Construction, spinning, weaving and tobacco industries are some of the most thriving ones in the ballgame of Indian industries. They are also the ones which have the ill-reputation of employing children in hazardous occupations.
29 million children, between five to fourteen years of age, are made to work. Uttar Pradesh, which on one side holds the debris of a grand ‘nawabi’ past, also has 1 out of every 6th child employed as a labourer in a sector. UP is already infamous for rampant child labour that is visible in the town of Firozabad, ‘the city of bangles’.
One of the glaring facts of the legal system of the country, as far as child labour is concerned, is that even though laws do exist in the country banning every child under 14 to be engaged in ‘hazardous occupations’, it does not clearly state the ban of child labour from other sectors. This discrepancy allows many to openly bypass the system. Sensitization of public opinion through various media channels or by raising one’s own voice holds potential to actively tackle the issue, but is yet to be realised fully.
“This infographic has been created by SocialCops – a technology data company that aims to power the world’s decisions through data from the grassroots”.