Causes of Child Labour

Today one of the greatest maladies that has spread across the world is that of child labor, coupled with child abuse. It is a very scary thought when each year statistics show increasing numbers. And this is not a problem afflicting under-developed or developing nations, but also developed countries, though the numbers are comparatively less.

There are a number of experts around the world who are working towards controlling the numbers, and eventually eradicating the problem. Seems like a difficult and nearly impossible task, but then all the same immense efforts are being made in this direction.

The first step to solve any problem is to be aware of it. And the prime focus is to be aware of the causes of child labour. The following causes listed, though from the Indian prospective, are also the contributing factor to child exploitation in other nations…

The leading reason is poverty. Families need additional sources of income. And unfortunately their poverty-stricken way of life makes them so ruthless that they sell their children as commodities to exploitive employers. Most such employers pay a lump sum for the child and then keep him or her imprisoned within the factory unit till the child cannot work due to deteriorating health as a result of harsh living and working conditions. A hard and terrifying truth about child labor in India!

Most traditional families believe that a child is born to them to earn more money for the family. The child is just another source of income. And traditional business families in fact put the child into the business rather than sending them to school. Under the pretext of training them, they make them work long hours, sometimes resorting to physical torture in case the child makes mistakes.

Child abuse is another cause for child labor. This is more so in the case of the girl child, who has probably been abused by someone at home, and to hide this fact she is sold to an employer from a city as domestic help, or then as a bride to an old man.

Lack of proper educational facilities force parents to send their children to work, rather than keeping them at home and giving them a home-based education, along with a happy and innocent childhood playing amongst other children.