Child labour

THE harrowing case of child labour that has come to light in Raisen district of Madhya Pradesh is a wake-up call. As many as 58 minors, including 19 girls, were found working in appalling conditions at a liquor factory by a team of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) last week. Many had sustained terrible chemical burns. Now, 39 of those rescued have gone missing. The NCPCR chairperson says the case involves not just child labour, but also human trafficking. Questions are being raised about gross negligence and the collusion of corrupt officials. The regulatory bodies are under the scanner. Stringent action against the factory owners is a must. Any laxity will reinforce the perception that tackling child labour is low on the state’s priority list, and that the rule of law can easily be subverted.

According to the International Labour Organisation, more than 16 crore children are working as child labourers globally, and the number is only going up. Cases of human trafficking have seen a rise since the Covid-19 pandemic. Vulnerable families were further pushed into poverty and a large number of children dropped out of school, exacerbating the risk. The data also points to an increasing number of children being subjected to abuse and violence. Child labour and trafficking are organised crime. The Raisen case is a reminder that efforts must be redoubled to rein in the perpetrators. Rehabilitation of the children remains an underserved aspect.

Eradicating child labour should be a shared moral responsibility of civil society, businesses and governments alike. In India, 11 per cent of the workforce is said to be underage. Child labour laws have proven to be ineffective. Whatever the justification that is offered, the moral quotient is entirely absent from the social sanction to child labour in the country.