According to data from Census 2011, the number of child laborers in India is 10.1 million of which 5.6 million are boys and 4.5 million are girls. Children are also at risk of various other forms of exploitation including sexual exploitation and production of child pornography, including online. India has been a 54% increase in child labor in urbanized areas for children between the ages of 5-14. In addition, according to a Campaign Against Child Labour study, India has approximately 12 666 377 child laborers total.
Millions of Indian girls and boys are going to work every day in quarries and factories, or selling cigarettes on the street. The majority of these children are between 12 and 17 years old and work up to 16 hours a day to help their families make ends meet.
Below are some of the basic causes which make children to child labour.
- Poverty and unemployment: When families cannot afford to meet their basic needs like food, water, education or health care, they have no choice but to send their children to work to supplement the household income.
- Lack of quality education: School needs to be a welcoming environment, with appropriate class sizes, a curriculum designed for the local context, and affordable for rural communities.
- Limited understanding: When families do not understand the dangers of child labour, and how these impact on the health, safety, well-being and future of their child, they are more likely to send their children to work.
If we solve those points step by step then we can increase the percentage of child education and decrease the number of child labours and build a healthy society.