Nisha Sahani

Baiju (name changed), an 11-year-old boy from Telia village in Kudhni block, 22 km from Muzaffarpur in Bihar, wakes up every morning like other children. However, instead of going to school, he heads off to work as a labourer, a burden he has borne for the past three years.

Baiju, who belongs to the Mahadalit community, used to attend school. Life changed after his father’s death, as he was forced to drop out of school and start working to support his family. He explains that his mother’s meagre income is not enough to sustain the six members of their family.

Consequently, he had to give up his education and begin working. She does not have enough money to educate her children, forcing her to send Baiju to work.

Child labour is a grave issue affecting millions of children worldwide, and in our country, it has reached alarming proportions. According to a UNICEF report based on the 2011 census, there are approximately 10.1 million child labourers in India, including 5.6 million boys and 4.5 million girls. Most child labourers can be found working in domestic services, tea shops, and brick kilns.

In India, child labour is more prevalent in rural areas compared to urban ones. Children from socially and economically disadvantaged communities are often compelled to work in these areas, stripping them of their fundamental right to education and perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

This not only obstructs their education but also hampers their overall development. Children should be in school and playing, not toiling as labourers. Pinki Devi (name changed), a 45-year-old resident of Telia village, has two children who have left school to work as labourers.

She explains that her husband, a daily wage labourer, is often ill. In such a situation, it became impossible to support the family with his income alone, forcing her to send her children to work.

Social worker Phuldev Patel points out that children from the most economically vulnerable Dalit and Mahadalit communities are predominantly involved in child labour.

The dire economic conditions of their households compel them to abandon their education and start working. He asserts that the actual number of child labourers is significantly higher than what official statistics reveal.

The government provides free books, notebooks, uniforms, and mid-day meals under the Right to Free and Compulsory Education to encourage children to attend school. However, the harsh economic realities overshadow these provisions, pushing children into labour. He further notes that human traffickers exploit this vulnerability, selling children as labourers in other states.

Local journalist Amritanj observes that, like Telia village, there are numerous remote rural areas in Muzaffarpur where children work as labourers. He notes that the government may not have official statistics on this issue because it is carried out in a highly systematic manner.

Although the strict child labour laws and the vigilance of the local administration have reduced the rate of child labourers in recent years, it has not been entirely eradicated. Even today, children can be seen working in brick kilns, tea shops, grocery stores, construction sites, and as domestic helpers.

As in previous years, this year too, the World Day Against Child Labor was observed on June 12 in India and around the world. When children in a society begin working as labourers at a young age instead of attending school, it prompts deep introspection within that nation and its society.

They must confront why a child is forced to abandon books for labour. When a child’s right to childhood,  is denied, and they are thrust into labour, they endure physical, mental, and social exploitation, transforming their childhood into one marred by labour—an ordeal known as child labour.

 (The author is a grassroots writer from Bihar. Views expressed are personal.  Charkha Features)