Exploited Child: A National Problem

"India has the dubious distinction of having the largest number of working children in the world. The constitutional directives in regard to the education and employment of children have clearly laid down guidelines. According to the constitution, no child is expected to be employed and the government is entrusted with the responsibility of providing free and compulsory education for all children up to the primary level. Since education even up to the primary level has not been made compulsory, India has got the largest number of school drop-outs. Besides, there is a high rate of wastage and stagnation at the primary stage. In violation of the constitutional stipulation, the government, instead of making primary education compulsory, enacted child labour (prohibition and regulation) act 1986. Far from putting a complete ban on employment of children, the legislation actually ‘legalized’ it by defining a child "any person below 14 years of age." Besides poverty, sociocultural factors play a profound role in aggravating the problem of child labour. This study establishes the fat that sociocultural factors have a decisive part to play in perpetuation of child labour. While highlighting such a relationship, the present report calls for tackling this pernicious problem through a concerted drive aimed at awareness generation, public education, adult literacy, etc. Implementation of the constitutional directives and thorough amendments to the existing legislative provisions for a complete ban on child labour are urgently called for. Besides, people should be made to realize the long-term benefits of education."