Employment of Children in Hazardous Occupations in India

Dr. Radhika Kapur

Abstract
In the present existence, there has been an increase in the child working population.
The child working populations are referred to as child labour, who range from six to fourteen
years of age. In India, the employment of children are mostly in low key jobs of the
unorganized sectors, which are hazardous in nature. The main purpose of this research paper
is to understand the employment of children in hazardous occupations in India. The main
areas that have been taken into account are, causes for the employment of children in
hazardous occupations, employment of children in selected occupations, effects of
employment of children in hazardous occupations, Legislation for Child Labour in India, and
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. In the present existence, in India,
there are more than 10.12 million children who are spending their childhood getting engaged
in hazardous occupations and are deprived of education and other childhood activities.

Keywords: Children, Employment, Hazards, Conditions, Processes, Occupations,

Development

Introduction
Child labour is referred to the utilisation of the labour of children who are either
underage, or are of working age but work under the conditions that subject them to risks and
hazards. It is an unfortunate reality that children not only in India, but throughout the world
are often forced to take up occupations that are physically, psychologically and morally
harmful to them. However, not all kinds of jobs, performed by children is classified as child
labour. In fact, some manageable work that does not interfere with their growth and
development, their education, or health, such as, helping parents within the house, or earning
pocket money outside of the school hours or on holidays, can be a positive experience for the
children. The term child labour therefore, does not generally apply to children between the
ages of 12-14 who are involved in easy work or to children between the ages of 15-17 who
are employed in non-hazardous occupations (Child Labour Always right in front of you but
why constantly hidden from your view? 2012).

Employment of children in jobs is a source and significance of poverty and education

and training is vital to break this cycle. At the same time, involvements in education and
training must be combined with other involvements to efficiently remove children from
hazardous work. This includes measures which address poverty and underdevelopment,
insufficient health and social policies, fragile labour market institutions, inadequate
legislation and an inadequate enforcement of laws. Both supply side factors such as the role
of poverty in convincing parents to send their children to work, and demand side factors such
as the way a society establishes its production processes help regulate the range to which
children are employed in hazardous occupations (Child Labour Always right in front of you
but why constantly hidden from your view? 2012).

Causes for the Employment of Children in Hazardous Occupations

The main causes that give rise to child labour within the country have been stated as
follows: (Parvathamma, 2015).

Primary Causes – Poverty has been considered to be the vital cause behind the
occurrence of child labour. For disadvantaged and underprivileged households, income from
a child's work is generally considered important for his or her own survival or for that of the
household. Income from the children, who are employed, even if they are younger in age,
may be between 25 to 40% of the household income. When children are engaged in
employment, then the main advantage is that they contribute in the generation of family
income. On the other hand, they are deprived of significant aspects, such as inexpensive
schools and quality education. When they are deprived of education, then children get
engaged in hazardous jobs; they work because they do not have anything better to do. The
economic problems of their families, even compel them to drop out of school and get
engaged in jobs. Most of the communities, particularly in rural areas where between 60 to
70% of the child labour is predominant, do not possess suitable school facilities. Even when
schools are available, they are at a distance, where it is difficult to reach, they are too
expensive or the quality of education is in an underdeveloped state that parents are forced to
give it a thought, whether it is really important to get their children enrolled in school.

Cultural Causes - When there has been an increase in the employment of children in
various kinds of jobs, as well as in the present day child labour, there have been existence of
certain cultural beliefs that have modernized child labour and thereby encouraged it. Some
individuals possess this viewpoint that work is worthy for the character building and skill
development of the children. In many cultures, particularly where informal economy and
small household businesses flourish, the cultural tradition is that children follow their parents'
footsteps; from the very early age, children get engaged in family businesses and learn how to
trade. Similarly, in most of the cultures the education of girls is less valued or girls are simply
not expected to require formal schooling, and they are forced into the child labour practices,
such as making provision of domestic services. Individuals in rural areas possess this
viewpoint that girls are meant to perform only the household chores and school education is
not meant for them.

