Role of NGOs in Child Labour

“There is no greater violence than to deny the dreams of our Children.”

-Kailash Satyarthi

Non-governmental organisations, generally known as NGOs, are voluntary and service-based organisations. NGOs are the organisations of people that work for the welfare of the people. They are the non-profit making organisations for which they are also called NPOs[1]. ”No profit, no loss” is the main principle of such organisations. NGOs are the organisations that help the government in making laws, programmes, policies, schemes, etc. and help them to implement them, which would help them to make society a better place to live. They are also commonly known as the Third Sector within the organisation after the State and market, constituting the first and second sectors, respectively.

Nearly one in ten of all children worldwide are in child labour. Whilst child labour has declined by 94 million since 2000, the decline has slowed by two-thirds in recent years. There are approximately one crore underage workers aged below 14 years in India. Today, nearly one crore children are coerced into the labour of minimum 15-hour work shifts daily in filthy facilities, such as farming, stone cutting, embroidery and mining[2]. 

India is amongst the 74 countries with’ ‘the highest rates of forced labour. Child labourers do get engaged in paid and unpaid forms of work that are not harmful to them; however, these affairs will compromise their physical, mental, social, or educational development in the long run. The UN Sustainable Development Target 8.7 Goals calls for ending child labour in all its forms by 2025. Children under the age of 5-14 years are engaged in construction, fireworks, beedi-rolling, commercial sexual exploitation, hazardous goods-making industries, hotels, leather, mines, silk, etc. 

The Non-Governmental Organization can be defined as follows: A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) is a social service organisation that works for the welfare of the people and makes society a stronger place to live. NGOs help to bring positive change in society by bringing together individuals who share a common vision of a developed India and giving back to the community that helped us.

 NGOs collaborate with industry trade groups to educate the market on the risk of child labour. Several nations of rural and urban areas are also tasked with reporting on child labouring businesses. Reducing the demand has proven to be one of the most compelling ways to reduce child labour and child trafficking. Furthermore, the NGO works with vulnerable communities across India and state and national level governance to address child labour, abuse, corporal punishment, trafficking, and violations of child rights.

The Indian constitution provides an extraordinary and valuable fundamental right to protect citizens’ citizen’s citizens rights. These rights, which include the directive principles of state policy, are relied on by NGOs in their critical role in assisting citizens in enforcing their rights in India. They aim to achieve, eradicate economic conditions, eliminate child labour, and uplift and instil confidence in society. [3]

NGO services master in assessing individual strengths and needs, setting one’s own goals and providing an environment that promotes the growth of society. NGOs such as Save the Children and Young People work to strengthen anti-child labour laws by providing compelling evidence that serves as the foundation for legislation. The rules supported by NGOs’ intervention include the Child Labor Prohibition and Regulation Act.

According to the NGOs, child labour could be put to an end from both the demand and supply sides:

i. Demand: NGOs address these issues to many industries or organisations to reach out to the market to guide them about the wrong of underage labour. To reach out to business owners and educate them about the evils of child labour. NGOs such as Bal Raksha raid many workplaces or industries that practice child labour and rescue several children from child labour.

ii. Supply: Several NGOs maintain relations and contact with people who live in villages and cities who help free children from child labour and report child labour within businesses. Many NGOs also provide scholarships to children, which would help their families from selling their children into a life of slavery.

Bal Raksha Bharat is an NGO which encouraged child rights ever since its founder, Eglantyne Jebb, wrote a charter of children’s rights[4]. Despite several restrictions and anti-child labour laws, child labour is reportedly highest among the Economic-backward castes. NGOs like Bal Raksha Bharat are blueprinting diligent tasks to cure this problem from its roots.

Around 2014, the IKEA Foundation and Bal Raksha Bharat jointly launched a programme of Rs.57 Crore to protect 800,000 youngsters under 16 years living in the Northern states of the nation. Previously, Bal Raksha Bharat has worked in several villages in the southern states where over 64,000 youngsters were rescued from child labour and were moved to schools for education. 

In the case of Bandhua Mukti Morcha v. Union of India and Others,1997, a PIL[5] was filed under Section 32 of the Indian Constitution directly before the Supreme Court and petitioned the Court to direct the State of Uttar Pradesh to take some initiatives to put an end to the child labour. The petition alleged that children under the age of 14 are being employed in the carpet industry in the State of Uttar Pradesh. The Supreme Court, in this case, held that the State must provide socio-economic justice to the children of the nation and provide them opportunities that would uplift their personalities and ultimately help in the welfare of the society. 

In the case of Bachpan Bachao & Ors. Vs Union of India, 2010, the Delhi High Court held that the Commission and the Committee must entertain complaints made by domestic workers through their guardians or the NGOs that have been managing ChildLine services or the employer or the police if necessary. Besides, the Commission must entertain complaints where the child has been working in abusive working conditions between the ages of 14 and 18.

References

 [1] Non-Profit Organisations

[2] US Department of Labor report – “List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor

[3] 2023 IJRTI | Volume 8, Issue 5 | ISSN: 2456-3315 IJRTI2305047 International Journal for Research Trends and Innovation (www.ijrti.org) 299 weaker segments.

[4] UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

[5] Public Interest Litigation

This article has been contributed by Rhea Yadav.