Child Labor in India

“India has the dubious distinction of being the nation with the largest number of child laborers in the world.” (Azad India Foundation, 2010)

         Child labor is a big issue in India.  India has a big population and it is getting bigger.  Due to the large population, people living in India don’t have enough jobs and some don’t have place to live.  Mumbai is one of the big cities in India and it is over populated. In Mumbai some poor people don't have place to live so they sleep on the sidewalk.  People living in slums don’t have jobs which can fulfill their needs.  According to the "Child Labor" article, "Poverty is the reason for the child labor in India." (2008) Poverty plays a big role in child labor.  Families have don't have enough money so they made their children work.  Child labor is not easy for children.  Children sacrifices their education and their childhood experience.  They don't get to explore themselves.  These children struggles a lot and don’t get paid enough.   Child labor is a source of income for poor families.  Parents have no choice; they send their children to work so they can have enough money to eat.


“The study found that a child's income accounted for between 34 and 37 percent of the total household income.” (Azad India Foundation, 2010)  


         Child labor is not only in slums, it is all over India.  There are many small villages where child labor is being used.   In villages, many children are not aware of education and they end up working.   “Child labor is also because of unsustainable systems of landholding in agricultural areas and caste system in the rural areas.” (Azad India Foundation, 2010) Some poor families in villages make their children work so they can pay their dept.  Some children work inside landlord’s house so they can get more money and food.   One of the other reasons for child labor in India is cast system.   India has a big cast system.  In big cities most people don’t follow cast system.  However, in small cities, including villages, the cast system is followed religiously.  Lower cast people don’t get many choices in villages, they have to work under upper cast people.  Their children don’t get opportunity for education so they end up working with their parents. 

 

Azad India Foundation, (2010). “Child Labor in India”. Retrieved, 23^rd February, 2011.  http://www.azadindia.org/social-issues/child-labour-in-india.html

Child Labor, (2008). “Child Labor in India”. Retrieved, 23^rd February, 2011.  http://www.childlabor.in/child-labour-in-india.htm

Gupta, Pranay. Gupta, Sohini, (2008). "Extreme Child Labor in India". Online video clip. YouTube.  Retrieved, 23rd February, 2011.

   

What is Child Labor?

“Today, over 246 million children, many as young as five, are involved in child labor around the globe.” (University of Iowa Labor Center)

A girl working in the reconstruction in the city of Choluteca, Honduras.

 Child Labor is all over the world and it has existed for many decades.  Child labor is work done by underage children.  Children leave their education so they can feed themselves and their family.  It harms their mental, physical, social, educational, and emotional development.   Countries have different age limits for child labor. 

“Almost half, some 120 million, work full-time, every day, all year round.” (UNICEF, 1997)

"1 in 6 children in world are engaged in child labor.  Millions of children are engaged in hazardous situations or conditions, such as working in mines, working with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture or working with dangerous machinery. They are everywhere but invisible, toiling as domestic servants in homes, laboring behind the walls of workshops, hidden from view in plantations." (UNICEF, 2010)

“Around the world and in the U. S., growing gaps between rich and poor in recent decades have forced millions of young children out of school and into work.”  (University of Iowa Labor Center)  Some children were forced to work and some have no options.  They are willing to do any type of work because their family is poor; they don’t have enough money to feed their family.   Children who are living in poor areas are most likely to engage in to child labor. 

UNICEF, (1997). Child Labor. Retrieved, 9^th February, 2011. http://www.un.org/cyberschoolbus/briefing/labour/labour.pdf

UNCEF, (2010). “Child protection from violence, exploitation and abuse”. Retrieved , 9^th February, 2011. http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_childlabour.html

University of Iowa Labor Center,  “Child Labor Public Education Project”.  Retrieved, 9^th February, 2011. http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/what_is_child_labor.html