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Child labour
The Lost Spring

According to a data released in 2017,

12 percent of all children in India are engaged in some for of Child labour
…..Its More than 12 Million

Prepared By

K.G.Akila Krishnan
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S.No Content Pg.No

1. Introduction 3
2. What the law says about child 5
labour
3 What are 10 causes of child 7
labour?
4 Types of Child Labour in India 8
5 Causes of Child Labour 12
6 Impact on Children 14
7 Initiatives and Organizations 15
8 Future Challenges and Solutions 17
9 Lost spring 18
9.1 “Sometimes I find a Rupee In The 20
Garbage’-Saheb – The rag-Picker
9.2 Recollecting the story of a 21
priest’s son
9.3 Seemapuri- The haven for 22
Rag-pickers
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S.No Content Pg.No

9.4 Discrepancy between Saheb’s 23

desire and reality
9.5 “I Want To Drive A Car” 24
9.6 Mechanical life of a bangle maker 24
9.7 The unfavourable social 26
system

10 Health Hazards 27
11 Two Distinct Worlds 28
12 Conclusion 29
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1.Introduction

Child labour refers to the employment of children in any

work that deprives them of their childhood, interferes
with their ability to attend regular school, and that is
mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and
harmful. In villages, it is a common sight to see children
of poor families working in fields or elsewhere to
contribute to the family income. Such children are
deprived of opportunities of education and are also
prone to health risks.

In a sense, child labour is open exploitation as it

deprives children of education and pushes them into
exploitative situations. The side-effects of working at a
young age are: risks of contracting occupational
diseases like skin diseases, diseases of the lungs, weak
eyesight, TB etc.; vulnerability to sexual exploitation at
the workplace; deprived of education. They grow up
unable to avail development opportunities and end up as
unskilled workers for the rest of their lives.

It has been observed that in villages especially,

representatives of various industries lure children with
promises of jobs and wealth and bring them to the city
where they are employed as bonded labour in factories.
Many children are also employed as household help
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where they are paid minimum wages and are made to

do maximum physical work.

The term “child labour” is often defined as work that

deprives children of their childhood, their potential and
their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental
development. It refers to work that:is mentally,
physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to
children; and/or interferes with their
schooling by: depriving them of the opportunity to attend
school; obliging them to leave school prematurely;
or requiring them to attempt to combine school
attendance with excessively long and heavy work.
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2.What the law says about child labour

According to Article 23 of the Indian Constitution any

type of forced labour is prohibited. Article 24 states that
a child under 14 years cannot be employed to perform
any hazardous work. Similarly, Article 39 states that “the
health and strength of workers, men and women, and
the tender age of children are not abused”. In the same
manner, Child Labour Act (Prohibition and Regulation)
1986 prohibits children under the age of 14 years to be
working in hazardous industries and processes. Child
Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act 2016
prohibits the employment of Children below 14 years in
all employment and with the provisions for prohibition on
employment of adolescents (14-18 Years) in the
scheduled hazardous occupations and processes.

 Role of panchayat members in mitigating child

labour
 Generate awareness about the ill-effects of child
labour,
 Encourage parents to send their children to school
 Create an environment where children stop working
and get enrolled in schools instead
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 Ensure that children have sufficient facilities

available in schools
 Inform industry owners about the laws prohibiting
child labour and the penalties for violating these
laws
 Activate Balwadis and Aanganwadis in the village
so that working mothers do not leave the
responsibility of younger children on their older
siblings
 Motivate Village Education Committees (VECs) to
improve the conditions of schools
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3.What are 10 causes of child labour?

