Despite many strict laws existing in the books of Law against child labour, the number of minors being pushed into the child labour is consistently increasing. Supwal area of Samba district provides many examples of child labour where a three year old child was seen working as labourer along with other minors.
According to a report on ‘child labour in J&K: social, economic and ethical dimension’ there are 2.5 lakh child labourers in Kashmir, majority of whom work in the handicrafts sector, automobile workshops, brick kilns, agriculture and as domestic servants in homes.
According to the people who studied their problems and carried out research on them, it (child labour) is because of poverty, distress and illiteracy. Thousands of children even below 14 years of age can be seen working as vendors, bus conductors, and in the carpet weaving factories and in workshops. The existence of Child Labour Act and other laws regarding prevention of child labour appear not to be effective at all because child labour is quite common everywhere.
Moreover, there is neither social security system nor any NGOs works against child labour and government also appears to be indifferent and oblivious of taking serious and punitive action in preventing this. The lives of innumerable children is ruined because of the poverty and misery of parents.
(PTK)