For a change, this article is neither gonna talk about the stats of how much of the child population is involved in child labour, nor list the laws that are violated in this process. Instead, the co-relation between poverty and pathetic mindset is gonna be addressed.
How long shall we as a society blame the authorities or the Indian law for such a condition to be prevailing? If we talk facts majority of the people involved in child labour directly or indirectly belong to lower castes of the society.
The whole nation condemns the constitution for providing reservation and encouraging casteism. But in reality, how much of the beneficiary schemes and procedures are being acknowledged and implemented by those castes? If it was for dictatorship, we could ruthlessly abolish castes and oppression.
But that’s not how democracy works right, with increasing cons than pros.
The so called weakened sections don’t even want to send their children to government schools that provide free education, because they feel one member’s income is compromised.
There could be a minor percent of their population willing to change, but they are suppressed by the majority. For a change to be prevalent, the mindsets of society have to change. We can go on talking of mediators who exploit weakened sections of the society.
Those mediators are of higher class right? When do you know the problems existing why exploit? Because the higher sections of the society are another weird bunch. None of us have a progressive thought process and we again give gyaan on how poverty is a hurdle to India’s developing economy.
In a country, where the prosperity of political power is considered instead of the nation’s development, a change being proposed in favor of the people shouldn’t be neglected.
Economic hardships minimise the broadened thinking of people and put them in staggered circumstances. Nearly 1 in 10 children, which should be summing up to 152 million in totality, are employed in child labour.
To be honest, child labor is fuelling their existent poverty. It isn’t helping their financial condition. The children are robbed of their education, risk of contracting occupational diseases, and vulnerable to sexual exploitation. Do you think they’ll grow up to be responsible citizens? No. They grow up unable to find employment and direction in life, with the same inferior mindsets of their parents, and end up unskilled throughout their life, hence continuing the parampara.
Inspite of all this, they won’t refrain themselves from marriage and having kids, ultimate goal in life (ridiculous).
Child labour is child abuse and you cannot give any excuse. It inflicts damage to the child’s physical and mental health, yet their lives won’t get any better.
It is the same poverty, illiteracy, and deprivation. There are many laws and acts from the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) of Children Act. They are not backed by effective and proper implementation and enforcement.
No unions and NGOs can relax the situation of child labor at the present.
People would succumb to the hope of getting a rupee more. Their mindsets should change. There has to be controlled in reproduction.
Your earning is proportionately low compared to the offsprings you have. The laws have to get more stringent. Sometimes you can allow morals and ethics to question democracy in light of foreseen vision.
Very well articulated thoughts describing the very pulse of our society and it’s mindsets.
A very frustrating and tangled problem. Can feel the pull and push that makes this a hard problem. Thank you.