10 Causes of Child Labour in India

 Poverty. Poverty is the most significant driver of child
labour in India. ...
 Economic Pressures on Families. ...
 Lack of Quality Education. ...
 Lack of Child Labor Awareness. ...
 Conflicts & Mass Migration. ...
 Gender Disparities. ...
 Natural Disasters & Climate Change. ...
 Demand for Cheap Labour.
 Lack of Stringent Legislation
 Lure of Cheap Labour
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4. Types of Child Labour in India

I. Agricultural Labour

A substantial number of children find themselves toiling

in the fields, engaging in various agricultural activities.
These children are often subjected to arduous
conditions, working in environments where exposure to
harmful pesticides and machinery poses significant
risks.
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II. Domestic Labour

Child labour is prevalent in domestic settings, where

children, predominantly girls, are engaged in household
chores. This form of exploitation involves long hours of
work, and minimal wages, and, in some instances,
exposes children to physical and emotional abuse within
private households.
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III. Manufacturing and Industries

The manufacturing and industrial sectors witness the

exploitation of child labour, with children engaged in
activities ranging from brick kilns to garment factories.
The hazardous conditions in these environments pose
risks to the health and well-being of the children
involved.
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IV. Street and Service Sector

Children on the streets are often coerced into various

forms of labour, including begging, rag-picking, and
vending.
Additionally, the service sector, comprising small-scale
enterprises and roadside eateries, witness the
exploitation of child labour.
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5. Causes of Child Labour

Child labour in India is a complex issue rooted in a web

of socio-economic factors. The primary causes emanate
from pervasive poverty, which compels families to
depend on the income generated by their children. Lack
of access to quality education further exacerbates the
problem, as families often prioritise immediate economic
needs over long-term educational investments.

Social attitudes and cultural norms also contribute to the

perpetuation of child labour. In some cases, there is a
societal acceptance of children engaging in work,
viewing it as a means of skill development or economic
support for the family. Additionally, gender-based
discrimination plays a role, as girls are sometimes
perceived as suitable for domestic labour, further limiting
educational opportunities.
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The enforcement of existing child labour laws remains a

challenge, allowing unscrupulous employers to exploit
vulnerable children. Insufficient awareness about the
harmful consequences of child labour and a lack of
social support systems contribute to the persistence of
this issue.

Addressing these root causes of child labour requires a

multi-faceted approach, involving poverty alleviation
programs, improved access to education, advocacy for
cultural shifts, and stringent enforcement of child labour
laws. Organizations dedicated to child rights, like ours,
play a crucial role in raising awareness, implementing
interventions, and advocating for systemic changes to
break the cycle of child labour in India.
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6. Impact on Children

The impact of child labour extends far beyond the

immediate physical toll. It deprives children of their
fundamental right to education, hampers their physical
and mental development, and perpetuates a cycle of
poverty that spans generations. The long-term
consequences are significant, hindering the potential for
a brighter future.
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7. Initiatives and Organizations

In India, numerous initiatives have been undertaken to

combat and prevent child labour, reflecting a concerted
effort by the government, NGOs, and advocacy groups
to address this pervasive issue. One notable initiative is
the National Child Labour Project (NCLP), a
government-led program that focuses on the
rehabilitation of child labourers by providing them with
education, vocational training, and support for a smooth
transition into mainstream society.
The Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) is
another comprehensive initiative that aims to create a
protective environment for children. It focuses on
preventing child labour by strengthening child protection
mechanisms, promoting education, and providing
support services for vulnerable families.
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Various NGOs and grassroots organizations are actively

involved in awareness campaigns, community
mobilization, and direct intervention programs to
address the root causes of child labour. These
organisations work tirelessly to provide educational
opportunities, skill development, and socio-economic
support to at-risk children and their families.

