Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986, Complete Details

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986

International Labour Organisation estimates that there are more than 152 million youngsters working as child labourers worldwide. India alone is home to almost 10 million of these young labourers. Children are nevertheless involved in a variety of vocations despite efforts and rigorous statutory regulations. India ratified the Worst Forms of Child Labour Agreement (No. 182), an ILO agreement, in 2017.

Child Labour Definition

Child labour is forcing children to participate in or be engaged in any economically productive work on a full- or part-time basis. Children who participate in this are typically deprived of fundamental childhood experiences like going to school and suffer bodily and mental harm.

Child Labour Legislation in India

Because it robs them of the most crucial stage of life, childhood, child labour practises hinder both the mental and physical development of children.  According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986, it is absolutely forbidden for children under the age of 14 to work in dangerous jobs. The act itself compiles a list of dangerous professions.

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 designates a child as a person who has not completed their 14th year of age. It aims to regulate the hours and the working conditions of child workers and to prohibit child workers from being employed in hazardous industries.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016

The Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, was passed by the government and went into effect on January 1, 2016. The Amendment Act outright forbids hiring anyone under the age of 14. Additionally, the amendment forbids hiring teenagers between the ages of 14 and 18 for risky jobs and processes and restricts their working conditions in cases where it is not. The change also makes it a crime for businesses to hire any child or teenager in violation of the Act, increasing the severity of the penalties for such violations.

Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Rules, 2017

After a thorough consultation with the relevant parties, the Government of India has notified the change to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Central Rules. For the prevention, prohibition, rescue, and rehabilitation of child and adolescent workers, the Rules offer a comprehensive and detailed framework. Specific measures have been inserted into the rules to clarify concerns relating to helping in families, family businesses, and the definition of family with regard to children.

Additionally, it offers protections for artists who have been given permission to work under the Act in terms of working conditions and hours. To ensure the proper execution and compliance of the Act’s provisions, the rules include explicit provisions embodying the roles and obligations of enforcement agencies.

Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act 1986 UPSC

According to the Act, no child shall be permitted or required to labour for more than three hours between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. without a one-hour break. per child working in an establishment is entitled to a day off per week. Anyone who hires a kid or allows them to participate in tasks or processes where they are not allowed to do so faces up to a year in prison, a fine of at least Rs. 10,000, or both. Other offences are punishable by a fine of up to Rs. 10,000, a month in jail, or both.

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