The Hindu : National : ‘Poverty, debt burden major reasons for child labour’

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‘Poverty, debt burden major reasons for child labour’

Aarti Dhar

Audit says 1,210 children slogging as labourers in 8 zones

NEW DELHI: Nearly 50 per cent of the child labour in the country is in to employment due to poverty and debt burden of their families, says a social audit on child labour.

Problems such as alcoholism, domestic violence, financial bankruptcy, sudden deaths or crippling of parents and desertions were the reasons for children to quit education and take up work, the audit by World Vision India said.

The exercise found that 1,210 children were slogging as labourers in the eight audited zones. Among them, 762 were in the “hazardous sector” under the Child Labour (Prevention and Regulation) Act, 1986.

More disturbingly, 16 Labour Inspectors, in whose jurisdiction most of the child labourers were found, had not filed cases against employers.

Though boys slightly outnumbered girls in the overall group of identified child labourers, in sectors such as domestic work and babysitting, girls outnumbered boys.

In sectors such as beedi-rolling and match and explosives industry, there was some level of gender parity.

Boys outnumbered girls in some occupations and processes such as construction, shops and establishments and the hospitality sector.

In the automobile industry, boys were in exclusive group. There was no instance of girls working in this sector.

The survey found that 17 per cent of those identified was in the informal economy, without any stable employment, but nevertheless doing varying occupations in accordance with demand and supply, mostly doing seasonal jobs and otherwise helping their parents in household chores.

About 26 per cent of those identified said they were not interested in education.

This underscored the importance of revamping the educational system and making it child-friendly, the audit said.

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