948 to 0.25 in 1952 to 0.10 and 0.05 in 1970.
According to conservative estimate, it has been
found that at least 50,000 to 1.5 lakh children are employed in
carpet industry in Kashmir and Punjab. Children are great demand
in bidi factories as their supply fingers are best suited for rolling the
dry leaves into bidi.

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According to the labour investigation
committee,” in most of the glass factories the basic factories the
basic materials viz, silica, soda, ash, calcium oxide, bora, saltpeter
etc. are mixed by workers in closed rooms and workers are
provided with neither dirt respirators nor goggles nor hand gloves.
Again to arrangement was made for the control of temperature.
Children are found to work with burns and cuts in their bodies.
In Delhi alone it is estimated that the more
affluent citizens employ about 25,000 children as domestics. Their
life is usually one of more monotonous routine. They often work
right throughout the month and throughout the year. The census
figure reveals that greater Bombay has the largest number of
working children among the metropolitan cities. This is because
Mumbai is highly industrialized and offers large number of job
opportunities to children in the tertiary sectors.

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According to 1991 census there are 36 lakh child
laboures in Karnataka of which 2lakh children are in sericulture
industry. Children employed in the sericulture industry (mulberry
cultivation, cocoon rearing, cooking, reeling, twisting) are
approximately 3500-4500 in the taluks of ramanagaram and 1000-
1500 in channapatna. According to the recent estimate, more than
15,000 children work in the construction industry in Bangalore.
More than 25,000 children work in the silk industry in Karnataka.
Fire works and match box units in Shivakashi in
Ramanathapuram districts of Tamilnadu employ 45,000 children. In
the state of pencil industry of Mandraur in Madhyapradesh 1000
children are below the age of 14 years . Mumbai has the largest
number of child workers . In Solapur 10,000 child workers are
engazed the in the wood carving industry. In Varanasi 5000 children
work in silk weaving industry . Even in Delhi 60,000 children work
in dhabas, tea stall and resturants . In the tea garden of Assam and in
various plantation employment of children below 12 years is

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prohibited. Girls who bring food to their mothers are encourege to
work . Children mostly, bays have an important role to play in
mining operations.
The growth rate of child workers is faster than the growth
rate of child population.
PROBLEMS OF CHILD LABOUR-
Child labour is more a rural phenomena than an
urban phenomena. Due to acute poverty poor families residing in
rural areas send their children to urban areas for bread and butte. In
urban areas to survive a competition, manufactures have lowered
the real wages for adult workers in order to employ. Child workers
on low wages. The problem is very much vast in its dimension.
Children are forced to work in the most hazardous, unhygine
conditions , where they are vulnerable to many several health
problems. In small trade industries , trades and crafts. Using little or
no machinery and power but employing a large number of workers.
In these factories, child workers are extensively employed
Children work in industries in which child labour
is prevented are wood and cork, furniture and fixtures, printing and
publishing and alied activities , lather products , rubber products,
transport equipment and personal services like laundries dying and
cleaning . countless children are employed as domestic servants ,
workers in hotels, wayside shops and establishments, hawkers and
news papers, sellers, ice cream and sweet venders ,shop polishing ,
helpers in services stations and repair shops . They are often hired

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along with their parents in construction works and take part in
loading, un loading and breaking stones.
Children work in dangerously polluted factories
whose brick walls are searved with black powder in smoke and
there is same an appersive smell in the air. They work near furnaces
which burn at a temperature of 14000 degree centigreate. They
handle dangerous chemicals like arsenic and potassium. They works
in glass blowing units, where the work experts their bodies and
creates diseases like TB, eye disease, asthma, bronchitis and black
aches. Among the working children many are the main or major
wage earners in the family who always remain workers about
feeding their dependents . The migrant children labours whose
parents live in some far including nights, when the factories are fully
functional are paid not more than Rs. 500 per month. They hand
over all their to their guardian who do not give them a rupee a day
for tea during the night shifts. There are times when bodies ache,
minds far, hearts cry but one order of the employer.
A visit to several factories in Delhi, Tamilnadu,
Andhrapradesh, Maharastrra reveals that a large number of child
workers have sunken chest and thin borne frames, which give them
a fragil look. They looks like rock dolls, unwashed and scarggly ,
they wear coarse and tailored cloths. Must of these children come
from extremely poor households. They are either school dropouts or
have not seen any school at all. The earn a very meager wage and
work in most unsafe conditions.
In the Country child prostitutes also become a
common phenomena . Thus , may have been rubbed of their
childhood life rather they are forced to live in destitute conditions.

