Child labour – Speech
Welcome to the teachers and students gathered here today. Child Labour is one of the biggest of social evils which robs their basic rights needed to live a dignified life. It is a consequence of poverty where they are forced to support their family by working in dangerous jobs and forgoing their education.
Child Labour robs children of the valuable time that is crucial for their development. Gaining education and knowledge of the social environment at this time is important and it goes a long way in their lives. It affects their ability because they will continue to work as unskilled labourers. They will continue to remain in menial jobs and continue to live poor lives. It also poses a big health and safety threat to children.
Generally, child labour is engaged in hazardous activities which put them at risk of injury and exposure to harmful chemicals and other materials. Sometimes the risk can be almost fatal.
Some industries engage them because children are paid very fewer wages and this will reduce the costs and increase the profits for these companies. They are generally unorganized enterprises like the local tea stall or a scrap store where the regulations of the law is difficult to apply. In organised enterprises, it comes to the notice of the respective authorities and is a bigger risk when it comes to employing child labour that they are generally concentrated in the unorganized sector. The provisions for safety in these sectors are also not implemented, increasing the risks involved.
These children are often exploited by unfair means. They are subject to violence and are cheated of their wages. They are often paid very less and even that is taken away sometimes. Punishments and physical violence are used as means to exploit them sometimes.
Now that this speech has outlined the evils associated with it, I would like to conclude with the regulations. The use of child labour has been banned in India and many other nations by the law. It is considered to be against the basic human right to education. But this has not deterred the employment of children in various activities. Compulsory education is a mandatory step in preventing child labour. These policies often who hand in hand are often the two sides of the same coin.