By IANS,
New Delhi : As the nation observes World Day Against Child Labour Saturday, NGO Child Rights and You (CRY) Friday said that unless agriculture is brought under the ambit of the child labour law, eradicating child labour as a whole will be a futile attempt.
“Agriculture accounts for as many as nearly 70 percent of India’s 17 million child labourers, but is not included in the list of 16 occupations and 65 processes in the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 2006,” a CRY statement said.
“Therefore, unless child labour is banned in agriculture, eradicating it will remain a dream,” it added.
The government estimates that the number of child labourers in the country is around 12.6 million, but NGOs say the number is much higher.
“When children are forced to work long hours in the fields, herding livestock or helping in food production, their ability to get adequate nourishment and to attend school is limited, preventing them from gaining education,” the statement said.
Girls are particularly disadvantaged as they often undertake household chores following work in the fields, it added.
CRY further said that the supply chain of unpaid or cheap labour in agriculture can be broken only if its root causes are simultaneously addressed – like social and economic marginalisation, lack of livelihood options and good schools.