CHILD BOND

BONDED CHILD LABOUR

IN INDIA

Almost all South Asian societies bear the brunt of this, one way or the other. However it is more prevalent in India, Pakistan and Nepal. ... Societies, which accept bonded labour as something normal, perceive child servitude as a matter of normal life rationalised by poverty, illiteracy and socio-economic back-wardness.

Child Labour- Facts 

•         India has the largest number of working children in the world (60- 115 million)
•             Estimated 15 million children are bonded labourers* (latest figures from  Human Rights Watch -1999)
• 
  
•          400,000 children in hazardous industries

•         About  300, 000 children, aged 5 to 15 – forced to work in carpet industry
• 
  
•           100,000 children, in the age group 6-14 years,  are working in the diamond industry
• 
  
•            About 5000 children, in the age group of 5- 16 years are employed in the silk industry of southern Karnataka

•      Child Prostitution: 15% of India’s estimates 2.3 million prostitutes are children 

INDUSTRIES EMPLOYING CHILD LABOUR:-

@Agriculture 

@Beedis

@Brassware 

@Mining

@Fireworks 

@Gemstones

@Glassware

@Silk and Textile Industry

@Stone Quarries

@Prostitution

@Fireworks and Matches

@Carpets

@Domestic Workers

How to make a slave out of a child????

nBorn into a caste

nSold into bondage

nTransference of debt

nKidnapped

nLured by false promises

nWithholding of documents, possessions

###Laws in India###

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act was enacted in 1986 and defines a child as "a person who has not completed their fourteenth year of age."

Exceptions/ Loopholes of this law:

•Only prohibits child labour in twenty-five “hazardous” industries (hazardous – only as defined by adult labour standards)

•Glaring loopholes and exceptions allow employers to violate the principles of this law e.g. child members of the employer’s family can be employed in such occupations - many employers use “extended family” child members as labourers

•Tacitly allows  use of child labor, even in hazardous occupations or industries.

•The act is also inapplicable to government-sponsored programs

Other Laws

•Factories Act, 1948

•Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966

•Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989

•Inter-State Migrant Workmen  Act, 1979

•Contract Labour Act, 1970

•Minimum Wages Act, 1948

•Plantation Labour Act, 1951

•Apprentices Act, 1961

•Shops and Establishments Act, 1961 

SOLUTIONSSSSSSSSSSS

Actions include:

qAwareness Raising;

qLaw Enforcement;

qLabour Inspection;

qEducational Support;

qSupport for Children and Families; and

qCooperation with International Initiatives

Ratifying Governments must:

qDesign, implement and monitor programmes

qEnforce the Convention’s provisions,

qPrevent worst forms of child labour and  remove and rehabilitate victims

qEnsure access to free basic education

qTake account of the special needs of girls and at-risk children ;

Ensure Universal Education.

THANK YOU