Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act 2016
Topic: Safeguards for Vulnerable Sections: SCs, STs, OBCs, Minorities, Women and Children · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act 2016 bans the employment of children below 14 in all work. There are two exceptions: helping in a family enterprise after school hours, and work in audio-visual entertainment. The Act also bars adolescents aged 14-18 from hazardous work. It builds on Art. 24 and supports the right to education under Art. 21A.
Example
A 12-year-old cannot be employed at a roadside eatery, though they may help in the family's shop after school. Critics object that the list of hazardous work was cut to three categories. The PENCIL portal (2017) supports enforcement.
Don't confuse with
- Art. 24: bans children under 14 only from factories, mines and other hazardous work. The 2016 Act goes further and bans almost all work below 14.
Related concepts
- PCPNDT Act 1994
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao
- Prohibition of Child Marriage Act 2006
- Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015
- Juvenile Justice Board
- Child Welfare Committee
- Central Adoption Resource Authority
- POCSO Act 2012