In his statement to ET, a senior labour ministry official told that, The labour ministry is likely to soon ratify two key international conventions on child labour. The ministry will take take up the pending child labour related conventions to the International Labour Organization (ILO) for ratification after getting it approved at the upcoming 48th Indian Labour Conference.
This move will make amendments to the prevailing Child Labour Act, which completely prohibits children below 14 years of age from any kind of work. The two conventions to be ratified are:
- Minimum Age Convention (No 138) concerns minimum age for admission to employment
- Worst Form of Child Labour Convention (No 182) concerns prohibition and immediate action for elimination of the worst form of Child labour
This move is also considered as a step towards attainment of United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. India is a founder member of the International Labour Organization (ILO), which came into existence in 1919. At present, the ILO has 187 members. India has so far ratified 45 Conventions, out of which 42 are in force. Out of these 4 are Fundamental or Core Conventions.
According to the 2001 census, there were 12.6 million child workers between the ages of five and 14 in India. The number dropped down to 4.98 million in 2009-2010 and further decreased to 4.35 million in 2011.
Presently, Convention 138 has been ratified by 169 countries and Convention 182 has been ratified by 180 countries. india will soon be joining the majority of countries by ratifying these two core conventions.
The amendment to the Child Labour Act proposes complete prohibition of employment of children up to the age of 14 years while banning employment of children between 15-18 years in hazardous works, in sync with the Right to Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009.
The amended law also provides for a fine of Rs 60,000 to an employer who hires children below the age of 14 years or an imprisonment of up to two years. Even the parents are liable to be fined Rs 5,000 and imprisonment of six months to one year if they force children below 14 years into labour for the second time after they are rescued.