Child Labour Essay: Understanding, Impact & How Students Can Help

Child labour refers to the employment of children for any kind of work that harms their physical and mental growth and stops them from getting the education and playtime they need. Many children are forced to work in dangerous or non-dangerous jobs like in farming, glass factories, carpet making, brass industries, matchbox factories, and as household helpers. It is a shame for our society and highlights how we fail to create a safe environment for children to grow and develop.

This essay aims to raise awareness about child labour by discussing its causes, effects, and the urgent need for action. It explores how we can work together to create a world where every child can enjoy their childhood, free from exploitation.

Short Essay on Child Labour

Childhood is considered to be the best time of one’s life but unfortunately, this does not hold true for some children who struggle to make both ends meet during their childhood years. According to the Child Labour project and 2011 census, 10.2 million children are engaged in child labour in India, out of which 4.5 million are girls. 

Earlier, children helped their parents in basic chores in agriculture such as sowing, reaping, harvesting, taking care of the cattle, etc. However, with the growth of the industries and urbanization, the issue of child labour has increased. Children at a very tender age are employed for various inappropriate activities and they are forced to make hazardous stuff using their nimble fingers. They end up working in garment factories, as well as in the leather, jewellery, and sericulture industries. 

Reasons for the Increase in Child Labour

Several Factors Contribute to the Rise of Child Labour.

One major factor is poverty. In poor families, children are seen as an additional source of income. These families often believe that having more children means more earnings. As the children grow, they are expected to help with family responsibilities.

Another key factor is illiteracy. Parents who cannot read or write often view education as a burden, thinking it requires too much money and offers little return. Instead, they prefer to have their children work and contribute to the family income. Unfortunately, child labourers are often exposed to unsafe conditions, long hours, and harmful experiences, which can negatively impact their physical and mental growth. The young, developing minds of these children struggle to handle such tough situations, leading to emotional and physical harm.

Unethical employers also play a role. They prefer hiring children because they can make them work harder for lower pay. The worst form of child labour is bonded labour, where children are forced to work in order to pay off their family's debts. This often leads to the trafficking of children from rural to urban areas, where they are made to work as domestic help, in small factories, or even as street beggars.

Role of the Government

The government has a very important role to play in the eradication of child labour. As poverty is the major cause of child labour in our country, the government should give assurance to provide the basic amenities to the lower strata of our society. There should be an equal distribution of wealth. More work opportunities need to be generated to give fair employment to the poor. The various NGOs across the nation should come forward and provide vocational training to these people in order to jobs or to make them self-employed. 

This lower stratum of our society should understand and believe in the importance of education. 

The government and NGOs should connect with these people to spread awareness and start free education for all children aged 6 to 14. Parents should be encouraged to send their children to school instead of making them work.

Educated and wealthy citizens can help improve the lives of this group by supporting them. They can also share the harmful effects of child labour. Schools and colleges can create creative programs to help poor children learn.

Schools and colleges can come up with innovative teaching programmes for poor children. Offices and private and government institutions should offer free education to the children of their staff. 

Moreover, awareness of family planning needs to be created among these people. The NGOs and the government must educate them about family planning measures. This will help the family to reduce the burden of feeding too many mouths.

Child Labour is a Crime 

Despite the strict law about child labour being a crime, it is still widely prevalent in India and many other countries worldwide. Greedy and crooked employers also lack awareness of human rights and government policies among the people below poverty. 

Children in certain mining operations and industries are a cheap source of labour, and the employers get away with it because of corruption in the bureaucracy. Sometimes low-income families may also ignore basic human rights and send their children to earn extra money. It is a systemic problem that needs to be solved by addressing issues at many levels. 

However, to protect young children from such exploitation, the Indian government has come up with a set of punishments. Any person who hires a child younger than 14, or a child between the ages of 14 and 18 in a dangerous job, they are liable to be imprisoned for a term of 6 months-2 years and/or a monetary penalty ranging between Rs.20,000 and Rs.80,000.

Eradicating Child Labour 

Eradication of child labour will require support from multiple aspects of society. The government programs and government agents can only go so far with their efforts. Sometimes, poor and uneducated families would be reluctant to let go of their familiar ways even when better opportunities are provided.

That’s when normal citizens and volunteers need to step up for support. NGOs supported by well-meaning citizens will have to ensure that the government policies are strictly enforced, and all forms of corruption are brought to light.  

Education drives and workshops for the poor section of the economy need to help raise awareness. Parents need to understand the long-term benefits of education for their children. It can help in developing the quality of life and the potential to rise out of poverty.

The harmful consequences of child labour mentally and physically on the children need to be taught in the workshops. Government petitions can also encourage schooling for younger children by offering nutritious meals and other benefits. 

Understanding family planning is essential for population control. Low-income families with more children often feel compelled to send them to work to support the household. Having fewer children means that they are valued, and parents focus on providing for their nourishment, education, and long-term well-being. 

Having fewer kids also makes them precious, and parents will not send them to hazardous working environments in fear of permanent injury or death. The government should offer incentives to families with one or two children, promoting lower birth rates among poorer households while helping them enjoy a better quality of life.

Government Policies

The Indian Government enacted many laws to protect child rights, namely the Child and Adolescent Labour Act, 1986, the Factories Act, 1948, the Mines Act, 1952, the Bonded Labour System Abolition Act, and the Juvenile Justice Act, 2000. 

As per the Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation), 1986, children under the age of fourteen years old could not be employed in hazardous occupations. This act also attempts to regulate working conditions in the jobs that it permits and emphasizes health and safety standards. 

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 mandates free and compulsory education to all children between the age group of 6 to 14 years old. 

Conclusion

A nation full of poverty-ridden children cannot make progress. It should be the collective responsibility of society and the government to provide these impoverished children with a healthy and conducive environment, which will help them to develop their innate capabilities and their skills effectively.