Additionally, government schemes like the Sarva

Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) and the Mid-Day Meal Scheme
contribute to preventing child labour by making
education more accessible and attractive for children,
especially in economically disadvantaged communities.
While progress has been made, the challenge persists,
and a collective, sustained effort is essential to build on
these initiatives, enforce existing laws, and address the
root causes of child labour to create a society where
every child can grow, learn, and thrive.
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8. Future Challenges and Solutions

Eradicating child labour faces numerous challenges,

including the need for better enforcement of existing
laws, addressing societal attitudes, and ensuring
economic opportunities for families. The path to a child
labour-free society requires collaborative efforts, policy
advocacy, and sustainable development initiatives that
address the root causes of child labour.
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9. Lost spring

According to Lost Spring – Stories of Stolen Childhood

which was written by Anees Jung (1964)
The Two Stories One is about Seemapuri – The heaven
for Rag-Pickers and Other is a Mechanical life of a
Bangle Maker. Now we can explain below:

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Anees Jung is an author. Journalist and a columnist for
major newspapers of India and abroad. She was born in
Rourkela in 1944 in an aristocratic family. Her father, Nawab
Hosh Yar Jung, was are owned scholar and poet.
He was the advise to the last Nizam of Hyderabad
princely state. Her mother and brother are also Urdu
poets. Her schooling and graduation were completed
from her hometown.
Later she went abroad for higher studies. She did her
masters in Sociology and American studies from
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, US.
She started her career in literal wring with the Youth Times,
a Times of India publication,where she worked as
a journalist and editor (1973 to1980).
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She has subsequently worked for The Christian

Science Monitor and the International Herald Tribune.
She published several books dealing with social
issues including abused children and women’s
problems.
Jung is noted for her lively and vivid descriptions, though
she rarely gives its solutions. Jung published Unveiling
India in1987. It is a travel diary focusing on interviews
with women.
She has written several subsequent books on the same,
talking to women about their everyday lives, including
Night of the New Moon: Encounters with Muslim women
in India (1993), Seven Sisters (1994). Breaking the
Silence (1997) is based on conversations on women's
lives from around the world.
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9.1. “SOMETIMES I FIND A RUPEE IN THE

GARBAGE’ - Saheb - the rag-picker

Saheb is a rag-picker who scrounges the

garbage deposits to sustain his living. He and his
family, refugees from Bangladesh, have come to
the big city “looking for gold”. He is unable to study
due to lack of schools in his neighbourhood. The
narrator jokingly makes a false promise to open a
school for him but is later left embarrassed when
he keeps approaching her enquiring about the
school. Saheb’s full name, Saheb-e-Alam meaning
“lord of the universe”, is ironical because he,
along with others like him, is outright
downtrodden. The author wonders if staying
barefoot is just a tradition among the poor or “only
an excuse to explain away a perpetual state of
poverty”.
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9.2. Recollecting the story of a priest’s

son

The author recalls a story about a man from Udipi

who, as a young son of a priest, used to pray for a pair
of shoes. After thirty years, when the author visits the
place, she finds that the situation has slightly
improved because the son of the present priest now
wears shoes and goes to school. However, the author
pines at the thought of the still barefooted rag
pickers of her neighbourhood.
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only an excuse to explain away a perpetual state

of p99.3.Seemapuri- The haven for
rag-pickers

Seemapuri in Delhi, is home to 10,000 rag-pickers,

mostly Bangladeshi refugees who came here in
1971. These people live in mud structures with
roofs made of tin and tarpaulin. The ration cards,
which allow them to buy grains, and the garbage
are their means of survival. They believe that their
transit shacks are a better place than their native
villages that provide no food. Once in a while the
children manage to find coins and rupee notes in
the garbage heaps. The author notices how such
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occasional findings help the children to cling on to

hope and life.

9.4. Discrepancy between Saheb’s

desire and reality

Saheb reveals his desire of playing tennis to the

author. Even though he has managed to find a
discarded pair of tennis shoes, the author knows, the
game itself “is out of his reach”. Contrary to his
heartfelt desire, Saheb eventually ends up picking
up a job in a tea stall where he is paid 800 rupees
and all his meals. One morning, he meets the
author on his way to a milk booth carrying a
canister to fetch milk for his master, and the
author observes how, in the process of earning a
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few hundred rupees, Saheb has lost his freedom

and ‘carefree look’.

