The present paper tries to throw light on very serious issue of the child labour in our society. Children are the future of any society and in turn they shape the world’s future. Right to education is a fundamental right of every child. However a large number of children are engaged in various employment activities i.e. Rag Picking, Tea Stall, Dhaba, Restaurant, Agarbatti Industry etc. and give their economic contribution in the family. Mostly they are working in hazardous conditions and its impact also seen on their health. In this concern the paper highlights issues of child labour.

As per the ILO report 168 million child labour around the world are engaged in child labour in 2012. The number accounts for 11 percent of the world child population. Child labour is a concrete manifestation of violations of a range of rights of children and is recognized as a serious and enormously complex social problem in India. Working children are denied their rights to survival, development, education, leisure and play, adequate standard of living, opportunity for developing personality , talent, mental and physical ability and protection from the abuse and being a neglected segment of the society.

Article 24 of the constitution of India also lays down that no child under the age of fourteen years shall be employed in any mine or engaged in any other hazardous employments and any contravention of this provision shall be an offence punishable in accordance with the law. Besides right to education is a fundamental right of every child, Indian constitution provides guarantee of free and compulsory education for all the children between ages of 6-14 years. On the other hand parents and guardians of the children are also assigned with fundamental duty to send them to school. However all children are not enrolled in the school and engaged in the employment i.e. rag picking, vendor, servant etc and earn small income for the family. Mostly they are working in hazardous conditions and its impact is seeing on their health. They are victims of various diseases i.e. back pain, weakness, body pain etc.

In the time of pre industrial agricultural society of India, children worked as helper and learners in hereditarily determined family occupation under the benign supervision of adult family members. Therefore child labour is not new concept in this age, but in the era of industrialization and urbanization, traditional occupations were collapse in the villages and therefore majority of the people were unemployed and they had to search for sources of livelihood in the urban area. The child also had to work as an individual person either under an employer or independently. Their working condition is unsafe and their work environment endangers their physical health and mental growth and lead to their exploitation. Thus child labour is a complex problem having economical as well as deep social, educational and cultural roots. But the problem of child labour is directly linked with education because majority of the child labour is dropout from the school or do not enroll at all the school. Due to poor economic condition the children’s have to earn for livelihood of the family.

Review of Literature:

Various studies have been conducted for child labour in the state level, national level and international level by researchers, social workers, social scientists, government and NGOs etc., which are highlights the issues of child labour i.e. poverty, hazardous working condition, exploitation, low wages etc. with this concern the present study has referred the books, articles, journals, press release etc. Which are reviewed the child labour , extent of child labour , various issues of child labour ,and government policy, All these mentioned given in next.

According to B B Patel child labour involved in organized and unorganized sectors employment. In organized sector they are working in tea factory, manufacture in food and food products, hosiery industry etc. Majority of child labour found in hosiery industry and manufacture of food products. In unorganized sector they are engaged in glass factories, potteries, rag picking, handloom industry, beedi industry, carpet weaving, selling of pop corn, water bottle and water pouch etc. A bulk of child labour engaged in glass factories and potteries. Thus the child labour give their income contribution in the family and may be their income being a supplement income in the family but the child lost their innocent child hood with joy full school days.

According to B B Patel child labor involved in organized and unorganized sectors employment. In organized sector they are working in tea factory, manufacture in food and food products, hosiery industry etc. Majority of child labour was found in hosiery industry and manufacture of food products. In unorganized sector they are engaged in glass factories, potteries, rag p handloom industry, beedi industry, carpet weaving etc. A bulk of child labour engaged in glass factories and potteries.

Tripathi (2003) also focuses on problems of child rag pickers in his book “Child Labour; a Study of Rag Pickers”. Child labour is a very serious problem all over the world. A large number of child labour is involved in rag picking. Estimated child labour in India ranges from 17 million as per NSS survey of 1983, to 44 million as per operation research group and as per activists of the campaign against child labor within the range of 40 to 100 million. Child labour is the work by children which interferes with their full physical development, education and recreation. The child labour is economically unsound, psychologically disastrous and physically as well as morally dangerous and harmful. Child labours working in hazardous condition sometimes become victim of factious of diseases; the list is given in below table.

