WHY CHILD LABOR?

‘Child labor’ is any sort of work done by a child who is under the age specified by law. The word, “work” means full time commercial work to sustain self or add to the family income. Child labor is a hazard to a Child’s mental, physical, social, educational, emotional and spiritual development. Broadly any child who is employed in activities to feed self and family is being subjected to “child labor’.

It is obligatory for all countries to set a minimum age for employment according to the rules of ILO. The stipulated age of employment should not be below the age of finishing school that is not below the age of 15. Developing countries are allowed to set the minimum age of 14 years in accordance with their socio-economic circumstances.

Children employed in part time work like craft or other skills of hereditary nature are not called child labors. The same work translates in to child labor if a child is thrown into weaving carpets, working in to factories or some other employment to earn money to sustain self, or augment his family income- without being given school education and allowed opportunities for normal social interactions. A child working part time (3-4 hours) to learn and earn for self and parents after school, is not considered ‘child labor’.

The Industrial revolution had ushered in the horrendous practice of employing children of 4 and 5 years in factories in environmental conditions, which were risky for their health and well being, often proving fatal. Developed countries have reacted sharply to this historical fact by equating “child labor” with human right violation. However poor countries are more accepting about child labor as a living necessity.
Employment with others and self employment both come under the aegis of ‘child labor’. It has been seen that children who are street sellers, street entertainers, rag pickers, child prostitutes or pornography models, beggars etc - are mostly without natural guardians and exploited by underground gangsters and racketeers. These children are mostly children of illegal migrants. They are the victim of abandonment, riots, wars or just sheer poverty and homelessness. In poor countries some children are helping hands for their parents or are employed in factories, commercial organizations or households with the consent of the parents. The most appalling form of child labor is prostitution and modeling for child pornography. Some children are even sold to fiefs by their parents for money. Child labor is a very complicated development issue, effecting human society all over the world. It is a matter of grave concern that children are not receiving the education and leisure which is important for their growing years, because they are sucked into commercial and laborious activities which is meant for people beyond their years. According to the statistics given by ILO and other official agencies 73 million children between 10 to 14 years of age are employed in economic activities all over the world. The figure translates into 13.2 of all children between age group of 10 to 14 are being subjected to child labor.
Child labor is most rampant in Asia with 44.6 million or 13% of its children doing commercial work followed by Africa at 23.6 million or 26.3% which is the highest rate and Latin America at 5.1million that is 9.8%.

In India 14.4% children between 10 to 14 years of age are employed as child labor; In Bangladesh 30.1%, in china 11.6%, in Pakistan 17.7%, in Turkey 24%. When we talk of our own motherland ‘Kashmir’; story is no different. In a recent survey conducted by a youth organization (AIM-Y) 77% of the children working fall under the age group of 8-14 years while the rest 23% are below 18 years of age.

Child labor is also prevalent in rich and industrialized countries, although less compared to poor nations. For example there are a large of children working for pay at home, in seasonal cycles, for street trade and small workshops in Southern Europe. India is a glaring example of a nation hounded by the evil of child labor. It is estimated that there are 60 to 115 million working children in India- which was the highest in 1996 according to human rights watch.
The problems coming from a centrally planned to market economy has led to the creation of many child workers in central and eastern Europe. Same is the case in America. The growth of the service sector, increasing provision of part time jobs and the need for flexible work force has given birth to a big market for child workers here.

Historically the working force of child workers is more in rural areas compared to urban settings. Nine out of ten village children are employed in agriculture or household industries and craftwork. In towns and cities children are more absorbed in service and trading sectors rather that marketing. This is due to the rapid urbanization of the modern world. Survey did by experimental statisticians of ILO in India, Indonesia and Senegal have revealed that child labor under the age of fourteen takes place in family enterprises mostly, with the exception of Latin America. Child labor is also found to be gender specific, with more boys than girls employed in laborious activities. But this is also because it is difficult to take a count of girls working in households. Some common causes of child labor are poverty, parental illiteracy, social apathy, ignorance, lack of education and exposure, exploitation of cheap and unorganized labor. The family practice to inculcate traditional skills in children also pulls little ones inexorably in the trap of child labor, as they never get the opportunity to learn anything else. Absence of compulsory education at primary level, parental ignorance regarding the bad effects of child labor, the ineffective child labor laws in terms of implementation, non availability and non accessibility of schools, boring and un practical school curriculum and cheap child labor are some other factors which encourages the phenomena of child labor. It is also very difficult for immature minds and undeveloped bodies to understand and organize them selves against exploitation in the absence of adult guidance. Poverty and over population have been identified as the two main causes of child labor. Parents are forced to send little children into hazardous jobs for reason of survival, even when they know it is wrong.
The industrial revolution has also had a negative effect by giving rise to circumstances which encourages child labor. Sometimes multinationals prefer to employ child workers in the developing countries. This is so because they can be recruited for less pay, more work can be extracted from them and there is no union problem with them. This attitude also makes it difficult for adults to find jobs in factories, forcing them to drive their little ones to work to keep the fire burning their homes.
The incidence of child labor would diminish considerably even in the face of poverty, if there are no parties willing to exploits them. Strict implementation of child labor laws and practical and healthy alternatives to replace this evil can go a long way to solve the problem of child labor. Children who are born out of wedlock, orphaned or abandoned are especially vulnerable to exploitation. They are forced to work for survival when there are no adults and relatives to support them. Livelihood considerations can also drive a child into the dirtiest forms of child labor like child prostitution and organized begging.

The term ‘child labor’ means ‘working child’ or ‘employed child’. ‘Child labor’ is any work done by child for profit. ‘Child labor’ is a derogatory term which translates into child exploitation and inhumanity according to sociologists, development workers, medical professionals and educationists. They have identified child labor as harmful and hazardous to the child’s development needs, both mental and physical.
It has been observed in India and other countries, that the practice of ‘child labor’ is a socio- economic problem. Many appalling realities like poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, low wages, ignorance, social prejudices, regressive traditions, poor standard of living, backwardness, superstition, low status of women have combined to give birth to the terrible practice of child labor.

It has been observed and repeatedly stated in recent times that ‘child labor’ does not remain a mere means of economic exploitation but has become a necessity due to the economic needs of the parents and the child himself. Prof. Aslam has iterated that child labor is also caused by different factors like social traditions, family attitude, customs, and dearth of schools or parental reluctance to send children to school, industrialization, urbanization, migration etc. To counter the real situation called child labor and save little humans rather innocent souls from the abuse at a tender age, the government should be compelled to provide compulsory and free education to all children up to the age of fourteen years. The recommendations of the UN convention No.138 should be kept in mind by those who formulate child labor laws. The working age limit for an individual should also be raised to allow consistent and full physical and mental growth for every individual.