World Day Against Child Labour: What Do These Numbers Tell About India

Education is one of the basic human rights in today's era, However, India is still lacking on this aspect. World Against Child Labour Day, introduced in 2002, plays a vital role to support the educational rights globally. According to the UNICEF's (United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund) data from Census 2011, the number of child labourers in India is 10.1 million. Out of which 5.6 million are boys and 4.5 million are girls.

Following to that, a total of 152 million children – 64 million girls and 88 million boys – are estimated to be in child labour globally, accounting for almost one in ten of all children worldwide.

Ministry of Labour and Employment, Govt. of India has made certain provisions, acts and rules which mentions about education rights for children. Article 21 A states, "Right to Education: The State shall provide free and compulsory education to all children of the age of 6 to 14 years in such manner as the State, by law, may determine."

"Government has been taking various pro-active measures to tackle this problem. However, considering the magnitude and extent of the problem and that it is essentially a socio-economic problem inextricably linked to poverty and illiteracy, it requires concerted efforts from all sections of the society to make a dent in the problem", reads the official website of Ministry of Labour and Employment.

Several India and International public figures have raised the issue on platforms. Recently, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Chief Minister of Assam tweets, "Our children are the future and they should not be deprived of any opportunities that act as obstacles for their development. On World DayAgainst Child Labour, let us all take a pledge to end child labour. Let them realise their dreams by having proper education facilities".

The World Day Against Child Labour 2023 will focus on the theme of "Week of Action against Child Labour." The International Labour Organization (ILO) plans to initiate a week-long campaign dedicated to raising awareness about the injustices of child labour and inspiring individuals to actively oppose it.