Concerns in Child labour Eradication

Why in news?

It is estimated recently that it would be difficult to achieve the child labour eradication target by 2025.

What are the global status of child labour?

• The International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that eight years from now, around 121 million boys and girls would still be engaged in various occupations.
• The present figure is around 152 million children aged 5-17.
• Around 71% of working children are concentrated in the agriculture sector, with 69% of them undertaking unpaid work in family units.

What are the implications of India’s target?

• In 2015 union government set a target to eradicate child labour by 2025.
• At a recent conference in Buenos Aires India told that it will miss the deadline.
• The implication is also that realising the objective could take well over 20 years after the expiry of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
• It is a shame that the goal to eradicate child labour by 2025 seems intangible

What are the challenges for India in achieving the target?

• If countries resolve to reinvigorate their efforts to reach the target, they would be looking at a reduction each year of 19 million.
• That is close to five times the prevalent pace of decline.
• There was a slowdown in the reduction of child labour, just one percentage point, during the four years until 2016.
• More worrisome is that there was almost no progress with respect to the rescue of children under 12 years in the four years since 2012.
• Equally, the decline in child labour among girls was only half the proportion of that of boys during this period.

What are the reasons for lack of progress?

• There is an absence of national legislation to give effect to global conventions on the employment of children in hazardous industries, as well as on the minimum age of work.
• The fact that the two instruments have received the largest number of ratifications brings into sharp focus the lack of harmony between global commitments and domestic priorities.
• Incoherency between laws that prescribe a minimum age for employment and those for completion of compulsory school education.
• Due to absence of strong collective bargaining mechanisms and effective social protection policies it is tedious to implement social policies.

Source: The Hindu