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CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR
Chronic poverty has been identified as the most
important factor for the prevalence and perpetuation of child labour
in India. Poor parents believe that children can provide them the
best economic assets. Further, children can raise no voice when they
are employed in factories and therefore they can be best exploited.
The other reason for the ever increasing child labour is said to be,
the accelerated pace of mechanization of agriculture which pushes
the surplus farm labour to the cities in search of livelihood. A survey
conducted by the commission of child labour in Calcutta revealed
that socio economic conditions of the families compelled children to
come in search of employment in urban sectors. Thus, child labour is
the result of poverty and unemployment.
The problem of child labour is complex one.
There are many causes of child labour. These causes are discussed
as under:
1. ECONOMIC CAUSE-
In a country like India, 40% of the population is living in the
condition of extreme Poverty. Children work out of necessity
and without their earning ,the standard of living of their family
would decline .Low incomes of the family ,economic insecurity
,chronic diseases, ancestral ineptness are the inevitable factors.
The children either supplement their parents’ income. With the
collapse of the rural economy and the disintegration of joint
family system, large scale industrialization and the consequent

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erosion of agriculture economy compel the rural families and
the children to find monetary resource to maintain the family.
Unregulated industries take advantage of the situation and
employ large number of children at very low wage.
2-INTERST FOR CHEAP LABOUR-
Another important of child labour is that they are
deliberately created to get cheap labour. The owners of the
industries want to get more profit by engaging children as
labourers. Because the owners give wage to child labours.
Child labour is beneficial to industries.
3-EMPLOYERS JUSTIFICATION-
Employers of child labour give certain justifications for
employing children to support their guilt feelings. They say
that the works keeps children away from starvation.
They are also prevented from committing crime which they
would have indulged in if they had no jobs. It is also a fact that
poor parents are not able to give education to their children.
Hence , they do not send their children to schools. The children
who do not go to school move here and there with bad
companies. In order to keep them away from bad and anti-
social activities the parents engage their children in certain
work.
4-FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT MACHINERY-
Another cause of child labour is the failure of
government machinery. There is a nexus between the personal

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of labour department and the owners. Government has not
been able to provide alternative to child labour who do not
have any family income or support.
5-FAMILY CONDITION-
Family condition is also responsible for child labour.
Faulty socialization, violence in family and lack of care etc. are the
causes of child labour.
CONSEQUENCE OF CHILD LABOUR-
Child labour is the result of poverty and
unemployment. This spoils the adulthood life of the children and
their potentialities are not harnessed in the night manner. C. B.
MEMORIA has discussed the following consequence of child labour.
Child labour is directly related to child’s health
and exerts a negative effect upon it. It tends to interfere with the
moral family life and to encourage the break down of the social
control that is largely dependent upon it to preserve the existing
social order. It seriously interferes with education and thus
precludes the most productive participation, in the privileges and
obligation of citizenship.
It is the economic backwardness, which pushes
the child to the world of social and familiar problems which result in
child begging, juvenile delinquency, vagrancy, truancy etc..The
various problems that arise because of employment of children as
follows:
1-The emotional ties between children and their parents are
disturbed.

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2-As a result of such international distortion, the children slip off
from the family bondage and step into the world of disorganization.
The emotional affectionate relation between parents and child turns
into commercial interaction. The parents who live below poverty
line are compelled to sell the labour of their children, which results
in exploitation of child, through demand of maximum turnover at
minimum wages, thereby causing economic loss to society. Child
workers are necessarily handicapped by limitation of physical
strength and experiences so that they are not so productive as the
adults. Totally “The child labour is economically unsound,
psychologically disastrous and physically as well as morally
dangerous and harmful.”
3-The hazardous working conditions adversely affect the health of
child workers. Data reveals that a large number of child workers
have sunken chests and thin bone frames which give them a fragile
look. They look like rag dolls, limp, unwashed and scraggly. They
wear coarse and badly tailored clothes. Many of them have scabies
on hands, arms and legs. The heads of a few are tonsured probably
because the skin on their skull has developed severe infections.
A large number of the child workers are virtually
confined in small rooms under inhuman conditions and in the most
unhygienic surroundings. Most of these children come from
extremely poor households. They earn a very meager wage and
work in most unsafe conditions. The hazardous conditions take their
tool. Children suffer from lung diseases, tuberculosis, eye diseases,
asthma, bronchitis and backaches. Some are injured in fire
accidents. Many become unemployable even at the age of 20.If
injured or incapacited, they are discarded mercilessly by their
employers.