Table 2.1:
Occupational Impact on Health

All the child labour are engaged in unorganized sector employment that’s why study also reviews the related and given the brief of the unorganized sector.

"The unorganized sector consists of all unicorn ported private enterprises owned by individuals or households engaged in the sale and production of goods and services operated on a proprietary or partnership basis and with less than ten total workers." NCEUS( National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganized Sector) defined unorganized or informal employment, “workers consist of those working in the unorganized enterprises or households, excluding regular workers in the formal sector without any employment /social security benefits provided by the employers”

NCEUS prepared estimates of employment in the unorganized sector. As on January 2005, the total employment (principal and subsidiary) in the Indian economy was 458 million, of which the unorganized sector accounted to 395 million, i.e. 86 percent of the total workers in 2004-05. Unorganized workers constituted 92.4% of the total workforce, accounting to 423 million workers.

Unorganized workers may be categorized under the following four broad heads namely, in terms of occupation, in terms of nature of employment, in terms of especially distressed categories, and in terms of service categories. Small and marginal farmers, landless agricultural laborers, share croppers, fishermen, those engaged in animal husbandry, in beedi rolling, beedi labeling and beedi packing, and other construction workers, leather workers, weavers, artisans, salt workers, stone quarries workers in saw mills, oil mills etc. agricultural labor, bonded labors, migrant workers, contract and casual laborers come under the second category. Tappers, scavengers, carriers of head loads, drivers of animal driven vehicles, belong to the especially distressed category while midwives, domestic workers, fisherman and women, barbers, vegetable and fruit vendors, newspaper vendors come under the service category.

395 million workers are employed in unorganized sector, while 1.4 million workers avail of social security benefits and are, therefore, classified as organized workers. after applying the two criteria , out of a total employment of 457.5 million workers ,only 34.9 million are entitled for social security benefits i. e. 7.6 percent of the total workers in 2004-05 and the remaining 422.6 million(92.4%) are treated as unorganized workers. comparing with 1999-00, it is revealed that though during 1999-00 and 2004-05 total employment in the economy increased from 397 million to 458 million, i.e. an increase by 61 million during the period of 5 year, the number of organized workers remained stagnant at 35 million and the entire increase of employment was in the category of unorganized workers. NCEUS, therefore, sums up the situation as under:

Characteristics of Unorganized Labor:

1. It is in general a low earning sector
2. Women constitute an important section of the workers in this sector
3. Family labor is engaged in some occupations such as home-based ones.
4. Economic activities, which engage child labor, fall within this sector
5. Migrate labor is involved in some sub-sectors.
6. Piece-rate payment, home-based work and contractual work are increasing trends in this sector.
7. Direct recruitment is on the decline. Some employees are engaged through contractors.
8. If some kinds of employment are seasonal, some others are intermittent. As such, underemployment is a serious problem.
9. Most jobs are, for the greater part, on a casual basis.
10. Both employed and self-employed workers can be found in a number of occupations.
11. Workers are not often organized into associations. There is no much recourse to collective bargaining.
12. There are many co-operatives of self-employed workers.
13. Very often, others supply raw materials, production by self-employed workers, therefore, becomes dependent on or linked with enterprises or individuals in other sectors.
14. Debt bondage is very common among the employed as well as the self employed workers in the unorganized sector.
15. The self employed have less access to capital. Whatever capital they manage, is mostly from non banking and various sources, especially from the trader contractor.

Thus the present study collected various literature related for the issue of child labour from the books, journal, and newspapers etc. which are present a fact on the life of child labour.

