Every child has the right to a happy childhood. But for 160 million children around the world, this remains a distant dream, as they are trapped in the vicious cycle of child labour, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO). To raise awareness and take action, World Day Against Child Labour is observed every year on June 12th. It reminds us of the urgent need to protect young workers and end child labour.
Why child labour still exists?
Despite child protection laws and tireless interventions, child labour persists due to a web of interconnected issues. Let’s take a closer look:
Low awareness: While India has strong child protection laws, awareness at the grassroots level remains limited. Families unaware of their rights and the government programs available to support their livelihood and children’s education ends up sending their children to work.
Lack of family planning: This, again, stems from a lack of awareness as poverty often leads communities to believe that more hands to work means more money while overlooking the fact that it also brings the burden of more mouths to feed.
Lack of access to education: Education remains out of reach for many, especially due to the lack of nearby secondary and higher education schools, poor infrastructure, high costs, and social or language barriers. As a result, many children never enrol or drop out early, continuing the cycle of child labour.
Social norms and acceptance: In many communities, it’s ‘normal’ for children to assist with family work or earn for the household. These deep-rooted social norms often blur the line between helping and harmful exploitation, especially in informal sectors like agriculture, domestic work, and roadside businesses.
Low-cost labour and exploitation: Children are often preferred as labourers because they are easier to manipulate and cheaper to hire. This dangerous demand drives illegal employment, especially in industries like mining, garment manufacturing, and food processing, that often require fine and fast hands.
Your role to create a difference
Ending child labour can only become a reality through collective action from the government, charities, concerned stakeholders, and aware citizens like you. Here’s how you can be a changemaker:
Say no to child labour: Avoid hiring children, including as domestic help or for commercial purpose. Choosing ethical labour practices sends a strong message against exploitation.
Report suspected cases: If you come across instances of child labour, report them to local charities, child welfare groups, or Self-Help Organisations (SHO). Your voice can help rescue a child from exploitation.
Speak up for child rights: Start conversations in your community, workplace, or online platforms. Raising awareness helps challenge harmful norms and encourages collective responsibility.
Support organisations like CRY UK: Your donations and volunteer efforts can help identify, rescue, and rehabilitate children trapped in labour, giving them a path back to education and a safe childhood.
CRY UK’s approach to end child labour
Broadly, CRY UK works on two approaches to eliminate child labour from the grassroots.
Preventive approach: CRY UK works to create an environment where children are never forced into labour. This involves vulnerability mapping to identify at-risk children such as school dropouts, first-time learners, or those contributing to household income. These children are brought into safe spaces like Children’s Collectives and Child Activity Centres, where they receive life skills training to help create self-opinions, taught values of life through sports, and are gradually linked to the formal education system. The focus here is on early intervention and mainstreaming education as a child’s primary right and opportunity.
Rescue and rehabilitation (curative) approach: For children already involved in labour, CRY UK supports their rescue and rehabilitation through the District-Level Task Force (DLTF), under the Ministry of Labour. CRY and its partners collect field data, facilitate rescue operations, and work alongside Child Welfare Protection Committees (CWPCs) to ensure children’s rights are upheld post-rescue. The goal is to restore their childhoods through proper care, education, and family support.
To bring children back on the path of education through both approaches, CRY UK connects families to livelihood opportunities, links children to education scholarships, and provides learning support to help vulnerable children bridge educational gaps. This ensures the intervention is sustainable and prevents children from returning to labour.
Story of hope
From working in the mica mines to finding a safe space in the classroom, here’s Ranjith’s path rewritten with hope through the timely intervention of CRY UK.
While child labour remains to be a complex issue rooted in poverty, lack of education, and social norms, we can create a difference with awareness, collective action, and sustained support for vulnerable children.
By supporting CRY UK and standing against child labour, you can help break the cycle and create a future where every child thrives free from exploitation.
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