Child Labour Day: Lack of access to secondary education driving Chakma kids in Arunchal to child labour

India is home to the highest number of child labourers under the age of 14 in the world. As elsewhere, 12 June is observed as World Day Against Child Labour in India. Many new commitments were made to address the menace. However, the commitments remained only on paper. The figure of child labourers continues to increase every year.

A common sight: A child begging in a street of Delhi

As per the 2001 census, an estimated 12.6 million children below the age of 14 years are engaged as child labourers. The figure is much higher unofficially. Majority of these children are exposed to the worst forms of child labour.

The situation is no better in India’s northeast. The main causes of child labour include poverty, unemployment and lack of education, among others. The number of child labourers is increasing in the region each day due to poverty and unemployment. News of trafficking of children belonging to poor families to other states from the northeast is reported at regular intervals.  

In Arunachal Pradesh, the Chakma children are being driven to engage as child labourers due to lack of access to secondary education. The Chakma children have access to schools only up to upper primary level in two circles of Miao and Kharsang in Changlang district. There are no secondary schools for them. Admission to existing secondary schools is denied to them. In the absence of access to secondary schools, a good number of Chakma children are dropping out of schools every year. For instance, 91 students dropped out last year. More students are likely to be drop out this year.

Students who have the financial capacity take admission outside the state such as Assam, Delhi, etc. But, the majority of them being poor have no option but to discontinue their studies. School drop-outs marry early, ends up as unskilled labourers, domestic servants and few even get involve in anti-social activities.

Every year, many of these drop-out children, including the girls, are going outside the state such as Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, etc in search of petty jobs including domestic servants. They work in hostile conditions and remain extremely vulnerable to abuse.

However, these children are not recognized as child labourers as per the government definition. Therefore, no step is being taken by the government.

There is an urgent need to raise the age of children to 18 years for any form of labour for the existing 14 years by the government. While the state government of Arunachal Pradesh will have to urgently provide secondary schools to arrest the problem of child labours among the Chakma children.