Save the little ones from child labour

My favourite memory from my childhood is playing with soft toys, simulating a classroom, becoming a teacher. Memories captured in cameras are still available to me, making me aware of the privilege I am born with, ensured a free and happy childhood. Then, I can’t help but wonder about the children who are deprived of their childhood, with circumstances pushing them into the perpetual cycle of child labour. The first story I ever read about child labour was about Firozabad’s glass bangle industry. They sit crouched for hours by a burner, inhaling toxic fumes while their deft fingers picked up and moulded the ends of glittering bangles. All children are not free and happy children. To protect the freedom that these little ones deserve as human beings, to make people aware of the traumas of child labour, and to stand united for the unprivileged children, every June 12 World Day Against Child Labour is observed.

Let’s dig deeper into the subject and address why children are made to earn instead of learning. Child labour is both a cause and consequence of poverty. Household poverty forces children into the labour market to earn money. Some perform child labour to supplement the family income while many also are in it for survival. Due to this cycle, they miss out on opportunities to gain an education, further perpetuating household poverty across generations, slowing economic growth and social development. According to census 2011, India has 10.1 million working children between the ages of 5–14 years. Besides, 42.7 million children are out of school. All over the world, there are an estimated 152 million children in child labour, 72 million of which are in hazardous work.

Amid this global pandemic, these children need our help more than ever. The COVID-19 health pandemic and the resulting economic and labour market shock are having a huge impact on everyone’s lives, especially children. The crisis can push millions of vulnerable children into child labour. Thus, we must raise our voices for the children who can’t do so for themselves. Awareness and rescuing children who have been confined in the workplace and subjected to forced labour will help cut down the numbers of child labourers. Providing vulnerable households with viable livelihoods and alternative income-generating opportunities, including cash transfers can aid in mitigating the risk of a resurgence of child labour and forced labour.

Join hands to save these children, advocate learning not earning.

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Radhika Boruah