Child Labour - Causes and Effects

8/12/2019 Child Labour - Causes and Effects

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Presented by

Ketaki Gaikwad


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About Mr. Kailash Satyarthi

Born in 1954 in Vidisha, India By profession an Electrical Engineer

Since early childhood, tormented by witnessing child

labour around him Took initiative to help by providing used textbooks

and money to poor children

Became an activist and initiated a movement to

eradicate child labour Emphasised that child labour leads to, illiteracy,

poverty, unemployment, population growth and othersocial problems and it is a human rights issue


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Child Labour As per International labour

Organization, the term child labouris often defined as work that depriveschildren of their childhood, theirpotential and their dignity, and that is

harmful to physical and mentaldevelopment Poverty-stricken families, inability to

repay debt Children exposed to severe hazards,

bad working conditions, long andstrenuous hours, health risks likemalnutrition

Deprived of education and basicamenities


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Child labour in India

Major problem

Exploited sectors includeagriculture, industrial and

commercial Statistics : As per an NSS survey

3.22 mn child labourers; one childin every seven

Carpet production and child-trafficking

Asia has the highest percentage ofchildren working in exportindustries


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Other sectors encouraging childlabour

Glass Factories

Matchbox/ Fireworks

Factories Carpet Industry

Construction Sites

Hotels

Making Of Crackers

Garages

As servants/maids


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Issues of concern Exploited and manipulated by factory owners

Social problems like illiteracy, poverty, population

growth, unemployment Children sold by destitute parents into bonded labour

Resold into prostitution and forced organ donation

Violation of human rights


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Associations and Campaigns Global March Against Child Labour

International Centre on Child Labour and Education(ICCLE) which is the International Advocacy Office of

the Global March Against Child Labour The Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood

Movement)

The South Asian Coalition on Child Servitude (SACCS)

Global Campaign for Education worldwide on socialissues involving children


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Global March Against Child Labour

Kailash Satyarthi was the President cum Chairperson

Global March Against Child Labour's objective was togive the children the right to be free from economic

exploitation and from performing any work that islikely to be harmful to the child's physical, mental,spiritual, moral or social development

After this Global march led by Satyarthi International

labour Organization (ILO) made changes in itspolicies related to child labour


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Rugmark (GoodWeave)

The worlds first child labour-free social labelingsystem

An international consortium of independent bodiesfrom a dozen carpet exporting and importingcountries in cooperation with the German non-governmental organization "Bread for the World

It makes sure that rugs have not been produced withchild labour by getting involved in a voluntary sociallabeling initiative

The carpet industry was targeted because it is a largeexport market for India and known for employing

child labourers and bonded labourers


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Role played in Rugmark

(GoodWeave) contd Positive alternatives to responsible businesses,

protecting them from any possible boycott andsanctions and gives an ethical choice to consumersworldwide

Pursuing the industries and other stakeholders toadopt a similar system for knitwear, sporting goodsand the other international common products

It is now known as GoodWeave


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Characteristics of GoodWeave

(Rugmark) Rug exporters and importers must be licensed under

the GoodWeave certification program

Sign a legally binding contract to adhere to the no-child-labour standard and not employ any personunder age 14

Unannounced random inspections by local inspectors

to ensure compliance Initiatives to pay fair wages to adult workers


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(Rugmark) contd Companies have to give a licensing fee that helps

support GoodWeaves monitoring, inspections andeducation programs

Any child found working is given the opportunity to goto school instead and the producers lose their statuswith GoodWeave

To protect against counterfeit labeling, each label isnumbered so its origin can be traced to the loom onwhich the rug was produced


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(Rugmark)contd Importers and exporters also help support GoodWeave

and its commitment to provide rehabilitation andschooling for all rescued children

Exporters pay 0.25 percent of the export value of eachrug, and importers pay a licensing fee of 1.75 percent ofthe shipment value


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Awards won by Mr. Kailash

The Aachener International Peace Award (Germany),1984

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award (US), 1995

Human Rights Award 1999Wallenberg Medal, awarded by the University of

Michigan, 2002

Recognition in the list of "Heroes Acting to End

Modern Day Slavery" by the US State Department,2007

Defenders of Democracy Award (US), 2009


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Road ahead

Find a way of making sure that employers,governments and ultimately the consumers of theproducts, created by child labour, take all possible

means to reduce/eradicate child labour There must be social assistance to parents and their

children to have at least the basic necessities

Manufactures in exporting countries show some social

responsibility and be pro-active in devising HRpolicies and practices that is family focused andprohibitive of any children employment


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Road aheadcontd Businesses in importing countries must make sure that

they are not directly or indirectly involved inemployment of children, and workplace practices thatpromote profit over propriety

Consumers in Western countries must reduce theirappetite to buy cheap and promoting products that aremade by unethical employment practices


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Child Labour - Causes and Effects

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