Child labour

Indian Economy glossary

Topic: Employment, Unemployment and Informalisation · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 2 "Sectors of the Indian Economy"; Class 11, Ch 4 "Human Capital Formation in India"; Class 11, Ch 6 "Employment: Growth, Informalisation and Other Issues"

Meaning

Child labour is work that takes away a child's childhood, schooling and health. The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, as amended in 2016, bans employing children under 14. The one exception is helping in a family enterprise outside school hours. The Act also bars adolescents aged 14-18 from hazardous work. Article 24 of the Constitution bans child labour in factories, mines and hazardous work.

Example

Class 10 notes that about 60% of India's population is aged 5-29, and only about 51% of them attend school or college. Many of the rest, especially those under 18, may be child labourers. By contrast, Raj, a schoolboy who helps on his family farm after school, falls within the legal exception.

Don't confuse with

  • Bonded labour: forced work to repay a debt, which can affect adults and children alike. Child labour is defined by the worker's age, not by debt.

Related concepts

Read more