NEW DELHI: As World Day against Child Labour was observed on Friday across the globe, the United Nations rang the alarm bells by stating that COVID-19 crisis could push millions of children in to child labour, including in India.
Experts also pointed out there was urgent need to prioritise the problem of child labour.
Jatin Mondar, deputy director, programme management at Save the Children said, “We must align our efforts with the government to ensure we reach the most marginalised child too. But we also must be very careful while amending labour laws and ensure that it does not affect susceptible children.”
According to global estimates, 152 million children are being put to work. In India, there were 10.1 million child labourers between the age of 5-14 years, according to the 2011 Census.
“When you are forced into labour as a child, you lose your childhood. When I started studying, I started dreaming again,” said Rajesh Jatav, a final-year student of BSc electronics at Rajdhani College in Delhi. He was rescued from a brick kiln site in Rajasthan at the age of nine. “Children should be in school. The authorities need to ensure this,” added Rajesh.
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A 2017 report by Anti-Slavery International which had surveyed brick kilns across Punjab had observed children make a third of the population in the brick kilns. Over 75 per cent of workers had reported unable to provide primary education to their children between 5-13 years of age, survey highlighted.
Rajaa, 13, who picked up rags to earn a living in the national capital till he was re-enrolled in a school after an NGO intervention, said he felt good after going back to school. “I used to pick up rags and sell them... But I started going to school after didi explained everything to me. I stopped picking up rags,” said Rajaa.
Currently, there is no organised way of rescuing of children across different Indian states, said Dhananjay Tingal, executive director of Bachpan Bachao Andolan. “Child labour has never been a priority area for the government. The issue of rehabilitation of children also remains largely unaddressed,” he said.
‘152 million kids are labourers’
According to global estimates, 152 mn children are put to work. In India, there were 10.1 mn child labourers between 5-14 years of age.