Statement of the Problem:

Much research work has been done on child labour at the national level and international level because child labour is an international problem. Majority of child labour are living with extreme poverty or below poverty line. India has launched Twenty point Progrmme to eradicate poverty. It has been successfully implemented in our state and for implementation of the above mentioned programme, Gujarat’s rank first in the implementation of Twenty point Programme to remove poverty. However poverty is not totally remove from the society, therefore povertyand unemployment are more responsible fectore behind the increasing rate of child labour. Sometimes child labour are facing many problems in the society i.e. rape, harassment, child trafficking, child abuse, child rape etc.

Rational for the Study:

This study emphasizes on child labour and such a study goes deep into the problems. Society, NGO, government , social scientist, social worker etc. can be made aware of such a serious issues of child labour and how they are made aware from the serious issues of child labour those who are working in the hazardous condition. With the help of above mentioned tries to decrease or remove child labour problem from the society. Child labor is one of the issue of agenda of vibrant Gujarat that’s why it is much relevant to the government’s schemes, programme, etc. which are made for welfare of the child labour.

Objectives:

1. To understand the serious issue of child labour
2. To know the socio-economic background of the child labour
3. To know their health problem

Methodology:

1. Study Design
   

   Qualitative and quantitative methods employed in the present study. Primary and secondary information gathered through use of interview scheduled and use of review of literature which are collected from various books, articles, press release, journals etc.

2. Universe:  The study conducted in the various areas of surat city.

3. Sampling Frame:
   

   30 sample respondents randomly selected for this study.

4. Source of data:

   Data gathered through primary as well as secondary sources. Field data collected by interviewing the child labour from the various areas of surat city Secondary data collected from the related literature, article, books, journal and press releases etc. from the library.

5. Tools and Technique and Methods of Data Collection:

   Interview scheduled with attendant techniques used as tool of data collection from the respondents. Moreover methods of interviewing and observation have been used for gathering the needed information, so field data for the present study collected by observation and interviewing the child labour . The present study carefully prepared and for their comprehensiveness mutual exclusiveness, reliability and validity. Methods and techniques will be very useful in the data collection during the field survey.

6. Data Analysis and Interpretation:

   Collected data analyzed through qualitative and quantitative method of analysis. In quantitative method, frequency, correlation and cross tabulation used and data analyzed accordingly.

7. Limitation of the Study:

   The study restricted only for city of Surat city.

Major Findings:

1. Child Labour:

Children are the future of any society and in turn they shape the world’s future. A right to education is a fundamental right of child. Constitution of India provides guarantee of free and compulsory education for all the children between the age of 6-14 years. Besides parent/guardian of the child is also assigns with fundamental duty to send them to school. However drop out ratio shows that not all the children go to school. Thus child labour lost their childhood.

1. Definition of Child Labour:

“When the business of wage earning or of participation in itself or family support conflict directly or indirectly with the business of growth and education, the result is child labour,”

- Encyclopedia of Social Science

“Child labour includes children prematurely leading adult lives, working long hours for low wages under conditions damaging to their health and to their physical and mental development sometimes separated from their families, frequently deprived of meaningful educational and training opportunities that could open up for them a better future.”

- International Labour Organization

“Any child engaged in productive work is child labour.”

- Census of India

“All the children deprived of their fundamental right to education between the ages of six to fourteen years are child labour.’

- Gujarat State Action Plan for Elimination of Child labour

1. Magnitude of Child Labour

There is 27.57 percent child labour in the world, which declined in 2000 to 11.32percent. According to ILO estimates 219 million economically active children, 166 million were child labour in the world in 2004. According to census of India, 12.67 million child labourers were in India in 2001. Uttar Pradesh is on the top, followed by Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh in employing children and these five states had half of the child labour force in country. Besides as per the census 2001, Gujarat had 4.85,530 working children, who comprises of 3.85 percent of child labour in the country and the state stands at the ninth position. In Gujarat, all the districts have child labour i.e. Surat, Banaskantha, Vadodara, Ahmadabad, Rajkot, have comparatively more number of children than that of others, while Dang, Porbandar, Navsari, Narmada, Bharuch etc., have comparatively lower number of child labour. Mostly child labourers are migrates from other states i.e. Rajasthan, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh etc. and mostly found in Zari work, Jardoshi work, Gold Smith shop, Cloth Market, Domestic work, Eatery shop, Dhaba, Restaurant etc. the state wise and district wise child labour distribution are given in annexure no-1and 2.