Macro-economic Causes – Macro-economic causes stimulated general child labour

across the world, over most of human history. They suggest that the causes for the
employment of children include both the demand and the supply side. While paucity and
inaccessibility of appropriate education provide explanation of the employment of children
on the supply side; they recommend that the development of low paying informal economy
rather than high paying formal economy is amongst the causes of the demand side. The
availability of unyielding labour market, size of the informal economy, incapability of the
industries to scale up and non-existence of modern manufacturing technologies are the major
macro-economic factors affecting demand and adequacy of the employment of children.
Other causes are, having an increase in the income of the poverty stricken families, to lead to
a reduction in the labour costs in production organizations and reasons for getting involved as
domestic helpers, the reason being, the children are less unsure about fraudulence and less
subjected to violent or criminal acts.
Employment of Children in Selected Occupations
The employment of children in selected occupations have been stated as follows:
(Child Labour in India, n.d.).
Mining – Children comprise of the large part of the mining workforce in the early
years of the century. In accordance to the report during 1901, there were few thousand
children who were below the age of 12 years and were employed in mines. They constituted
4.8 percent of the workforce who were employed in mines. A non-government organization
has observed that children employed in this kind of work usually suffer from harmful dusts,
gases, fumes, these cause fatigue and mercury poisoning. In other words, mining was
hazardous to their health. Mostly, this in prevalent in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh and Bihar.
Plantations – Large number of children who are between the ages of 12-14 are
employed in plantations. In accordance with the findings of the ad-hoc enquiry conducted in
Assam in the year 1976, roughly 57 percent of the children who are employed in European
owned estates and 63 percent of those employed in Indian owned estates were between the
ages of 12 to 14 years. In the present existence, children employed in tea plantations earn
about 40 Rs per day. In the states of Tamil Nadu, Orissa, West Bengal, Assam, Karnataka
and so forth, the employment of children in tea plantations is common.
Ceramic and Glasswork – In northern India, the employment of children in ceramic
and glasswork is common. In this work, children are supposed to carry molten loads of glass
dragged from the tank furnace at a temperature of 1500 to 1800 degree centigrade.
Sometimes, children who are aged just eight to nine years, carry about 20 kg of weight with
their bodies bent. Sometimes, children have to work with exposed electric wires and sound
that is as high as 100 decibels. These are difficult occupations and prone to risks and hazards.
As a result, they suffer from various kinds of health problems, such as poor eye sight, toxic
fumes and injuries from the flying glass. This is common in the states of Uttar Pradesh,
Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Karnataka.
Construction Work – Construction work is undertaken on a large scale under private,
cooperative and government auspices. There have been introduction of innovative techniques
and easy availability of housing loans, due to which this industry has got a new control. Large
number of rural migrant families are engaged into this job. Children get involved into this
work as helpers and after some years of experience, one can become a skilled mason and can
earn up to Rs 175-200 per day. Children usually get Rs 45 per day and they experience
number of health problems due to carrying of heavy loads, bricks and other materials.

Brassware Industry – In the states of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, the
brassware industry is common. The jobs of moulding, polishing and electroplating normally
employ children; they are also involved in welding and scraping. Mostly the work of the
children comprises of polishing of the semi-finished products. Other work also makes them
work with poisonous chemicals and moulding hot temperature, this is considered to be risky
and even hazardous to their health. Primary reason for the employment of children is that
they are paid low wages that leads to a reduction in the production costs.
Carpet Industry – Uttar Pradesh is the state which is known for carpets within the
country. It has been estimated that the children employed in the carpet industry number
around two to three lakhs in the states of Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Jammu and Kashmir.
Children are involved mainly in the weaving of the carpets and their wages depend upon the
number of carpets, they can weave in a day. Besides, weaving, they are employed in knotting,
dying and sorting sections. Eight percent of the total workforce in the carpet industry is
comprised of children.
Gem Polishing – This industry is present in the states of Gujarat, Rajasthan and
Madhya Pradesh. Children between the ages of 11 to 12 years are engaged into the jobs of
polishing of the gemstones for about eight to nine hours a day; this includes, cutting, washing
and polishing of the diamond chips. The coloured gemstones that are polished in these states
comprise 95 percent. Children also polish emeralds, coral, ruby and topaz. In Rajasthan, more
than 15,000 children are employed that comprises of 22 percent of the total workforce. Their
working hours are normally ten and they get Rs 50 per day.
Lock Industry – Aligarh is famous for lock industry and 85 percent of the locks are
made in the Aligarh district only. In this industry, more than 15,000 children who are below
12 years of age are working for 12 hours a day. Family based units are considered common in
this occupation. The jobs that children are involved into include, hand press, electroplating,
painting and so forth, these are considered hazardous to one’s health. Children are required to
be extremely careful when they are working with machines and need to acquire efficient
training. In this industry, the pay is Rs 900 per month.
Silk Weaving – The employment of children in the silk weaving sector is very large,
normally 17,000 children are employed in the southern states of Bangalore, Karnataka.
Children who are employed in this job usually range between the ages of six to 12 years. The
reason being that children are more useful in this occupation and work for about ten hours per
day. They usually prepare yarns on beams and weave the silk. Majority of the children are
from Muslim families and girls. In this industry, the main job duties that children are engaged
into include, weaving, dying, rolling, washing and so forth.
Agricultural Sector – There has been employment of children in the agricultural
sector, where they are meant to acquire knowledge and training about the utilization of tools
and machinery in the fields. Agrarian jobs are considered to be hazardous for the children,
they work long hours and experience number of difficulties and problems in the fields. When
children are working with modern machinery and chemicals, then they are exposed to hazards
and risks. These occupations are considered as part of family labour or as individual workers.
Children may work in family enterprises after their school hours and they may be allowed to
get involved in any kind of work that is home based (Employment of Children in Hazardous
and Family Run Business, n.d.). They are involved in the agricultural sector, as agriculture is
regarded to be the main occupation of the individuals in rural areas.
Effects of Employment of Children in Hazardous Occupations
 Employment of children in hazardous occupations and non-hazardous occupations is a
socio-economic phenomenon. The socio-economic backwardness of the individuals is
followed by the problems of poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. The effects upon the
society has been classified as follows: (Barman, & Barman, 2014).

