END BONDED CHILD LABOUR
IN INDIA
Child Labour- Facts and Figures
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India has the largest number of working
children in the world (60- 115 million)
Estimated 15 million children are bonded
labourers* (latest figures from Human Rights
Watch -1999)
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400,000 children in hazardous industries
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About 300, 000 children, aged 5 to 15 –
forced to work in carpet industry
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100,000 children, in the age group 6-14 years,
are working in the diamond industry
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About 5000 children, in the age group of 5- 16
years are employed in the silk industry of
southern Karnataka
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Child Prostitution: 15% of India’s estimates 2.3
million prostitutes are children
*Bonded labour is an extreme form of exploitation. It “takes
place when a family receives an advance payment…to
hand a child over to an employer.” (Human Rights Watch)
2002 Global March report on Worst forms of child labour
http://www.childright.nl
INDUSTRIES EMPLOYING
CHILD LABOUR
Agriculture
Beedis
Brassware
Mining
Fireworks
Gemstones
Glassware
Silk and Textile Industry
Stone Quarries
Prostitution
Fireworks and Matches
Carpets
Domestic Workers
………
General Characteristics of Child Slavery:
No Free
Time
No
Education
No Freedom Of
Movement
Emotional
Isolation
No Sick
Leave/Health
Care
Malnutrition
Prolonged
exposure to
hazardous
conditions,
toxic
environments
No or Little
Wage
No
Possessions
No Privacy
Forced Labour
Extreme Working
Hours
Exhaustion
Corporal
Punishment
Arbitrary
Assault
Sexual
Abuse
Extreme High Mortality-rate
How to make a slave out of a child
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Born into a caste
Sold into bondage
Transference of debt
Kidnapped
Lured by false promises
Withholding of documents, possessions
The Supreme Court of India has stated that payment
of less-than minimum wages amounts to slavery,
for all labour – adult and child
Myths and Facts
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Poverty is the cause of child
bonded labour.
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Child bonded labour is the
result of many complex socioeconomic factors. Moreover, it
does not solve poverty.
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If children do not work their
families will starve.
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In most cases, children in
bonded labour do not prevent
families from starving.
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Even though population growth
has decreased, child labour
has grown.
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Any job with long and hard
hours is hazardous to a child’s
growth (and a large fraction
are actually employed in
hazardous environments).
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Child labour is a result of
over-population.
There is nothing wrong in
allowing children to work in
non-hazardous
occupations.
http://www.freethechildren.org/youthinaction/child_labour_facts_myths.htm
Myths and Facts

If children work, they become
equipped with skills for the
future.
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Industry will collapse if child
labour is not available.
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A global ban on child labour
products will force the
elimination of the practice of
child labour and protect
children's rights.
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Legislation prohibiting child
labour is sufficient to resolve the
problem.
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Their work is monotonous,
hazardous, exhausting and
retard their development; no
skills for future are developed.
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That is no reason to enslave a
child. Moreover, research has
shown substituted adult labour
would have minimal economic
impact on these industries.
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Only 8% of products from child
labor in India is exported.
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Enough laws and resources
exist; we lack implementation
and political will.
http://www.freethechildren.org/youthinaction/child_labour_facts_myths.htm
Laws in India
Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act,
1986
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act
was enacted in 1986 and defines a child as "a
person who has not completed their fourteenth year
of age."
Exceptions/ Loopholes of this law:
•Only prohibits child labour in twenty-five
“hazardous” industries (hazardous – only as defined by adult
labour standards)
•Glaring loopholes and exceptions allow employers
to violate the principles of this law e.g. child
members of the employer’s family can be employed
in such occupations - many employers use
“extended family” child members as labourers
•Tacitly allows use of child labor, even in hazardous
occupations or industries.
•The act is also inapplicable to governmentsponsored programs
Bonded Labour System
(Abolition) Act, 1976
Abolishes the "bonded labour
system" and covers all of the
many permutations of the
bonded labor system in modern
India.
Other Laws
•Factories Act, 1948
•Beedi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966
•Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes
Prevention of Atrocities Act, 1989
•Inter-State Migrant Workmen Act,
1979
•Contract Labour Act, 1970
•Minimum Wages Act, 1948
•Plantation Labour Act, 1951
•Apprentices Act, 1961
•Shops and Establishments Act, 1961
International Conventions
•U.N. Convention on the Suppression of Slave Trade and Slavery, 1926
•ILO Forced Labour Convention 1930, (No. 29)
•U.N. Supplementary Convention on the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave
Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, 1956
•ILO Abolition of Force Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
•U.N. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), 1966
•U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989
India is a party to these international human rights conventions and is legally
bound by them.
However, India has NOT yet ratified the following ILO conventions, which are
critical to eliminate child labour and bonded labour.
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Convention concerning the Abolition of Forced Labour, 1959 (No.105)
Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No.138)
Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182)
ILO’s Convention 182
Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of
the Worst Forms of Child Labour
Actions include
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Awareness Raising;
Law Enforcement;
Labour Inspection;
Educational Support;
Support for Children
and Families; and
Cooperation with
International Initiatives
Ratifying Governments must
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http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/ratify_govern.pdf
Design, implement and monitor
programmes
Enforce the Convention’s provisions,
Prevent worst forms of child labour
and remove and rehabilitate victims
Ensure access to free basic
education
Take account of the special needs of
girls and at-risk children ;
Ensure Universal Education.
NGOs concerning Child Labour
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India has the largest number of NGOs working in the
area of child labour and bonded child labour; e.g.
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Some very successful consumer campaigns have
been run by these organizations:
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Global March
Bachpan Bachao Andolan SACCS
Rugmark
'Fair Play' In The 2002 FIFA World Cup
International NGOs
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Freetheslaves.org
Iccle.org
Antislavery.org
What can we do?
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Short Term- Immediate Goal
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Awareness Generation
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Increase awareness in your group, town, city through presentations, group discussion
sessions etc
Hold awareness generation programmes this June 12th , marking ILO’s World
Day Against Child Labour ( visit http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/ipec/wdacl/2005/index.htm)
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Campaigns
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Medium Term
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Demand that Govt. of India ratify ILO C182 convention
Demand State Govts., district collectors, factory inspectors enforce relevant laws
Social Labeling, similar to Rugmark campaign
Support NGOs working for rescue and rehab
Insist on “no child labour” policy in all of our projects’ supply chain
Long Term
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Support livelihood generation processes
Organization of processes for enforcement of relevant laws
For more information on presentations and campaigns contact
ranjana.ghosh@gmail.com
sanat.mohanty@gmail.com
vignesh.nandakumar@gmail.com