1. Types of Child Labour:

1. Worst form of child labour:
   According to ILO Convention 182, “ worst of child labour’ includes children meaning all forms of slavery and practices similar to slavery such as(i) the sale of a child (ii) trafficking of children, meaning the recruitment of children to do work far away from home and from the care of their families, in circumstances within which they are exploited(iii) debt bondage or any other form of bonded labour (iv) forced or compulsory labour including forced or compulsory recruitment of children for use in armed conflicts; (v) commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) including the use, procuring or offering of a child for prostitution or production of pornography or for pornographic performance and use, procuring or offering a child for illegal activities, also known as children used by adults in the commission of crime(CUBAC), including the trafficking or production of drugs.

2. Prohibited child labour:
   The child work is hazardous or exploitative in nature, it is prohibited by law and made an offense. The child labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 prohibits employments of children in 16 occupations and 65 processes and has made it punishable.

3. Regulatory child labour:
   The occupation or process, which is not prohibited by law shall follow the regulation made for employment of children.

4. Child work in assistance of their family:
   This child labour consists of children working in assistance of their family in their traditional work. Special feature of the class is neither offensive nor regulatory. In fact, in such work; there is no relationship between employer and worker, whereas in some cases employer he is parent in household industry, etc.

The present study examines the causes of child labour;Main factors responsible for the problem of child labour are poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, urbanization, market demand etc. which are given as below

1. Causes of Child Labour:

1. Poverty: The problem of poverty is directly related to child labour. Approximately 70 percent of population lives below poverty line and raises the magnitude of the child labour. While parents do not get enough work and enough earning for livelihood of the family, and thus they are compelled to send children to work. In the case of female headed family the need is more. Thus due to poverty children have to earn.

2. Illiteracy:  When parents are illiterate, they do not understand the importance of education for their children. They want to have additional income through child’s working and therefore number of the child labour is increased in the society. Free and compulsory education act is made for children in every state but due to parents’ illiteracy and ignorance number of children is found illiterate either dropout. In Gujarat out of total 7685743 students enrolled in 2007-08, 9.87 percent drop out rate is found in 2007-08 in the Gujarat.

3. Large Family Size: While family is large and has no enough income for livelihood of family members and has no money enough for education, recreation, health care, etc. that’s why family want to supplement income through the children therefore children are also engaged in work for earning.

4. Child Labour: easily available: After industrialization, the tendency of employer is to have quick and more profit at low cost with cheap labour and hence they want child labour and employ children in large number in the factories. Mostly children are mute against the employer. Children are doing more work and get very less wages from the employer the child labour is very cheap commodity.

5. Bondage: It is one more responsible factor for the increased child labour and it is also a product of poverty. Almost 70 percent of child labour force in rural areas and urban unorganized sector are put under diverse forms of bondage by their own parents and guardians. Some times parents take loan or do agreement with employer hence children have to work all the time in exchange of money or food with employer.

6. Culture and tradition: it is an also one of the cause for growth of child labour. The tradition and culture of the family occupation often motivates the child to become a bread earner for family For example, a goldsmith’s son takes to gold smithery, or a carpenter’s child prefers carpentry. One such example is that 15.75 percent of child labour had joined the Aligarh lock industries because of their family traditions. Sometimes parents are teaching traditional occupation to their children.

7. Unemployment: in India with day to day population increase and also increase in the unemployment rate, the elder are finding difficulties in getting jobs. The employers are interested in enrolment of child labour in industry. Hence elders do not have opportunity for employment. Hence the child labour increases and creates the problem.