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Work in childhood is a social good and national gain,
but the circumstances under which child labour is prevalent, is a
social evil and national waste. The social problem arising out of child
labour implies the fact that: the child labour is directly related to
child health and exerts a negative effect upon it. It tends to interfere
with the normal family life and to encourage the breakdown of the
social control that is largely dependent upon it to preserve the
existing social order. It seriously interferes with education and thus
preludes the most productive participation in the privileges and
obligations of citizenships.
GOVRENMENT MEASURES FOR TACKLING THE PROBLEM
OF CHILD LABOUR-
In India, attempts were made from time to time to
provide legal protection to child labour. The following acts were
passed in India before independence to provide protection child
workers.
-The Factory Act, 1881
-The Indian Merchant Shipping of Labour Act, 1923
-The Children Pledging Of Labour Act, 1933
-The Employment of Children Act, 1338
-The Act Passed after independence are discussed as under:
-The Indian Factories Act of 1948.
-The plantation labour act of 1951.

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-The mines act of 1952.
- The child labour (prohibition and regulation)act, 1986.
THE INDIAN FACTORIES ACT OF 1948-
This act has limited hours of work for children,
prohibited night work and provided for weekly holiday.
‘No person who has not completed his 14 year may be
require or allowed to work in any factories.
THE PLANTATION LABOUR ACT OF 1951-
This act applies to all tea, coffee and rubber plantation,
child under the age of 12 shall not work in any plantation, no child
shall be employed except between the hours 6 am and 7pm, except
with permission of the state government. Employer must possess a
certificate of fitness of the workers given by surgeon.
THE MINES ACT OF 1952-
Under this act number of child under 15 years of age
may be employed in any mine, number of child may be allowed to be
present underground or in any excavation. where mining operations
are carried on. No of adolescent may work below ground in any time
unless he is certified to be medically fit to work as an adult by a
certifying surgeon.
THE CHILD LABOUR (PROHIBITION AND REGULATION) ACT
1986-
This acts provides for ban on the employment of children
and regulate the condition of work .It says down penalties for
employment of children in violation of the provision of this act.

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“No child shall be employed or permitted to work in any
of the occupation or in any workshop”. This includes a shop,
commercial establishments, workshops, farm, residential, hotel and
restaurants, eating houses, theatre or other place of public
amusement or entertainment.
On 23rd July 1998 included the following occupation
viz, handing of toxic substances , inflammable or explosives , carpet
weaving, cloth printing, dying and weaving including preparatory
and incident at process, plastic units, fiber glass and molding,
processing auto mobile workshop, sericulture units, manufacture of
lime stone, breaking, crushing, cotton ginning, pressing, pottery and
ceramic industry, production of hosiery goods, manufacture of
cement ceramic industry, manufacture of cement pipes and other
related work, gem cutting and polishing, process of agriculture
where tractors, threshing and harvesting machines are used, glass
manufactures, bricks, roof tile, polishing ,mould cutting, welding and
manufacturing of brass goods, paper making, manufacture of dyes
and dye staff , pesticides and insecticides, toxic substances, metal
cleaning, manufacturing process having high noise level, involving
thermal radiation, oil expelling and refinery, fabrication workshop,
tire making repairing , these work the children are more sufferer.
NATIONAL POLICY ON CHILD LABOUR-
The government believes that it is not easy to
completely wipe out child labour. It therefore only tries to improve
their working conditions reduce working hours, ensure minimum

