Every year, 14th November is observed as the Children’s Day all across India. Today, this day is also celebrated to commemorate the 133rd birth anniversary of the first Prime Minister of India, Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru who was born on November 14, 1889 in Allahbad. Children’s Day is also known as Bal Divas and the main focus of this day is to highlight the importance of rights, safety and education of children and discuss the ways to achieve their total well being in the society. It is a fact the children are considered as the most vulnerable lot facing many problems and inhuman practices especially in the developing countries. One of the most inhuman acts faced by the children is the problem of child labor. Child labor is a global problem affecting millions of children world over. There are multitudes of factors responsible for this menace and they keep on changing with the passage of time. According to UNICEF, ‘160 million children were subjected to child labour at the beginning of 2020, with 9 million additional children at risk due to the impact of COVID-19.’ This means that roughly 1 in 10 children are working as child laborers around the world. Furthermore, a large number of children are subjected to sexual exploitation, trafficking, violence and abuse thus amounting to their basic human rights violations. Also, the lack of proper educational opportunities in many Asian countries is proving disastrous to the children at large and is forcing them to indulge in child labor and other dangerous activities. In Kashmir valley, various studies conducted by different agencies, both government and non-governmental revealed that a huge number of children in rural areas discontinue their studies due to poor economic conditions. These children are then forced into labour and they work as domestic helps, bus conductors, in motor garages and workshops, in weaving factoring and as street vendors. Reportedly, there are over 2.5 lakh child labourers in Kashmir only. On one hand family compulsions which can be linked to unemployment and deteriorated state of economy have become inevitable factors leading to a rise in child labour and on the other hand poor implementation of laws have dampened the fight against child labour. While institutions may need an overhaul but it is the legal framework that needs a revisit. Besides celebrating Children’s day there is an urgent need of better legal tools and institutional commitment to thrust a positive change in order to protect the rights of children in our country.