8. Urbanization: This is a one more factor responsible for child labour. Due to industrialization and urbanization, in the state of Gujarat, a number of migrate child labour are found in tea stalls, dhabas, hotels, restaurants etc.

9. Market Demand: The demand of child workers exists because they are docile, obedient, hired at cheaper rates than adults and can be dispensed with the easily should the labour demands fluctuate. They involve no long term, investment on the part of industry in terms of insurance, social security or other benefits and low-paid child labour.

These are the main reasons behind the increased rate of child labour in India. The study also depicts the social reasons of child labour. India’s social structure is highly differentiated in terms of caste, religion, race, etc. In the social hierarchy those who are placed at the lower rung are generally the labouring masses without any means of production except their own labour power. As result, we find that “By far the majority of child laborers in India belong to the so called labourers ‘lower castes’ the so called ‘tribal’ and the Muslim religious minority. Most child laborers do not belong to the ‘upper caste’ which constitute about 17-18 percent of Indian society.

According to the child labour (prohibition and regulation) act 1986 section 3 no child shall be employed or permitted to work in any of the occupations listed at annexure -3 and 4 or in any workshop wherein any of the processes is carried on.

1. Consequences:

1. On the children: first of all the children are deprived of their rights, denied the fundamental right to education also. Children’s fall prey to dignity and exploitation i.e. physical, economical, mental and emotional. Besides decrease the age of the child and entering in early adulthood with low physical growth and poor mental health. Sometimes child get engaged in robbery and other antisocial activities. Moreover they vices such as smoking, tobacco chewing alcoholism, gambling etc.

2. On the Society: Due to child labour in the families, the poverty is not removed. The demand of child labour also creates unemployment problems in the society. It also raises the issue of child trafficking, child abuse, migration and addiction from childhood, etc., for the society.

3. On the Nation: The global problem of child labour creates serious consequences for the nation also i.e. nation experiences difficulty in respect of making compulsory and elementary education and thus illiteracy spreads.



2. Socio-Economic Background of the Child Labour:

The study brings eye opener findings which are throws lights on the serious of child labour, which are given in following pages.

1. Profile of the Respondents:

Among 30 respondents’ 20 respondents were found males. Among them 25 respondents’ belonged to age group of 10 to 14. All the respondents belonged to Hindu religion. All the 30 respondents’ belonged to Scheduled castes and OBC, more than 20 respondents’ came from Scheduled Castes among them 15 respondents were Valmiki and rest of five respondents were Chamar while 10 respondents belonged to OBC. Among 30 respondents’ 15 respondents were living in Bhatar, another 10 respondents lived in slums near the railway station. Rests 5 respondents lived in Nanpura. All the respondents worked near their residential places. 22 respondents were found literate but till primary level while rest of children were found illiterate.

Among 30 respondents’, 25 respondents were doing rag picking while five respondents worked in tea shop, grocery shop, and cloth shop etc. All the respondents earned Rs 500 to 1000 per month. Majority of respondents had 3 to five years experience.

Among 30 respondents 25 respondents had migrated and mostly they came from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Maharashtra.

1. Family Detail:

As per the collected information of respondent’s family members, among thirty respondents, majority of 25 the respondents lived in joint family. More 20 respondent’s families had three earning members while 5 respondents’ family had 4 earning members and another five respondents’ families had only two earning members. All the earners were engaged in unorganized sectors, self- employment activities, mostly as vendors, rag pickers, and labour in cloth market. All the earners earned Rs. 1000 to 2000 per month while none of the member had income in rage of 3000- 5000.

1. Educational Status:

The present study found that all the respondents were not going to school while 15 respondents had taken admission in the school but later dropped out from the school. Besides 5 respondents were not enroll in the school. Therefore poverty is one of the major responsible factors behind the child labour. All the respondents responded that they had to earn for livelihood of family. Other causes were also responsible behind the child labour i.e. According to 5 rag picker respondents, their fathers were alcohol addicted. Therefore family member felt financial crisis and that’s why they were engaged in occupation. Moreover the present study found that all the respondents have poor socio-economic background and not too to take keen interest in education, their parents also had educational ignorance and not understand the importance of the education. Besides they want to have supportive income from their children. Hence sometimes they were forced send to their children to earn. The parent’s ignorance and bribe for money may be snatching the innocent childhood from their innocent children. Among 30 respondents only five respondents wanted to rejoin the school while due to poverty and economic burden more of respondents were not interested in education.

