New Delhi, July 3
A study by a rights group shows
that 8,044 children (aged five to 17) are estimated to be working in the
garment industry in eight wards of the National Capital Territory of
Delhi.
Of these, 87 percent were working in household units and 13 percent at addas (small-scale commercial units).
Of them, 82 percent said that given an opportunity, they would not like to attend school.
These
are some of the key findings of a study conducted by Save the Children,
a child-rights organisation working with socially-excluded children.
As
many as 92 percent of children working in household units were enrolled
in schools, but 22 percent said they were not interested in education.
In addas, children were either not enrolled or did not attend schools.
About
78 percent of children knew about their right to free and compulsory
education, and they also knew that child labour is illegal. Yet, 92
percent said they were happy with their work. It is possible the
children did not say what they really felt, as the study noted, or they
knew little of a world they had never experienced or were happy to be
earning at that age.
But, more than 40 percent of the
respondents did not want to continue in the profession and said they
would like to pursue medicine, engineering and law - if they ever got
the chance.
More children work in India than anywhere else
With
Kailash Satyarthi shareing the Nobel Peace Prize for his work against
child labour, there has been renewed attention on the issue in India,
which has 11.7 million child workers, according to Census 2011, the most
of any country.
There are 168 million child labourers aged 5-17
years worldwide, which is 11 percent of the world’s child population,
according to an International Labour Organization report.
India accounts for the largest number of child labourers worldwide with 11.7 million, according to the 2011 census.
The
study found children working in three districts: East Delhi, South
Delhi and South East Delhi. Children under the age of 14 cannot be
employed under Indian law.
Most of the children who worked in
garment units had migrated from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and West
Bengal. Of the 170 children surveyed, 102 were girls. More than 60
percent worked because their families needed the money.
A childhood lost to skilled labour
Child
labourers are exploited the most in addas. They work for 12-14 hours a
day and mostly live at the work place. They visit their families once in
six months or a year, depending upon the adda owners.
Children
in household units enjoy a bit of liberty. They work for three to four
hours a day, if enrolled in schools. If not enrolled, they work all day.
The study found that 92 percent of children working in household units
were enrolled in schools that they attended regularly.
Children
in the garment industry worked at thread-cutting, stone-pasting,
embellishment, embroidery, zari work, packaging and delivery. This
includes skill, semi-skilled and unskilled work.
The majority of
those in household units are paid less than Rs.500 ($8) per month.
While their parents are paid, children sometimes are given money for
their expenses. So, technically, children don’t get paid for the work
they do.
In addas, 45 percent of children get between Rs
2,501-Rs.5,000 per month and 45 percent get more than Rs.5,000 per
month. Most of them get paid on the basis of pieces they make or work
on.
The risks and abuse that they do not discuss
After
35 to 40 years, the body begins to give up, adda owners told
researchers, with eyes and hands not as sharp as they once were.
Children complain of body ache, back pain and weak eye sight, and they
are always at risk from the sharp tools, cutters, needles and machines
that they work with.
There is no medical assistance at household units or addas.
The
Save The Children study reported some instances of physical, verbal and
sexual abuse ataddas. While 11 percent children reported abuse at home
workplaces, only 6 percent at addas complained of abuse.
That
does not mean abuse is low. It is likely that reporting of abuse is low,
with children possibly reluctant to even admit it to the research team.
(In arrangement with IndiaSpend.org, a data-driven,
non-profit, public interest journalism platform. Prachi Salve is a
policy analyst with IndiaSpend; Aadya Sharma is a research intern from
Symbiosis, Pune. The views expressed are personal. They can be contacted
at [email protected])
