Child Labour in Hazardous Occupation: Problems and Prospects

The employment of children in various activities is not a concomitant phenomenon of modern society only. The problem has been there since the very dawn of human civilization. The reasons responsible for this circumstance are varied and have been changing with time. Unfortunately India is one of those countries where child labour is employed in abundance and that too under miserable working conditions. These children are exposed to various health hazards and are deprived of rights to children. In the present study an attempt has been made to study the question of child labour in the context of hand-made carpet industry in Bhadohi-Mirzapur Belt in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. In this region more than 2 lakh (0.2 million) workers are engaged in carpet weaving out of which 1.5 lakh (0.15 million) are child labourers only. Why and how children in millions work in hazardous occupations and processes despite there being prohibitive laws, has been analysed from a sociological perspective.