Impact of Child Labour


Impact of Child Labour
Judit Liyara (B.Ed. English)
Avila college of Education
EdaKochi

 

Abstract
Child labour is a social evil prevailing in our society. There is an old saying that goes ‘The child is the father of man’. It simply translates that childhood is the formative period when a man’s character is shaped, traits are built and values inculcated. Quality of life at this stage assumes great importance in the light that today’s children are tomorrow’s adults and would soon be key players in the future society. Deprivation takes the form of lack of quality time with family, absence of personalized love and a sympathetic ear in the efficient countries.
 


Introduction
Child labour is integrated part of labour force, especially in poor countries. These children are the most deprived of population forced to enter labour market at a tender age to earn something to contribute to family work, sacrificing personal development. Poverty caused with rapidly growing population and increasing dependency loud are behind the incidents of children, employment in village and towns of developing countries. The exploitive structure and lopsided development.
                      Child labour hamper the normal, physical, intellectual. Emotional and moral development of a child, children who are in the growing process can permanently desert or describe their bodies when they carry heavy load or are forced to adopt in natural positions at work for long hours. Children are more vulnerable because they are less resistant to diseases and suffer more readily.

Need and Significance
In India, child labour is not a new phenomenon, it has been in existence since time immemorial in one form or the other and has been changing from time to time. With the advent of industrialisation and urbanization in the early 19th century, the factory and industry began taking the place of handicrafts. Agriculture became more mechanised. This gave rise to landless labourers. And consequently, there was an unbroken stream of the rural poor migrant to urban centres in search of livelihood.Factory, on the other hand required cheap and potential labour.

Objectives
·        To know the prevailing social evil existing in the society.
·        To know about child labour

Methodology
The content analysis methodology was adopted for preparing this article. Various other articles on child labour were also analysed to prepare this article. The data from internet sources were also put into use.

Theoretical overview: Child Labour
Child labour is a complex issue, it raises questions that are difficult to answer, it has no simplistic solutions and needs to be tackled at different levels. India is a signatory to the both the UV Convention and ILO that strictly ban employing children below the age of 14, closer home we have the Child Labour Act of 1986. In many other cases the law breakers close with impurity with a concept and insensitive official machinery looking the other way and making a mockery of the legal process. The fact that the exploited have no other choice and are willing to readily give themselves up to the exploitations than starve make it difficult to liberate them. Non-government bodies like the centre of concern for child labour, social awareness organization and pressure from organizations from abroad in the form of banning import of product made with child labour have had a better impact in curbing the menace of child labour or improving their working condition than the child labour laws which exist only on paper or their enforcers.

Conclusion
Child labour has been a big social issue which interferes the nations development to a great extent. As we all know that children become the future of the country so why people are using child labour only for their small benefits. Child labour withdraws small children from their sweet and memorable childhood. It interferes with their regular schooling as it disturbs them mentally, physically, socially and morally.

Implications of the study
·        Child labour is not only a social problem but also an economy.
·        Watching a young child work for fourteen hours a day is what is termed as child labour.
·        Child labour has a predominant feature in Indian society.
·        Carpet industry requires the fine little fingers to weave the finest of knots to create the most expensive of carpets.
·        Fire cracker industry probably prefers kids to men because they are cost effective and more efficient.
·        Even household labour children last longer and are more honest than adults; is a claim made by most homemakers.
·        Children born out of wedlock, children with no parents and relatives often do not find anyone to support them.
·        This is a root cause for the problem. Even in family is very poor, the incidence of child labour will be very low unless there are people willing to exploit the children.



References
·        https://www.childlineindia.org.in/
·        https://en.reset.org/knowledge/





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