World Against Child Labour Day is celebrated every year on June 12. Declared as a controlled holiday by the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Against Child Labour Day was first celebrated in the year 2002. Today, India accounts for as many as 90 lacs approx. (9 million) of the world’s child labor population.
RTIwala Trending: If children are the future, child labor is the darkness that follows. At a time when the world is advancing in every possible way, the hard fact lies in its utter inability to put an end to it altogether. However, the good news is that there’s a gradual decline in the statistics around the world against child labor. The need to stop child labor and provide children with the prerequisite for a safe environment and a secure future had been globally recognized, but there’s a long way to go ahead of us. In countries on the lower side of development, 1 in every four children is engaged in child labor. This alone means the path to a better economy and society are dimmed with lack of education and growth for its children.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
In India, there has been a no. of reforms in the laws to bring child labor down, but a lot remains to be implemented. Today, as we mark the 16 years of celebrating the World Against Child Labour Day, let’s take a look at the many facets of child labor in India and the world.
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Child Labour Statistics:
- According to UNICEF Data, 2017, more than 150 million children are caught in child labor across the world. What’s more disturbing is that 73 million of these children are into hazardous jobs.
- Apparently, this forms to there are 45 million boys and 28 million girls working under hazardous conditions across the world.
- In India, 1 out of every 11 children is a child laborer, reports ActionAid India.
- According to the United Nations, in the total workforce of 541 million young workers includes 37 million children work hazardous child labor. The 541 million young workers are aged between 15-24 years old.
The Daily Plight of Child Labour in India
Most of the child laborers put in a massive 21 hours per day at work, which is more than enough to lead to a steady deterioration in their physical and mental health. In India, almost 10% of the total population facing child labor, work in family enterprises. However, the law restricts engaging children below 14 years of age to be engaged in such enterprises. The violation of these terms by an employer can lead to a jail term or even closure of his/her business. The same applies to the employers belonging to the entertainment industry as well.
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Where do the highest percentage of Child Labourers belong to?
Globally, there are about 150 millions of child laborers. And a majority of them belong to the African and South-Asian regions. Countries like Pakistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Zambia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mexico, etc. Most of these children work for industries that deal in glass manufacturing, tobacco production, carpet weaving, brass manufacturing, matchbox manufacturing, lock manufacturing, and coal mining.
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In India, a majority of child laborers belong to the states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan & Maharashtra. Given that these states have shown potential growth over the years, it is surprising to see them still fall flat on the issue of child labor. Astonishingly, one of the biggest banes created by child labor is the massive no. of children being trafficked for some or the other purpose across the world. There are approximately 1.5 million children being trafficked around the world. It’s time everyone joins the massive movement against child labor and child trafficking.
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Given the staggering numbers, there’s a lot to be done to free the innocent children from the shackles of all kinds of labor. So, the next time you hear about a missing child in India, you may report it to www.khoyapaya.gov.in . After all, a small step can take the world, a long way.
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