By Erin Summers Child labor is an issue all over the world. India is a particular country where child laborers can be found almost anywhere. Boys and girls ages 4-14 are even kidnapped and or sold and forced to work as many as 18 hours a day. Some of these children only receive 20 rupees (about half a dollar) for these long. Not only is the pay not sufficient but also the working conditions are appalling. You can find twelve year old girls working in match factories where their job is to dip the tips of the sticks into hot sulphur. There are over 44 million child laborers in India and its difficult to get an approximate number because many work without pay or their employers do not report them to the census. Children of the Factory Though before daybreak, my mother shakes me awake. She shoves bread and tea at me to take. Get up! Get up! I drink from the cup. No time to waste-quick wash your face. With a nod she prods, us past the door across the moor. We see smoke stacks while carrying our lunch sacks.
As we takeoff, thick smog makes me cough From the entrance gate, I see a prior classmate. No more school for me, by twelve we are all worker bees. The foreman yells, and I hear the work bell. He gives the orders to us all, some only three feet tall. Every other, child hides beside their mother. As a helper, they count never In this arrangement, they hide from the agent.
Today I pull heavy cloth from the machine, my usual routine. With luck at fifteen, I can work up to a sewing machine. As the sunlight is unfolding, my stomach is rolling. My meal gone, before the crack of dawn Though big and strong, my muscles ache before long. Lunch break is too short, they must exhort So much from me, to earn more rupees
Finally, the day is done- there no longer is any sun I drag my body, the long way avoiding robbery A few rupees I do carry, as I tarry Only if enough will Saturday, not be another workday! As a girl the amount, I receive barely counts
Therefore as I walk through the door, I will have more chores. If not born the scorned sex, I would be met. With praise for my pays amount could actually count. My poor mother of my caste was also so harassed Still she cannot read, and neither can feed Us unless we also work until we feel we’ll go berserk.
Laws For Child Labor In India Constitutional Provisions :
Preamble Commitment: Justice, liberty, equality, & fraternity for all the citizens including children are the main purpose of the Constitution.
Article 14: Equality before law & equal protection of laws. It is available to every person including children.
Article 15 (3): empowers the State to make special legal provision for children. It makes mandate to the government to ensure children’s welfare constitutionally.
Article 21: it mandates free & compulsory education for all the children in the age group of 6- 14 yrs.
Article 23: puts total ban on forced labour & is punishable under the Act.
Article 24: prohibits employment of children in hazardous factories below the age of 14yrs.; e.g.: mine, match industries etc.
Article 51 A clause (k) & (j): the parent or the guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or as case may be ward between the age of 6- 14 yrs.
Directive principles in Constitution of India also provide protection for the children such as, Article 39 (e), Article 39 (f), Article 41, Article 42, Article 45, & Article 47. National Policy for Children (NCP), National Institute of public Co-operation & Child Development (NIPCCD), The Integrated Child Development Services are polices made by the government. Even NHRC & UNICEF are also an organization that is supposed to take special efforts to protect children rights. But the laws are not being enforced and children are forced to work every day in terrible conditions for horrible pay. All of the above are laws, acts, and provisions that are supposed to help these children but no one is actually enforcing them.
Child labor is an issue all over the world. India is a particular country where child laborers can be found almost anywhere. Boys and girls ages 4-14 are even kidnapped and or sold and forced to work as many as 18 hours a day. Some of these children only receive 20 rupees (about half a dollar) for these long. Not only is the pay not sufficient but also the working conditions are appalling. You can find twelve year old girls working in match factories where their job is to dip the tips of the sticks into hot sulphur. There are over 44 million child laborers in India and its difficult to get an approximate number because many work without pay or their employers do not report them to the census.
Children of the Factory
Though before daybreak, my mother shakes me awake.
She shoves bread and tea at me to take.
Get up! Get up! I drink from the cup.
No time to waste-quick wash your face.
With a nod she prods, us past the door across the moor.
We see smoke stacks while carrying our lunch sacks.
As we takeoff, thick smog makes me cough
From the entrance gate, I see a prior classmate.
No more school for me, by twelve we are all worker bees.
The foreman yells, and I hear the work bell.
He gives the orders to us all, some only three feet tall.
Every other, child hides beside their mother.
As a helper, they count never
In this arrangement, they hide from the agent.
Today I pull heavy cloth from the machine, my usual routine.
With luck at fifteen, I can work up to a sewing machine.
As the sunlight is unfolding, my stomach is rolling.
My meal gone, before the crack of dawn
Though big and strong, my muscles ache before long.
Lunch break is too short, they must exhort
So much from me, to earn more rupees
Finally, the day is done- there no longer is any sun
I drag my body, the long way avoiding robbery
A few rupees I do carry, as I tarry
Only if enough will Saturday, not be another workday!
As a girl the amount, I receive barely counts
Therefore as I walk through the door, I will have more chores.
If not born the scorned sex, I would be met.
With praise for my pays amount could actually count.
My poor mother of my caste was also so harassed
Still she cannot read, and neither can feed
Us unless we also work until we feel we’ll go berserk.
Laws For Child Labor In India
Constitutional Provisions :
Preamble Commitment: Justice, liberty, equality, & fraternity for all the citizens including children are the main purpose of the Constitution.
Article 14: Equality before law & equal protection of laws. It is available to every person including children.
Article 15 (3): empowers the State to make special legal provision for children. It makes mandate to the government to ensure children’s welfare constitutionally.
Article 21: it mandates free & compulsory education for all the children in the age group of 6- 14 yrs.
Article 23: puts total ban on forced labour & is punishable under the Act.
Article 24: prohibits employment of children in hazardous factories below the age of 14yrs.; e.g.: mine, match industries etc.
Article 51 A clause (k) & (j): the parent or the guardian to provide opportunities for education to his child or as case may be ward between the age of 6- 14 yrs.
Directive principles in Constitution of India also provide protection for the children such as, Article 39 (e), Article 39 (f), Article 41, Article 42, Article 45, & Article 47.
National Policy for Children (NCP), National Institute of public Co-operation & Child Development (NIPCCD), The Integrated Child Development Services are polices made by the government. Even NHRC & UNICEF are also an organization that is supposed to take special efforts to protect children rights. But the laws are not being enforced and children are forced to work every day in terrible conditions for horrible pay. All of the above are laws, acts, and provisions that are supposed to help these children but no one is actually enforcing them.