Child labour (summary)

SUMMARY OF CHILD LABOUR Child labour conventionally refers to children working before they reach the lawful minimum age. It deprives children from childhood and their dignity which hampers their education and acquisition of skills. Child labours are involved in many worst form of employment, for example, forms of slavery, sexual exploitation (prostitution or pornography), illicit activities, hazardous work that harms their lives, health and morals. The major reason behind child labour is poverty. Children in developing countries work because they have to run their families, there are also unavailability of schools and cultural pressures which prevent them going to schools. . However, there are some laws to protect child labour. Such as the Minimum Convention 138 which sets a minimum age of 15 for legal employment. Convention 182, (1999), calls for the elimination of the worst form of child labour (physical, psychological, sexual abuse etc.). Before that, in 1989 there was convention on the rights of child. This instrument incorporated the full range of human rights for the children. Article 32 of the convention gave the children right to be protected from any work which is harmful to their health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. Also the United Nations through the UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILDEN 1989 enacted some articles, such as, art 11, 19 20 etc to protect the children’s right. Different NGO’s are working to protect the children and to implement the child labour laws. They are providing free education, training, giving financial help etc. However, the amount of child labours around the world have not reduced as much as it was expected because of proper implementation of the laws and taking appropriate steps to prevent children going to work. For the long lasting solution of child labour, there must be a national development strategies backed by effective legislation.