Child Labour
Child Labour
Though child labour is nationally and internationally condemned it is still widespread throughout India. Some estimates put the number of child labourers in the country at 100 million and according to the Government of India, 2 million of these are working in hazardous industries. The problem of child labour in South Asia is linked directly to the existence of poverty as the income they bring in contributes to the family’s survival. The issue is highly complex with no easy solutions available to solve the problem.
The problem also exists in Punjab. State Government statistics show that 48.4% children from thirteen Scheduled castes in the State of Punjab are engaged in child labour. Many of these children are forced into work in a bid to avoid starvation and to help their parents meet basic household expenses. As well as missing out on the luxury of a childhood, they are also deprived of an education.
The 1986 Child Labour Act prohibits children under the age of from working whilst laws such as the Right to Education Act 2009 seeks to ensure that every child, regardless of their place in society is able to access some form of free education. However, these laws are rarely adhered to or implemented which means that many of India’s poor children do not get the education they need and deserve.
VSJ acknowledge the importance of educating children as they will be the future workers and leaders of the country. Therefore, we work with children to educate them about the rights and to make them aware of the opportunities that exist for them. Within this, we specifically target children from the Dalit and scheduled caste communities who are unaware of opportunities that exist for them or of the importance of education. We also try to identify leaders within these children’s groups so that they can be more self reliant and not require constant outside support.