Rights panel seeks amendment in child labour laws

NEW DELHI - The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has demanded an amendment to the child labour act to bring the unorganised sector within the ambit of the law.

“There are a number of loopholes in the child labour act which makes it ineffective. It does not include agriculture and allied activities which account for highest incidences of child labour,” NCPCR chairperson Shantha Sinha told IANS.

“Millions of children are engaged in works which are not listed as processes of occupation… all these children do not come in purview of the act. This is why we are demanding an amendment in the act,” she said.

The National Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act prohibits employment of children below the age of 14 in factories, mines and hazardous employments.

“Children working as part of family are also not identified as labour. Employers exploit these provisions,” Sinha said.

The commission has also demanded raising the age for classifying child labour from current 14 years to 18.

The chairperson said that a request has been sent to the labour and employment ministry for amending the act.

“We are awaiting a response from the ministry of labour and employment,” Sinha said.

According to the NCPCR, there are nearly nine million child labourers in the country, a majority of who are in rural areas. Two-thirds of them are engaged in agriculture, accounting for 73 percent of casual child labourers and nine percent of regular workers.

–Indo Asian news Service