For most of us, childhood is the best phase of our lives. Irrespective of where we go, we grab people’s attention and add some comic relief in their lives with our innocent hysterics. However, unfortunately not every child is blessed with such a childhood.
In India alone most children would not like to relive their childhood since a large proportion of them have been caught in the vicious web of child labour. They are not only denied the right to education, but are also left at the mercy of their employers. Their innocence, their smile, their freedom and more all get drowned in this dark world of labour.
Apart from robbing children of their childhood, child labour also harms their physical, mental and emotional health. In a country like India, poverty, lack of education, social norms, need for additional income and lack of access to resources lead to child labour.
On World Day against Child Labour, we bring you eye-opening facts that reveal the grim situation of child labour in our country.
Image courtesy: stevemccurry.wordpress.com
To put this into perspective, this number is higher than the population of Switzerland!
Child labour is one of the biggest threats to India’s future. As a whole, we need to dig deep into this menace and try hard to ensure that there is a combined effort to get rid of it. However, this is only possible if the law enforcement respond strongly. All we really need to remember is ‘Small hands can handle a pen better…’
*Facts are based on the 7th All India Education Survey and several reports from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
