Every year since 2003, the United Nations observes World Day for Safety and Health at Work to promote awareness about wellness and prevention of accidents at the workplace that may severely compromise the lives of labourers. Every worker has the right to work in a safe and healthy working environment. For this to happen, a culture of safety and health should be promoted where governments, employers and employees should work in tandem towards achieving it.

This year, the day coincides with World Day against Child Labour. So the theme for 2018 is centred on ending child labour and ensuring the good health of children involved in this egregious social evil. The joint campaign aims to drive the Sustainable Development Goal target of achieving secure working environments for all workers by the year 2030 and ending all forms of child labour by 2025.

Globally, 541 million young workers, which also includes 37 million children, account for more than 15 percent of the world’s workforce. Worryingly, this young demographic is also at a 40 percent higher risk of suffering from non-fatal occupational injuries than the adult workers, older than 25 years of age.

In India alone, there are over 82 lakh child labourers between the ages of 5 and 14, according to Census data. Although the trends suggest that there is a stark decrease in child labour in India, it is still a pressing problem in the country. Uttar Pradesh has the highest number of child labourers in the country, followed by Maharashtra, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

States with the highest concentration of child labour as per 2011 census (Photo credits: Wikimedia Commons)

Apart from depriving the child of education, child labour also puts them at risk of various health hazards, illnesses and grievous injuries. According to International Labour Organization’s 2002 report A Future without Child Labour health and safety hazards for workers under the age of 18 are greater than those for adults. Children are more susceptible to occupational hazards, exposure to dust, chemicals and other harmful substances. Here are some ways in which child labour affects the health and well-being of our young ones.

Malnourishment and Stunted Growth

Children who are subjected to heavy physical labour in their growing years can harm their physical development. Their bodies are not meant to take the physiological strain of carrying heavy load or doing strenuous jobs. This stress might cause irreversible damage to their growing bodies. The chronic physical strain on their growing bones and joints causes stunting, spinal injury and other forms of physical deformation that can last a lifetime. Many of these children who are forced to a life of heavy labour are destitute who do not receive proper nutrition. This can further compound the problem of developmental problems and stunting.

Age-Related Risks

They are neither meant for their tiny hands or for their mental capacities. ILO states that even work that is deemed as ‘light’ can have far-reaching repercussions on child health since their bodies and minds are not as mature as the adults’. The lack of maturity and experience may cause them to ape their older colleagues who may be adept at avoiding certain risks. Most machinery and tools used in factory settings are not made with children in mind.

Long-Term Health Hazards

Exposure to toxic chemicals in factories and agrochemicals may result in long-term health complications in children who entered into labour. Handling pesticides, chemicals, dust, carcinogens, etc. in various industries like mining, agriculture and manufacturing increases the risk of cancer and lung diseases in children in the long run. According to a 1997 study, industries with a large proportion of child labour also tend to have high rates of tuberculosis.

Psychological Abuse

As stated earlier, children may not be equipped with the mental capacities to deal with adult employers. Children working in risky environments may not develop normally as far as their psychosocial health is concerned. The stress may impair their emotional health and they may become reclusive.

Exploitation by Employers

Young children are at risk of exploitation at the hands of greedy, unethical employers. Children are essentially hired because they provide cheaper labour as compared to the adults and are paid lesser for all kinds of jobs, even if the nature of the work and the time invested by them are the same. Children are paid paltry amounts for the kind of work they put in. The income they make are rarely spent for their own development. Instead, they are used for feeding more hungry mouths back at home.

Child labour in India is a complex problem which may need a multi-pronged medical, psychological and socio-anthropological approaches to eradicate. Poverty being at the centre of it, the government has to lay a lot of emphasis on rehabilitating the children and working towards improving the economic conditions of their families. It should focus on grassroot strategies to drive communities to shun child labour and to reintegrate child labourers back into their homes and schools is important to break the vicious cycle of this social evil.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 28, 2018 12:07 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).