Child Labour : Will India be able to beat it?

 

     Although the epidemic has exacerbated its impact, policy and program interventions can save children

     The true magnitude of the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on child labor remains to be measured but all indications are that it will be significant as children may not be able to go to school and parents may not be able to find work. However, not all factors contribute to child labor caused by the epidemic; most of them existed before and were exposed or raised.

What the data show

     As the world enters the third decade of the 21st century, 152 million children worldwide are still working as children, 73 million of whom are in hazardous work. A study by the Government of India (NSS Report No. 585, 2017-2018, Statement 3.12, p. 35) suggests that 95% of children in the age group 6-13 go to educational institutions (formal and informal) while the corresponding figures for those of this age group are -14-17 is 79.6% years. Thus, a large number of children in India are constantly at risk, facing physical and psychological risks to healthy growth.

     

The Census of India 2011 reports 10.1 million children working in the 5- to 14- to 18-year-olds group, of which 8.8 million are rural mainly mainly farmers (26%) and agricultural workers (32%). , 9%). While many details vary widely in enrollment / travel rates in India, UNESCO estimates based on the 2011 Census record 38.1 million "illiterate" children (18.3% of children in the age group 6-13). The work done may seem harmless in the immediate aftermath, but it can produce long-term and detrimental effects on their education, on their acquisition of skills, which is why their future chances of overcoming the vicious circle of poverty, incomplete education and low-skilled jobs. A Rapid Childhood Survey (2013-2014), conducted jointly by the Department of Women and Child Development and UNICEF, found that less than half of children aged 10 to 14 completed their primary education. These are always challenges that we must overcome.

A decrease in India

     

The good news is that child labor in India dropped from a decade from 2001 to 2011, and this shows that the right combination of interventions and programs can make a difference. Policy interventions such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 2005, the Right to Education Act 2009 and the Mid Day Meal Scheme have paved the way for children to attend school and guaranteed (unskilled) employment for rural families. . Collaborative efforts to integrate government schemes are also the focus of the implementation of the National Labor Project. Confirming International Labor Organization meetings no. 138 and 182 in 2017, the Indian government reaffirmed its commitment to abolishing child labor, including those who engage in risky activities.

     

A Department of Labor and Employment website that allows government officials, law enforcement agencies and non-governmental organizations to share information and direct child labor cases at national, state and local levels to effectively enforce labor laws. While child labor has declined over the past decade worldwide, estimates indicate that the rate of decline has dropped by two-thirds over the past four years. These positive and negative trends should be taken into account when developing Indian policy and system responses during and after the coronavirus epidemic.

     

The economic downturn and closure caused by the epidemic have affected all Asian countries, which has led to a decline in incomes of businesses and workers, many of them in the informal economy. A large number of returning migrants have associated themselves with social and economic challenges. India experienced slow economic growth and rising employment even before the epidemic. Subsequent reductions have exacerbated the situation, posing a real risk of reversing the gains made in ending child labor. With increasing economic insecurity, lack of social protection and declining household incomes, children from poor families are forced to contribute to family income at risk of exposure to exploitation.

Challenges in education

     

With the closure of schools and the challenges of grade learning, children can be left with little space for rehabilitation without the need for informed and immediate action. As more schools and educational institutions move to online learning platforms, ‘digital segregation’ is a challenge that India must reconcile in the next few years. NSS Report No. 585 entitled 'Household Social Consumption on Education in India' shows that in the year 2017-2018, only 24% of Indian households had Internet access, prices 15% between rural households and 42% among urban households . A 2020 Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) study indicates that a third of registered children received some form of study material from their teachers during the referendum (October 2020) as the digital education mode was selected.

     

Challenges are important and numerous but it is impossible to meet them if the right level of commitment from all relevant stakeholders and the right combination of policy and intervention plans is in place. It is through strategic and collaborative engagement involving government, employers, trade unions, community-based organizations and child labor families that we can make a difference to build better and faster. As we reaffirm our commitment to protecting children from unacceptable forms of work, our focus on reducing the effects of the epidemic remains. We need a strong coalition that paves the way for the eradication of child labor by all means before 2025 as countries around the world have agreed to Sustainable Development Goal 8.7.

    

 We - governments, employers, unions, civil society and individuals - must stand up and promise to ‘Take Action Against Child Labor’ as part of the UN Declaration of 2021 as the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labor. Our actions today will determine the future of our children tomorrow.