INNOCENCE AT WORK by Navpreet Kaur Ahuja

(Utopian Dreamers Team is thankful to her for
sending in good material and bringing to light
many plights that are normally ignored and we
are proud to have her as a part of Utopian
Dreamers)

It is often heard that children are the pride and
future of India. Are these innocents are really
cared and nurture the way should be for a bright
and successful future? Several attempts have
been made which haven't been fruitful yet. Child
labor is a grave and extensive problem. It is of
colossal proportion.there's no universal definition
for child labour.the world is full of child labors
problem.around 94% of those are the developing
countries like India. Basically children under 18
years of age are known as child labors. According
to estimate reports 13% of world children are
working; out of which 18million are street
children; over 22 million are child laborers; 45%
suffer immunity problem i.e. they don't get
proper meals to eat. Children from 6 to 14 years
of age have no access to primary education.
Their can be many reasons some re listed below:

CAUSES:

1. poverty

2. family expectations and their traditions

3. child abuse

4. Lack of good school service such as health
care etc.

5. uncaring attitude of employers

6. limited choice for women

7. forced and bonded labor

8. Commercial sexual exploitation----where
young girls have to sell their flesh in order to
survive and feed her family members.

9. street work-------- like rag picking; car
wash; carrying luggage; guard care; hawk;
begging etc.

10. Other famlial problems.

Who's responsible?

Child labor has been a major problem for the
developing countries like India. Around more
than one and a half crore are working children in
India. People and government both have been
responsible for this. As there is no child who
would kill their childhood with their own hands.

What are solutions to child
labor? (Efforts and results)

- Increased family incomes
- Education - that helps children learn skills that
will help them earn a living
- Social services - that help children and
families survive crises, such as disease, or
loss of home and shelter
- Family control of fertility - so that families
are not burdened by children

The 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child
calls for children to participate in important
decisions that will affect their lives.

Some educators and social scientists believe that
one of the most important ways to help child
workers is to ask their opinions, and involve them
in constructing "solutions" to their own problems.

The child labor problem is an intense
socio-economic issue in India that requires a
long-term multi-pronged strategy to the carried
out on a continuous basis. This strategy should
include enforcement of Child Labor Acts,
strengthening of primary education in the rural
areas, rehabilitation of child labor, improvement
of economic conditions of the child's parents
through various poverty alleviation and
employment generation programmes. It is also
necessary that a strong evaluation and
monitoring be done for the various child labor
elimination programmes and projects. A strong
enforcement of the Labor Acts may be done to
ensure legal actions against those who employ
children for work. The child labor problem is an
evil that requires awareness and change of
approach in all sections of the society. The
Government, media and NGOs have to unite to
play their proper role in this holistic task. Only
then the child labor problem can be solved
effectively.

ACTS AND ARTICLES
Govt. has made certain efforts to eliminate child
labor. Five decades ago when the constitution of
India was framed; various articles prohibit the
practice of child labor.

- Article 31---- states that a child can't be forced
to work.
- Article 45-------free and compulsory education
should be given to poor and needy.

Ordinary people should help certain organizations
which are rising awareness and providing direct
help to individual children.

In spite of all the efforts done in few years there's
just a pinch of change. But still the problem isn't
off-track. It's still on; isn't it??

You can write to the writer at
navpreet@utopiandreamers.com