9.5. “I WANT TO DRIVE A CAR”

– Mukesh and his Family
Mukesh belongs to a family of bangle-makers in
Firozabad. Most of the families in the place are
unaware of the illegality of their action in engaging
children in such a hazardous industry. Even though
children in such families take up the family
profession, Mukesh wants to be a motor
mechanic and drive a car. Mukesh takes the
author to his house which is one among many of the
dilapidated houses of bangle makers, constructed in
stinking lanes. Mukesh’s father has been unable to
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change the condition of the house and the family, in

spite of working very hard. The family now consisted
of the father, the grandmother, the elder brother and
his wife, and Mukesh.

9.6. Mechanical life of a bangle maker

According to Mukesh’s grandmother, once born into
the caste of bangle-makers, they have no way out but
to surrender to their destiny. The grandmother recalls
how her husband finally turned blind after working
for years in the glass-blowing industry.

The lives of the people of Firozabad are centred on

bangle-making. All their lives they work with
colourful bangles only to go blind in
their later years. The author observes a young
girl, Savita and ponders over the life of women in that
region. Before marriage they make bangles, possibly
without ever realising its sanctity, and after marriage
wear them.

The only boon some of these people have is a roof

over their heads; but, they are not able to manage a
proper full time meal.
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9.7. The unfavourable social system

Even after years of slogging, there has hardly

been any change in the scenario of Firozabad.
People seem to have stopped dreaming.

The injustice of the social and legal system is

the proverbial last straw for this already
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desolated section of people.

The young men are bogged down by the police,

the deceptive middlemen and their own
destinies, leaving them no choice but to give in
to the imposed way of life.

The prospect of Mukesh attempting to break this

cycle seems to the author like a ray of hope: a
small step, but a start nevertheless.

10. HEALTH HAZARDS

Work in the glass furnaces with high temperatures, in

dingy cells without air and light; that the law, if enforced,
could get him and all those 20,000 children out of the
hot furnaces where they slog their daylight hours, often
losing the brightness of their eyes.
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Mukesh’s eyes beam as he volunteers to take me home,

which he proudly says is being rebuilt. We walk down
stinking lanes choked with garbage, past homes that
remain hovels with crumbling walls, wobbly doors, no
windows, crowded with families of humans and animals
coexisting in a primeval state. He stops at the door of
one such house.

11. Two Distinct Worlds:

 One of the family, caught in a web of poverty,

burdened by the stigma of caste in which they
are born;
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 The other a vicious circle of the

sahukars, the middlemen, the
policemen, the keepers of law, the
bureaucrats and the politicians.
Together they have imposed the
baggage on the child that he cannot put
down.
-

12. Conclusion
Eradication of Child Labour
If we wish to eradicate child labour, we need to formulate some very
effective solutions which will save our children. It will also enhance
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the future of any country dealing with these social issues. To begin
with, one can create a number of unions that solely work to prevent
child labour. It should help the children indulging in this work and
punishing those who make them do it.

Furthermore, we need to keep the parents in the loop so as to teach

them the importance of education. If we make education free and the
people aware, we will be able to educate more and more children
who won’t have to do child labour. Moreover, making people aware
of the harmful consequences of child labour is a must.

In addition, family control measures must also be taken. This will

reduce the family’s burden so when you have lesser mouths to feed,
the parents will be enough to work for them, instead of the children.
In fact, every family must be promised a minimum income by the
government to survive.

In short, the government and people must come

together. Employment opportunities must be given to people in
abundance so they can earn their livelihood instead of putting their
kids to work. The children are the future of our country; we cannot
expect them to maintain the economic conditions of their families
instead of having a normal childhood.

Theme of the Chapter

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“ The theme of the chapter is the grinding proverty and

the traditions which condemn poor children to a life of
exploitation.
The two stories taken together depict the plight of street
children forced into labour early in life and denied the
opportunity of schooling”
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Thank You

Prepared By

K.G.Akila Krishnan