Child Labor in India- Perspective of a Delhi-ite

Image: Amit Vashisth

With the mercury rising to 42⁰C, the drive from Delhi to Noida is never a pleasant ride. There I was in my crisp, ironed white shirt and neat trousers heading to office through the endless traffic in my air conditioned car. A light knock at my car window, woke me from my silent reverie about the approaching meetings and deadlines, and there was just another familiar sight. A girl, about 10 years old, in ragged and tattered clothes, was selling ‘Facial Tissues’ to people belonging to the ‘other world’- a world which promises of new possibilities, hope and a bright future unlike her own. I quietly, yet hesitantly handed over a note of Rs10 and took a packet of tissues as she happily moved over to the next car in an attempt to sell her next packet.

The issue of child labor never fails to stir a few thoughts in my mind. When I see these children in the streets – one part of me thinks that perhaps buying a few odd things from them, some of which costs less than that of a cup of coffee at my favorite coffee shop would help them procure two square meals a day. The other part of me urges me to just turn a blind eye. There is, after all, so much poverty in this country that I cannot possibly be the messiah-in fact what I consider charity is one of the many reasons why India has become a breeding ground for child labor. There is always a battle between the emotional and practical mind-a battle which in the end is won by not one.

While the official statistics suggests there is about 25million child laborers in India – the actual figure can well be above 50million. While India continues to battle its population explosion- the current figure being a staggering 1.2 billion, on the other hand it is also finding itself in a diabolic situation by having the highest number of child laborers in the world(the number of child laborers in the world being 200 million). The children are employed in various occupations, sometimes under extremely hazardous occupations, like carpet weaving, textile factories, glass blowing, ‘bidi’ making factories, begging, in prostitution and as domestic helps.

While the definition of the word ‘child’ is subjective and varies from country to country, when it comes to child labor the definition of child can be referred under Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, which states that: Child means a person who had not completed 14 years of age.

The Article 24 of Indian Constitution clearly states: No child below the age of 14 years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment. India has also signed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ILO Abolition of Forced Convention – No 105 and ILO Forced labor Convention – No. 29. 57 processes and 13 occupations, considered dangerous to the health and lives of children, were identified. In 1996, Supreme Court of India came out with a judgment in court that directed the State and Union government to enlist children engaged in hazardous occupations and processes. They were ordered to be pulled out from work and be provided with proper education.

Although in India the laws definitely seem to be in place- the complex issue of child labor is far deeper rooted than can be tackled by laws alone. With about 25% of the population belonging to the strata below the poverty line, widespread unemployment and high level of corruption are various factors contributing to child labor. In a country where a large percentage of workers still work at a rate below the minimum wage rate and which is plagued by social issues like rising food inflation rate (8.55%), inadequate schools and insufficient initiatives towards providing quality education and high dropout rates for various reasons, child labor may not come as a surprise. A study reveals that in few cases 34-37% of a household’s income is contributed by children of the family. Children are in most cases paid lesser than their adult counterparts for the same type of work. Even then in poor families children become a vital source of income. In absence of adequate governmental support in the form of bank loans and other governmental loans like those available in developed countries, parents have few options but to send their children to work to supplement the family’s income. Sometimes these children are even forced to serve as bonded laborers for years to local money lenders.

In cities like New Delhi a large number of child laborers are employed in the numerous sweatshops often under extremely unhealthy conditions. While south Delhi commands some of highest rates of realty prices in the world with its plush localities– places like Shiv Park Colony, Kanpur, Shahpur Jat are reported to harbor such industries which run in a surreptitious manner. These industries manufacture several items like garments, household products, toys and employ a large number of child laborers. Some of these children work round the clock, and ironically many of them believe that they are working out of choice and are not forced. While most of these children come from Delhi, many of them also come from poor migrant families from West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa and other states.

A sad reality is an estimated 20% of India’s economy is dependent on children. When globalization is the buzzword and outsourcing is the key to ensure higher profits for multinationals, a lot of high street retail and fashion stores in the West are outsourcing work like garment manufacturing to India (owing to the competitive advantage in wage rates) which are at times subcontracted to sweatshops which are vigorously employing child laborers. The wages these children earn are meager, and the working conditions are inhuman, yet these so called branded items are sold at expensive rates in showrooms in Manhattan and London. So in a way child labor exists because there are takers and a direct or indirect demand for the same.

Delhi’s high profile and often highly criticized Commonwealth Game in 2010 attracted a lot of unskilled workers from across the country. In most of the game sites a large number of workers were working below the minimum wage rates and in many of these sites children barely 5 year old were seen to work as laborers right under the noses of the government officials Parents who employed their children to work on the site were even promised extra bonuses such as money for bread and milk for their children, on top of their normal pay.

The other day one of my office colleagues was complaining about her 13 year old maidservant being negligent of her duties. I gave her a look of disapproval, but living in India, I am not unaware of the fact that upper middle class and so called highly educated individuals like us regularly take advantage of adolescents and children by employing them as cheap domestic helps- a concept that is simply inconceivable in the West. So even barring poverty, the mindset of the society at large is another determinant of the prevailing child labor. It seems we have taken child labor for granted and are thus show nothing but apathy towards the underage delivery boy from the local grocery, the children working in tea shops and dhabas and children selling books near metro station most of whom are barely able to read a word.

With the Right to Education Act which came into being on 1st April 2010, India has been seen to take a significant and positive step towards eradicating child labor by ensuring free compulsory education for every Indian child, minimum formalities for admission into schools, free mid-day meals for children in government schools and a 25% reservation for underprivileged children in all private schools. But in order that such initiatives are successful there needs to be a change in social attitude along with a better government support system. As long as parents of poor families continue to believe that sending their children to work at an early age can earn them an additional income, while education does not help in this matter- India will not be absolved of its shame of Child labor. So, additional incentives need to be provided for these poor families so that they can genuinely consider letting their children be better educated. Those of us who want to see ‘India shining’ should understand and convince others that ensuring education for children would mean a huge development for the nation in future. In longer terms it would add to the productive capacity of future generation that had the opportunity to enjoy the fruits of education rather than being sent to work as children. Although neither enforcement of laws alone nor education can ensure the annulment of child labor – the vicious cycle of illiteracy and thereby poverty can obviously be broken and prevent the need for child labor in posterity.

Author: Samriddhi Bhattacharyya