Child Labour
Great poets like Wordsworth and Tagore were great lovers of children. Among the Indian leaders, Jawaharlal Nehru was known for his great affection for children. President A.PJ. Abdul Kalam will also go in history as a true lover of children.
All parents love their children even more than their own life but it is a pity many of them are forced by the circumstances to send their children for doing some labour instead of going to school. Now, education for children in the age group of 6 to 14 has been made a fundamental right. Primary education is compulsory. Mid-day meals have been started in government schools to check the number of dropouts.
In spite of this, many poor parents do not send their children to school. Even those who are sent there, give up studies after the completion of primary education and in many cases even before its completion and that even ignoring the incentive of the mid-day meals.
The reason for this scenario is that many parents while feeling the pangs of poverty, want their children to be self-supporting even in that tender age. They themselves cannot earn much and want the children to work and augment the income of the family. Many children in poor families have to leave their hearts and homes to fend for themselves.
These poor children work in brick kilns, in restaurants and hotels, at shops and in houses of well-to-do people. Some of them who can’t do much progress turn into the thieves, pickpockets, chain-snatchers, etc. and join the ranks of antisocial elements. Some of them even start taking drugs.
In order to prevent the practice of child labour some concrete, drastic steps should be taken by all concerned. Every child’s attendance at school must be ensured. An awakening should be brought about among the poor families in this regard. Until the income of these marginal families is increased no incentives or inducements may be able to deliver the goods.