Abuse and Mistreatment – The individuals residing in rural areas in the conditions of
poverty and backwardness, send their children to urban areas to find employment
opportunities and to enhance their literacy skills. These children are able to find employment
as domestic helps in wealthy households; but in some cases, they are not treated well, they
are beaten, given very less to eat, are made to work long hours, are deprived of sleep and rest,
not provided any kind of recreation, such as watching television or going outside for leisure
purposes and in some cases are not even paid on time. These factors obstruct the personal
safety of the children belonging to socio-economically backward sections of the society who
migrate to urban areas to work and study and enhance their living conditions. They are
severely abused and mistreated. Therefore, children who are engaged in employment at a
young age are abused verbally and physically, which affects their psychological growth.

Emotional Neglect – When children are engaged in jobs, they are usually emotionally
neglected and are deprived of care and affection from the family members, as a result of
which they feel secluded and despondent. When children are engaged in employment
opportunities and various kinds of occupations, they usually have to move away from their
homes and family. In some cases, employers do treat them kindly, whereas in others, they are
not treated well, as a result of which they feel lonely and depressed. As a result of these
feelings, they lose interest in activities, which they used to take pleasure in at some point of
time, but they realize the significance of monetary wealth and feel that it is necessary to work
and make money in order to sustain their living.

Physical Neglect – In most cases, when children migrate to urban areas in search for
jobs and employment opportunities, they do not have any family members or known persons
around, whom they can interact and share all their problems. Physical neglect proves to be
largely detrimental to the children; they are denied of basic education, health care, proper diet
and nutrition, recreational activities and personal safety. In hazardous occupations,
individuals employed are supposed to undertake safety measures and be cautious when they
are working with machines, tools and equipment. As a result of physical neglect, the most
detrimental consequence is that children are not able to enhance their educational skills,
which are considered vital, and in some cases they even get engaged into violent and criminal
acts.

Deprived of Schooling – Child labour is a major hindrance to the enhancement of

educational qualifications amongst the children. Due to lack of schooling, the educational
qualifications that are considered to be important for the growth and development of the
children are missing. Children, who are engaged in jobs are not able to acquire education and
do not get the opportunity to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and
psychologically. Children do not possess the capability to work long hours as compared to
adults, when they are made to work long hours, they get more subjected to illnesses and
diseases. Children employed in hazardous occupations are deprived of schooling, in some
cases, even their basic literacy skills of reading, writing and arithmetic are not developed,
they remain illiterate and as a result of which their ability gets limited to contribute towards
their own wellbeing as well as the wellbeing of the community in which they live.

