AHMEDABAD: Gujarat registered 127 child labour cases during 2022 and 2023 but secured only two convictions against employers, according to data tabled in the Rajya Sabha, raising concerns over the enforcement of the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.
The data, furnished by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment in response to an unstarred question on July 23, shows that the state recorded a conviction rate of 1.57%, with just two convictions in 127 registered cases over the two-year period.
Against 133 arrests made during 2022-23, only two convictions were secured, translating into a conviction rate of about 1.5%.
The figures show that while the number of cases and arrests increased significantly in 2023, convictions remained unchanged at one each year.
In 2023 alone, Gujarat registered 85 child labour cases, arrested 90 persons and chargesheeted 103 individuals, placing it among the states reporting relatively high enforcement activity. However, only one conviction was recorded during the year.
Nationally, 1,390 child labour cases were registered in 2023, resulting in 174 convictions. Gujarat accounted for around 6.1% of all cases but only 0.57% of total convictions.
The Rajya Sabha question also sought state-wise details of children rescued from industries such as firecracker units, brick kilns, hotels and dhabas, along with their rehabilitation under the National Child Labour Project (NCLP). However, the ministry did not provide Gujarat-specific data on the number of children rescued or rehabilitated during the last two years.
The absence of rehabilitation data makes it difficult to assess whether rescued children were enrolled in schools, provided financial assistance or protected from returning to labour.
The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act prohibits the employment of children below the age of 14 in any occupation and bars adolescents aged 14-18 from working in hazardous occupations and processes. The law provides for imprisonment and fines for employers found guilty of violating its provisions.
While Gujarat's data reflects increased registration of cases and arrests, the low conviction rate has raised questions about the effectiveness of prosecution and the law's deterrent value against child labour.