Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed a bill which prohibits employment of children below 14 years in all occupations or processes except where the child helps his family, with the provision for imprisonment up to two years for any violation.
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Replying to debate on the Bill, Labour and Employment Minister Bandaru Dattatreya hailed the development as a historic step and said, it is aimed at total abolition of child labour. But a closer scrutiny reveals that it is hardly the case. The bill bans employing anyone below 14 years and those in 15-18 years (adolescents) in hazardous work, except where the child helps his family.
However, the Child Labour Bill, which has been amended after 30 years, does not protect children from the dangers of child labour.
Child rights activist and Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi, however, is not too happy with the bill. Children above 14 are allowed to legally work in such industries. “This day has come after a long struggle, which began in 1986 when the child labour law was enacted”, Satyarthi said after Rajya Sabha passed the bill.
According to the statistics made available by CRY, only 33 out of 100 children are completing Class 12.
Recalling his own childhood, he said even he used to help his family.
Talking to reporters outside the Parliament, he also expressed hope that now the Lok Sabha would pass the bill. However, by allowing children to work in family set up opens a window for exploitation which comes along with contracting and sub-contracting of work.
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“Therefore, striking a balance between the need for education for a child and the reality of the socio-economic condition and social fabric in the country, the cabinet has approved a child can help his family or family enterprise, which is other than any hazardous occupation or process, after school hours or during vacation”, the government had said then. “Currently, there is no mechanism to monitor if the child is working for the family enterprise, within the family set up and/or after school hours”, it said in a statement.
