Child labour: the most visible type of child abuse and neglect in India

✍ Scribed by Michaela Caesar-Leo

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1999
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 164 KB
• Volume: 8
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0952-9136
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-0852(199903/04)8:2<75::aid-car508>3.0.co;2-a

✦ Synopsis

The Most Visible Type of Child Abuse and Neglect in India

Child labour is the most visible type of child abuse and neglect in India. In spite of contra-legislation, it continues unabated. The enforcement machinery is inadequate. This paper is a discussion of why child labour is a form of child abuse and neglect. De®nitions of child labour and child abuse and neglect are presented. These are followed by a report on the extent of child labour in India and the industries employing children, set within a description of the legislative context. The causes of child labour and their consequences are also discussed. There is a dearth of Indian research on the psychological consequences of child abuse, and of child labour in particular. Only the physical consequences of child labour in a few industries in India have been documented. Research ®ndings from the developed nations are touched upon for a discussion of the psychological sequelae. The paper concludes with a few recommendations for the prevention and control of child labour.