CHILD LABOUR IN INDIA

The International Labour Organisation defines child labour as "paid or unpaid regular work performed by five to 15 year olds within or outside of the family". In India alone there are more than 40 million child workers who account for 25 per cent of the family income on average.

Child labour in India is only forbidden in factories and mines as well as in hazardous areas. Article 39 of the Indian constitution stipulates that childhood be protected from exploitation, material and moral neglect. The reality is quite different in spite of these insufficient regulations. Numerous children can be found working in the textile and carpet industry, in the field of metal processing, in the building industry as well as for matches manufacturers. In addition to this there are many children who earn their money by collecting refuse, selling on the streets, as household helps, restaurant kitchens and by means of prostitution. Nearly all of them are working under conditions which would endanger their health - very often they work up to 70 hours per week. This steals them of any chance to attend school lessons.

Their is no compulsory education in India, the level of illiteracy is just below 50 per cent. Education, however, is a vital element in the struggle against child labour. Even a minimum amount of education is normally the stepping stone to better earnings and smaller families who can then send their children to school instead to work. That is why many of the Child Aid Organisations have been demanding for years not only compulsory education but also an adequate number of primary schools and good education for all.