Social Dimensions of Child Labour in India

From time immemorial child labour has existed all over the world with varying degree and magnitude.  Child labour is not uniform all over the world.  Its status is not the same everywhere in the employment of children.  The problem of child labour has been considered important at international level.  As per the International labour Organization (ILO) 1919, Minimum Age Convention (Panel 3) has laid down the age of 14 years as the minimum age for children to be employed in industry.  The Convention of the Right of the Child (CRC) 1989 entered into International Law on 2nd September 1990.  This law recognized the right of the child to education and protection from economic exploitation and it is also a standard of living adequate for child’s physical, mental, social, moral and spiritual development.  India, Pakistan and Bangladesh account for the highest percentage of child labour in the World.  Several steps have also been taken which also include legislation, by the Government of India.  Several Non-Governmental campaigns were made to eradicate child labour.  The International Labour Organization (ILO) too began considering the growth of child labour in the developing countries particularly India.  As part of such an international programme package, the International Programme for Elimination of Child Labour (IPEC) was initiated.  Various measures have been taken to solve the problem of child labour both at international as well as national level in India, but such attempts have proved to be futile as could be gathered from the sizeable number of child labour which has been increasing consistently.  This book has exposed the multifaceted of child labour situation at different level of exploitation of the innocence.  There is a need for complete prohibition of child labour in all forms throughout the country.  This book provides useful understanding to the problems and becomes valuable to the human rights practitioners, social scientists, social planners and others.