World Day against Child Labour is an event endorsed by the International Labour Organization (ILO) during which each year June 12th is dedicated to the empowerment of children against the peril of child labour, to create awareness amongst the masses on this evil act and enthuse people to stand up against the harm caused to children. The significance of World Day against Child Labour is important so as to highlight children’s concerns through the public, media and the civil society.
India is sadly the home for the largest number of child labourers in the world. As per the National Census 2011, there are close to 10.1 million child labourers in India in the age group of 5 to 14 years. Unfortunately, despite the judicial efforts, the number of child workers has increased over recent years, particularly in the metro cities where many children move in search of work with a hope to earn money. In many places, children are made to work in dangerous jobs such as logging, mining and construction work as well as exploited as beggars, household servants and even for sex trades.
The sight of children indulged in some work or the other is very often seen in our everyday lives and surely to the extent that we have accepted the situation as ‘normal’ in India. Most of us put the blame on ‘poverty’ as the main culprit behind child labour and we think that children are only helping their parents in bringing in a stable income. But is this an excuse for these children for not being in school. Education is a basic right and we are failing our children by not enabling them to realize their own right. Many of the children help their parents at work after school, so what is wrong in that, one may ask. But this is how the children get deprived of their time to rest and play, all work and no play.
CHILDLINE 1098, India’s phone helpline service for children in distress, rescues and rehabilitates thousands of child labourers every year throughout the country. During the year 2018-19, CHILDLINE resolved 39,182 cases of child labour that constituted 13% of the total cases received. Child labour cases have increased marginally by 11.71% during the year 2018-19 as compared to the previous year which includes mainly children who are involved in work at restaurant/dhaba, hazardous work, domestic work, beggary and sex trades. It was also observed that 77% of children involved in labour activity were males. (Figures recorded from April 2018 to March 2019)
CHILDLINE has been unceasingly observing this day every year all over the country through various activities like organizing rallies, signature campaigns, pamphlets distribution and street shows etc. in order to alert people on the issue and motivate them to raise their voice. Each city and district in India bustles with events, activities and pledges with people from every nook and corner. CHILDLINE team urges all individuals to mark their support with an uproar of - ‘Say No to Child Labour!’
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