World Day against Child Labour
UN-World Day Against Child Labor observed on June 12, 2023. This year the theme of the day was “Social Justice for All; End Child Labour”.
- According to an estimate, 160 million children in the world do labor for their livelihood. This means that almost one out of every 10 children is working as a laborer somewhere instead of going to school.
- Child trafficking can be seen in many forms such as domestic labor, forced child labor in industries, beggary, human organ trade and commercial sexual exploitation.
- According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), eight children were trafficked every day in India for labour, beggary and sexual exploitation in 2021.
Reasons Responsible for Child Trafficking
- Poverty and hunger, lack of employment, caste and community based discrimination,
- Unfair practices in rural areas, and other external factors like COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, etc.
Anti-Trafficking Laws in India
- Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956: This law prohibits immoral traffic and prostitution.
- The Ashram System (Abolition) Act, 1976: This law abolished the bonded labor system to prevent economic and physical exploitation of the weaker sections of the people.
- Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994: This law makes the commercial use of human organs a punishable offence.
- Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012: This law provides protection to children from crimes like sexual offences, sexual harassment and pornography.
Source – Hindustan Times
