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Oxfam in India - Child labour in India
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A girl working in a stone quarry near Delhi. She is a
member of a previously bonded community
Photo:Ben Buxton/Oxfam |
India has the largest number of children under the age of 15 in
work in the world. Some estimates put the figure at 100 million
children. In some cases, young children are forced to work for long
hours for low pay and in dangerous conditions. Oxfam is supporting
efforts to end this type of child labour, which harms young children.
But there are many different kinds of child labour, and not all
forms of children's work are the same. Many children in India work
because their families are poor. These families rely on the extra
money that their children can earn. In many cases they cannot afford
to send their children to school.
Poverty can also force families to sell their children to do work
for others. These children have to work in very unhealthy conditions,
and for very little, or no, pay. They are sometimes forced to live
in the place where they work, away from their families and parents.
This is known as “bonded labour”, and is illegal in India.
Oxfam believes that bonded child labour should be abolished immediately.
Oxfam does not think, however, that banning all
child labour overnight will help all poor children and their families
to escape poverty. Instead, Oxfam believes that the best way to
solve the problem is to end the poverty that forces children to
work, so that families can afford the time and money for them to
go to school. Oxfam has funded projects and initiatives that have
helped families to get a better income. This has helped children
to escape poor health, malnutrition, and exploitative child labour.
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