Legislation for Child Labour in India

The first protective legislation for child labour in India was seen in 1881 in the form
of Indian factories Act which had the establishments of prohibiting employment amongst the
children below seven years of age, restraining the working hours for children to nine hours a
day, providing four holidays in a month and resting hours. This was formulated by the ruling
British Government to lead to a decline in the production in Indian industries through some
lawful restraints. It may be submitted that the labour legislations in India including protective
legislation for children have been largely influenced with the result of various Conventions
and Recommendations implemented by the International Labour Organisation. Besides
Constitutional provisions, there are some legislative enactments which provide legal
protection to the children in various occupations (Child Labour, 2013).
The Children (Pledging of Labour) Act, 1933
The Employment of Children Act, 1938

The Minimum Wages, Act 1948 and rules made thereunder by the government

The Factories Act, 1948

The Plantations Labour Act, 1951

The Mines Act, 1952

The Merchant Shipping Act, 1958

 The Motor Transport Workers’ Act, 1961

The Apprentices Act, 1961

The Atomic Energy Act, 1962

The Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966

The Shops and Establishment Act in Various States, and

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

Employment of children who are below 14 and 15 years of age in certain jobs has
been prohibited by various Acts, but there is no procedure laid down in any law, that what
kinds of jobs or employments, should be banned. There is also no law to regulate the working
conditions of the children. This bill intends to prohibit the employment of children, those who
have not reached fourteen years of age from getting involved in specified occupations and
processes; lay down a procedure to make decisions regarding the modifications to the
schedule of banned occupations or processes; the occupations, where the children are not
prohibited from working, the working conditions should be regulated in them; lay down
improved penalties for the employment of the children in violation of the provisions of this
Act, and other Acts which prevents the employment of the children and to attain consistency
in the definition of the child in the related laws (The Child Labour (Prohibition and
Regulation) Act, 1986. (1986).

Conclusion

Employment of children in hazardous occupations is regarded to be unfortunate that

deprives the child from receiving quality education, and other vital areas that are necessary
for effective growth and development. Their progress and development gets affected in a
negative way in all the areas, physically, psychologically and socially. The main causes for
the employment of children in hazardous occupations are primary, cultural and macro-
economic. The selected occupations where children are employed are mining, plantations,
ceramic and glasswork, construction work, brassware industry, carpet industry, gem
polishing, lock industry, silk weaving and the agricultural sector. When getting employed in
these industries, it is essential that children should be adequately trained and proper attention
should be paid towards their work; as these jobs are hazardous, risky and may affect their
health.
 Effects of the employment of children in hazardous occupations are unfavourable,
they suffer from abuse and mistreatment, emotional neglect, physical neglect and deprived of
schooling. There are legislative enactments which make provision of legal protection to
children in various occupations. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986
aims to prohibit the entry of the children into hazardous occupations and to regulate the
services of the children in non-hazardous occupations. Under extreme conditions of economic
distress, children are compelled to get involved in employment opportunities, which are in
most cases underpaid, exploitative and hazardous. Children who are brought up in an
environment, which is favourable to their physical, psychological and social conditions, grow
into responsible and productive members of the society. Children should be encouraged to
study and get engaged in activities that would be beneficial to their growth and development.
On the other hand, their involvement in employment settings, which are hazardous at a young
age adversely affects their education, health, safety, growth and development.
 Bibliography
Barman, B., & Barman, N. (2014). A Study on Child Working Population in India. IOSR
Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 19(2), 1-5. Retrieved September 13, 2017
from http://www.iosrjournals.org/iosr-jhss/papers/Vol19-issue2/Version-
1/A019210105.pdf

Child Labour. (2013). Lok Sabha Secretariat. Members Reference Service. Retrieved
September 14, 2017 from http://164.100.47.134/intranet/childlabour.pdf
Child Labour in India. (n.d.). Retrieved September 13, 2017 from
http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/45098/8/chapter%204.pdf
Child Labour Always right in front of you but why constantly hidden from your view?
(2012). Retrieved September 13, 2017 from
http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/ser_nclp1709.pdf
Employment of Children in Hazardous and Family Run Business. (n.d.).
Retrieved September 14, 2017 from
http://bba.org.in/sites/default/files/Employment%20of%20Children%20in
%20Hazardous%20and%20Family%20Run%20Business.pdf

Parvathamma, G.L. (2015). Child Labour in India- A Conceptual and Descriptive Study.
International Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Invention, 4(1), 23-32.
Retrieved September 14, 2017 from
http://www.ijhssi.org/papers/v4(1)/Version-2/D0412023032.pdf
The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986. (1986). Retrieved September 14,
2017 from http://labour.gov.in/sites/default/files/act_3.pdf