3. Health Problem:

The study also gives the importance of health problems of the child labour and has collected the information on regarding the same. Among 30 respondents, 25 respondents those who were rag pickers confessed that the impact of occupational work had fallen on their health. They were victim of innumerable diseases. Their working condition is very hazardous as they are all the time engaged in collection of recyclables, paper, iron, glass, and dirty waste with their bare hands. Innumerable health risks such as skin diseases, eczema, and breathlessness, complaint of chronic pain in their back, legs, neck, and shoulders. Sometimes they became victim of skin disease, eczema, headache, etc. During the rag picking they collect all the things from road side, dust bins, dump of garbage etc. and keep it in large bag which they carry on their shoulder. While they pick waste their bend stand up again and throw the collected recyclables into their bag. During this process their bag becomes heavier. Therefore they feel heavy weight on their shoulders and back. That’s why they become victim of backache, head ache, skin disease etc. Their living condition is also unhygienic because mostly they are living in slums area and drainage cleaning is not proper or is outdated. Due to their low economic condition and crises of money they had to live on diet which is not nutritious. Respondents and their parents don’t have awareness as how to prevent or take protection against diseases. Sometimes hospitals are far away from their homes and so they can’t reach the hospital for treatment and sometimes they cannot afford expensive medicine. That’s why they avoid going to hospital. Rest of the respondents those who were working in small shops also had head ache problem. Thus, we understand that impact of occupational work falls on child labour. Moreover all the respondents were not used to for beedi, tobacco chewing alcoholism etc., but some of the respondents were used to tobacco chewing.

Conclusion:

The central and state both the governments are working for child labour issue and Gujarat government has included this issue as an agenda for the Swarnim Gujarat and Vibrat Gujarat. The child labour rate decreased in 2001 in Gujarat compared to early decades. May be poverty, unemployment and parent’s ignorance for child education and desire of supplementary income from child etc. were major factors behind the serious and sensitive issue of the child labour. Moreover the child labour is deprived from the child rights i.e. childhood, education etc. Most of child labour’s working condition is very hazardous and due to the same they become victims of various diseases i.e. back pain, headache, skin disease, breathlessness etc. Their living condition is also very unhygienic most of the child labour is coming from poor socio-economic background hence they are living in slums areas where they are not able to get primary facilities i.e. water, electricity, bathroom, latrine etc. Furthermore due to child work children are become adult before their adulthood and thus not enjoying their childhood, schooldays and more such children lose their childhood which is a great and beautiful gift of God. We understand how child labour lost their childhood and being neglected segment of the society.

REFERENCES :

1. Ahmad, Ashhad. 2004. “ Child Labour”, Kalpaz Publications, Delhi, P No- 31-35


2. Ahuja, Ram. 2010. “Social Problems in India”, Rawat Publication, Jaipur, P No-234-239


3. Bhargava, Gopal. 2003.”Child Labour”, Kalpaz Publications, Delhi-P No - 337-345


4. Government of Gujarat, “State Action Plan for Elimination of the Child Labour”, Child Right Cell, Mahatma Gandhi Labour Institute, Ahmadabad. P No – 1-10


5. Social Welfare, Vol-58, no -8, November 2011 P No-18


6. Sen Rajkumar and Asis Das Gupta 2003, Deep & Deep Publication, New Delhi P No-28

Annexure-1

Table-1

Annexure-2

Table-2

District wise child labour

Annexure-3

Table-3

Annexure-4

Table-4

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Dr. Usha A Makwana
Asst. Professor,
Government Arts College,
Becharaji, Mehshana