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wages and provide facilities for health and education. It could be
said that the national policy has been main ingredients viz,
1-Legal action focusing on general welfare.
2-Developpment programs for the child workers and their families.
3-A project based action plan.
Initially ten projects were proposed to cover
the areas where child labour is prevalent. They include the glass
industry in Firozabad, carpet weaving in mirzapur, diamond cutting
industry in surat and zaipur , brassware industry in Moradabad,
match and fire works in shivakashi and so forth.
The union government set up a National
Authority in 1993 to eliminate child labour in hazardous industries
by the turn of the country. Rs.850 corers were provided in this plan
for benefiting into two million children. The plans aim at rehabiting
the child workers, giving them education in 15,000 schools in
different parts of the country.
The Government is also implementing the
international program for elimination of child labour. The program
was launched in January 1993. 33 action programs under this have
been approved and more proposals are under consideration. one
project with an interpreted approach aims rehabiting 5,000
children every year from the carpet trade. Ofcorse, the Indian
Government is spending annually Rs. 10 corers on ten National level
pilot projects in priority industries to wear away child labour and
rehabilitate them.

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For Successful implementation of the project, the
action plan has suggested the following strategies: Mass enrolment
of children into the schools, identifications of child labour.
Strengthening of enforcement machinery and
release of child labour assistance of child labour, involve of NGO’
Sand local bodies.
Center has fixed 2010 AD as the target year to
eliminate child labour completely from the country. Labour ministry
has 96 schemes to eliminate the problems.
So far 64 jobs have been identified as hazardous for
children. The budget of the 2000-2001year has been fixed at Rs.36
corers when compared to Rs. 34 corers last year.
The 96 projects cover 2 lakh children in 13 states, but
center is willing to extend this to other states Karnataka is among
the 13 states, which have larger population of child labour in the
country.
The government is preparing an action plan for
removing all children from hazardous occupation by 2005 and to
provide more funds for projects where they can be employed more
healthy and economically. The number of such projects is beings
increased from 96 to 100.
There are at present over 35,000 schools in the country
where over two lakh children have been rehabilited.
ASSESSMENT OF CHILD LABOUR:
In spite of various acts passed and measures taken by
the Government for the amelioration of the problem of child labour,

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the still continues. The legislation have been ineffective in affording
a measure of protection to children. The root cause of child labour is
poverty .Since poverty can not be eliminated overnight, the
employment of children bellow 14 years has been allowed in
selected unhazardous sectors. The child workers still continue to
work in conditions dangerous to their wealth.
The child workers have no shelters, no food and no
education. They are vulnerable to exploitation by everyone the
employers the parents and even the common man.
SUGGESTION FOR ELIMINATION OF CHILD LABOUR:-
The problem of child labour is a complex one. There
various factors which are through to be responsible for child labour
which needs holistic approach for its elimination. Following
measures may be taken for elimination of the problem.
1-STRICT ENFORCEMENT OF LAGISLATION-
Various acts have been passed for amelioration, of the problems of
child labour. But these acts have not been effective due to lack of
proper implementation. Hence, existing labour legislation must be
strictly enforced so that much of the evils will disappear.
2. ELIMINATION OF POVERTY:-
The root cause of child labour is poverty. The child labour can
not be eliminated without the eradication of poverty of parents of
child labour. Child labour due to economically necessities. If this is
removed the problem will be solved.
The problem of elimination of child labours should be
doubly attacked, on the one hand, the income of the poor sections of

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the peoples should be increased and on the other prohibition of
child labour should be strictly followed.
3-PROVISION FOR EDUCATION OF CHILDREN-
Free and job oriented education should be given to
children up to the age of 15. The child workers should also
given education along with their work. The National
communism on labour has observed, while the economic
difficulties are real, a way has to be found to give the child the
necessary education in his more receptive years. We fell this
can be ensured by fixing employment hours of children.
The Gurupadaswamy committee has
emphasized that, A part strict enforcement of statutory
provisions is existence, steps should be taken to make jobs
safe, secure and healthy while dovetailing job oppertunity with
education should be pragmatic keeping in view the future
prospects of the child.

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CONCLUSION-
Child labour is an international evil. It requires
cumulative efforts to wipe it out. Toiling long hours for a
pittance, these little breadwinners accept exploiting as a way of
life. The government on this front has also taken a few steps.
The (ILO) launched the international program for elimination
of child labours in 1991 and India was the first join the same in
1992. But still the problem presents due to poor
implementation of the plans and programs. The need of the
hours is to expand the machinery for enforcing the various
lows of child labour. There is a plethora of lows but nothing
can eradicate. Child labour unless there is awareness among
parents and children, which will go a long way in saving, the
future of millions children in India. Lastly instead of blaming
the supply side, we most focus on the demand side.