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Source: The Hindu

Context

Every year on June 12, the International Labour Organization (ILO) observes World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) to raise awareness about the issue of child labour.

World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL)

• Observed under the auspices of the International Labour Organization (ILO).
  
  
• Aims to mobilize governments, employers, workers’ organizations, and civil society to eradicate child labour.

Objective and Global Framework

• Seeks alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 8.7, which aims to end child labour by 2025.
  
  
• Despite this global commitment, the goal remains distant due to persistent socio-economic challenges.

Prevalence of Child Labour

• An estimated 160 million children are involved in child labour globally, equating to 1 in every 10 children.
  
  
• Africa, Asia, and the Pacific are the worst affected regions, accounting for nearly 90% of all child labourers.
  
  

Impact and Consequences

• Child labour deprives children of their childhood, dignity, education, and full developmental potential.
  
  
• Leads to intergenerational cycles of poverty and undermines human capital development.

COVID-19 Impact

• The COVID-19 pandemic significantly worsened the situation, with school closures and rising poverty pushing more children into labour.
  
  
• Many affected children have not returned to school, further deepening educational inequality.
  
  

What are the key global challenges to eradicating child labour?

• Poverty and Economic vulnerability: Families in low-income regions rely on children's income to cover basic requirements, making child labor a survival strategy. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, children are frequently put to work in fields or markets to assist their family experiencing extreme poverty.
• Lack of Access to Quality Education: low schooling infrastructure, large travel distances, and hidden fees impede school attendance, forcing children to work. For example, in rural Afghanistan, many youngsters work as street vendors or in workshops instead of attending school due to low accessibility.
• Inadequate Law Enforcement and the Informal Economy: Despite legal frameworks, enforcement is inadequate in informal sectors, which account for the majority of child labour. For example, in Latin American countries, youngsters continue to engage in agricultural and street hawking despite legal prohibitions.
• Cultural and social acceptance: In some communities, child labor is normalized as part of tradition or family livelihood, especially in unregulated home-based industries. For example, in India, children are frequently engaged in beedi-rolling or carpet weaving under the cover of family trade training.
• Conflict, displacement, and emergencies impair education and increase dependency on child labor for survival. For example, in Syria, displaced children are frequently seen working in farms or in shops as a result of the breakdown in education and protection institutions.

Anti-Child Labour Campaign in Velpur Mandal (Telangana)

Leadership: The campaign was led by the then District Collector of Nizamabad along with committed local officials, providing crucial administrative direction.

Key Strategies for Achieving Child Labour-Free Status

Community-Led 100-Day Campaign (2001):

• A mass awareness drive involving sarpanchs, teachers, caste elders, and civil society.
  
  
• Focused on identifying all out-of-school children and ensuring their enrollment.
  
  
• Outcome: In Velpur Mandal, all 8,057 children aged 5–15 were enrolled in schools.
  
  
• Mandal declared child labour-free on October 2, 2001.

Debt Waiver and Social Accountability:

• Former child employers publicly waived ₹35 lakh worth of family debts.
  
  
• Employers provided school supplies and stopped using children as repayment guarantees.
  
  
• This helped in freeing children from bonded labour, especially in beedi units and farms.

Institutional Support via NCLP (National Child Labour Project):

• Children withdrawn from labour were placed in bridge schools.
  
  
• Received remedial education to transition smoothly into formal schools.
  
  
• Community monitoring ensured 100% school retention.

What is the current status of the National Child Policy? 

• Outdated Framework (Policy from 2013): The National Policy for Children of 2013 is the current guiding policy, however it lacks defined procedures for implementation, monitoring, and fiscal commitment.  For example, despite recognizing the rights to life, growth, protection, and participation, it does not particularly address child labor rehabilitation paths.
• Lack of alignment with recent legislation and SDG goals: The policy does not comply with current laws such as the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act of 2016, or with SDG Target 8.7.  For example, India wants to abolish child labour by 2025 under SDG 8.7, but the national child policy does not give an updated roadmap or action plan for this.
• Delayed  Developing a Revised Policy: The government began drafting a new National Child Policy in 2020, but no final version has been released or adopted thus yet.  For example, the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) undertook discussions for an updated policy, but no final policy document was notified by mid-2025.

Way Forward

• Community-Driven Monitoring and Social Mobilization: Enable panchayats, school management committees, and civil society to track school dropouts and guarantee local accountability through awareness campaigns and social pressure mechanisms.
• Policy Update and Strengthened Rehabilitation Framework: Finalize and execute a revised National Child Policy that is in line with SDG 8.7, as well as increase rehabilitation measures such as skill development, financial support, and psychosocial care for rescued children.

Practice Question Q. Recently, the success of the Velpur Model in eradicating child labour highlights the importance of convergence between administrative initiative and civil society support.