Child labour in India is influenced by poverty, a lack of education, population growth, and industrialisation. The government and non-governmental organisations have launched many initiatives to address the issue of child labour in India.
National policy on child labour
- The action plan for addressing the problem of child labour is contained in the National Policy on Child Labour, which was proclaimed in August 1987.
- It aims to use a progressive and sequential approach to rehabilitating children and adolescents.
- It intends to:
- Implement a legislative strategy.
- Focusing and convergence of general development programmes.
- Project-based action plan of action for the Welfare of Working Children
Juvenile Justice 2015
- The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 was enacted by the Indian Parliament amid great controversy, discussion, and protest by the Child Rights fraternity over several of its provisions.
- The Act also aimed to develop adoption legislation generally accessible in India.
National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme 2007
- The National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme uses a sequential approach emphasising the rehabilitation of children working in hazardous occupations and procedures.
- A survey of child labour engaged in hazardous activities and procedures has been done under the Scheme.
- The Factories Act of 1948 prohibits the employment of children under 14 years old in factories.
- International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions:
- India aims to eradicate child labour by 2025 in alignment with its commitments following the ratification of ILO conventions and the target set by Sustainable Development Goal 8.7.
- In 2017, India ratified two key ILO conventions addressing child labour:
- Convention 138, focusing on setting a minimum age for employment.
- Convention 182, targeting the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.
- Numerous NGOs such as Bachpan Bachao Andolan, CARE India, Child Rights and You, Global March Against Child Labour, RIDE India, and Child line are actively engaged in efforts to eliminate child labour in India.
- During the lockdown, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, a civil society group dedicated to children’s rights, rescued a total of 591 children from forced labour and bonded labour across various regions of India.
PENCIL
- PENCIL is an acronym for Platform for Effective Enforcement of No Child Labour.
- It is an internet platform aimed at integrating the Centre, States, Districts, Governments, Civil Society, and the general public to attain a child labour-free society.
- It was established to ensure the proper execution of the Child Labour Act in India and the National Child Labour Project (NCLP) Scheme