Prohibition on Child Labor in Factories and Similar Establishments (Article 24)
In India, efforts to combat child labor are multi-faceted, addressing the issue from legal, social, and economic perspectives.
A significant step towards addressing child labor was the judicial order in the case of C. Mehta v. State of Tamil Nadu, 1996, which highlighted the violation of children's fundamental rights. This was followed by the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) in the Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India, 1997, which focused on the employment of children in the carpet industry.
Legal interventions have played a crucial role in combating child labor. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, prohibits the employment of children below 14 years and restricts adolescents (14-18 years) from hazardous occupations. This legal framework has led to the identification and rescue of thousands of children from sectors like beedi-making and fireworks manufacturing.
The National Child Labour Project (NCLP), launched in 1988, focuses on identifying, rescuing, and rehabilitating child laborers. Special training centers and bridge schools help transition rescued children into formal education. Integration with education and welfare schemes such as the Right to Education Act (2009), Mid-Day Meal Scheme, and Samagra Shiksha aims to improve school access and reduce school dropouts, thereby preventing child labor in vulnerable communities.
However, the problem of child labor persists due to various socio-economic factors. Poverty, lack of access to education, family indebtedness, and inadequate social protection are among the main causes. High demand for cheap and exploitative labor in certain industries, such as domestic work, small factories, and agriculture, further fuels the problem. Traffickers often use false promises to lure children from poor states into urban exploitative labor.
Recent years have seen an intensification of judicial orders and government enforcement. For instance, there was a 51% increase in child labor rescue cases in Delhi in 2025 compared to 2024. Police have arrested more traffickers and employers violating child labor laws, highlighting active legal enforcement on the ground.
Future strategies emphasize community-driven monitoring and social mobilization. This includes empowering local bodies like panchayats, school committees, and civil society to track dropouts and enforce local accountability. There is also a proposed revision of the National Child Policy aligned with Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 to eradicate child labor.
Strengthening rehabilitation measures—such as skill development, financial support, and psychosocial care for rescued children—is seen as crucial to prevent their re-entry into labor. Better implementation and enforcement of the Right to Education Act is also proposed as a way forward.
In conclusion, India’s fight against child labor involves a strengthened legal framework, active police enforcement, targeted rescue and rehabilitation programs, and efforts to improve education access and community engagement to address root causes like poverty and exploitation.
- To further support the legal efforts against child labor, a focus on personal growth and education-and-self-development is essential for victims of child labor as they transition into formal education through special training centers and bridge schools.
- In light of the intensified judicial orders and government enforcement, it is crucial for regular general news reports to cover crime-and-justice issues, including child labor cases, and the growing arrests of traffickers and employers violating child labor laws, to raise public awareness.
- As part of the ongoing policy-and-legislation changes in India, it is recommended to establish learning initiatives and programs aimed at addressing the socio-economic factors driving child labor, such as poverty, lack of education, and family indebtedness, to promote long-term personal growth and self-sustainability for vulnerable communities.
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