The universally accepted concept of child labor is when a minor is engaged in a hazardous working condition that may interfere with their education, physical, social, moral and emotional development. The level of hazard in which the child is exposed determines the probability of threat in their lives, growth and social development (Edmonds 2008). There are several issues that entails in the concept of child labor. For instance, work activities that are known to be suitable only for adults are being forced upon children. Therefore, the level of threat that children might encounter is much higher than that of the adults. This principle relates to the issue of human rights violation because primarily, children's rights stipulate a very defined recognition of children being free from violence and hard labor. When their growth and development is hindered by labor, there is a clear manifestation of child human rights violation.
It is evident in the world today that children are roaming he streets at night engaging in sex trades and drugs. There are instances of extreme physical labor in some countries wherein children are forced to earn for a living because of their family's financial situation. Mining, factories and sex trades are among the industries where children are largely exposed and exploited. From the economic point of view, child labor is just another sector of labor supply in the market rather than a significant social issue. Currently, there are about 250 million children around the world that are engaged in child labor as reported by the Intenational Labour Organization through World Bank and UNICEF (2010). The largest component of child labor population is concentrated in Asia which accounts for 153 million of total reported cases. It is followed by Africa which has 80 million of child laborers, followed by Latin America with 17 million and Oceana with 500 thousand reported population of child laborers (Dagdemir and Acaroglu 2010).
The number of child labor cases are still growing growing particularly among the developing countries. The high labor demands for production out-shadows the existing available labor force in the problematic country forcing the children to join the labor sector because of the promise of earning money. However, it greatly impacts the children in terms of literacy as the objective or earning for a living overcomes the need for education. There are obvious reasons why child labor exists, one is because of globalization. It was mentioned earlier that manufacturing and extensive demand for production of goods is causing the increase of child labor in the world. Developing countries offers several labor opportunities, but the workforce is not sufficient to support the labor demand. As a result, the age gap between laborers are becoming slim to the point that even children are being accepted to take on the same level of workload that adults does. Another reason for child labor is the state of economic living condition in which a family can no longer sustain the basic needs of the family members. This translates into the problem of poverty wherein children are left to choose to work instead of going to school in order to provide additional sustenance for the family (Lieten 2005).
India is an example of a developing country where child labor is prevalent. The country is rising up in terms of economic development, posing an 8-9% of GDP growth each year. However, the numbers also reveal something else. According to the National Survey Sample (NSSO), India has a total of 12.26 million child laborers ranging from age 5-14 years of age. This number also contributes about 3.4% of the country's workforce participation rate mostly coming from the agricultural industry. Children in the urban districts forgo education in exchange for participating in agricultural work (Ncpcr.gov 2009). The reason for this problem is associated with poverty and lac of parental initiative on the importance of education among their children.
However, the community along with the national initiative to eliminate child labor in India is exerting efforts in lowering down if not to totally eliminate the problem. The Gurupadaswamy Committee made recommendations regarding the issue of child labor and presented action plans in line with the legislative policies concerning child welfare. First is by alleviating the main root cause of the problem, which is poverty by generating more employment opportunities for the adults. Another solution is in pursuant to the National Child Labor Project or NCLP of 1998 focusing on providing non-formal and vocational education for children. The program also target the areas where the highest concentration of child labor exists and provide education through special schools (Labour.nic.in n.d.). On a global scale, the problem of child labor is being addressed by means of imposing protocols through United Nation's Convention on the Rights of the Child. The convention is a treaty subjecting all members of the United Nations to establish political, economic, civil, cultural and social rights of children. In 2002 the United States led the ratification of the Optional Protocols in the treaty, which emphasizes the rights of children in child labor and involvement in armed conflicts (Globalsolutions.org n.d.).
In a nutshell, child labor is a clear violation of the child's right to be a child. The norms of childhood focuses having education, being free from violence, conflicts and abuse. Child abuse encompasses child labor, it is a clear exploitation of their innocence and lack of strength to fight for their rights. The world is changing and the evidence of globalization and lack of emphasis on poverty alleviation fuels the extent of child labor practices. What should be done in this kind of global issue is to educate not only the child, but also the parents and the community. Social programs should also have a strong grip among different communities in ensuring that children are not in any way being exploited into labor along with stronger legislative policies. Constant monitoring by social services should also initiated in order to analyze program result.
List of References
Labour.nic.in / Government of India, Ministry of Labour and Employment [online]. (n.d.). Available from:
Globalsolutions.org [online]. (n.d.). Available from:
Dagdemir, Ozcan and Acaroglu, Hakan (2010). The effects of globalization on child labor in developing countries. BEH - Business and Economic Horizons. Volume 2 | Issue 2, pp.37-38.
Edmonds, Eric V. (2008>. Defining child labour: A review of the definitions of child labour in policy research. International Labor Organization: Geneva.
Intenational Labour Organization through World Bank and UNICEF (2010). Joining forces against child labour: Inter-agency report for The Hague Global Child Labour Conference of 2010. International Labour Organization and Understanding Children’s Work (UCW): Geneva.
Ncpcr.gov (2009). Magnitude of Child Labour in India An Analysis of Official Sources of Data (Draft). Analysis of Official Sources. ., pp.5.
Lieten, G.K. (2005). The Causes for Child Labour in India: the Poverty Analysis. Poverty Analysis. ., pp.1-2.
