‘A child is meant to learn not to earn’, we have often come across such slogans that only define the cruelty behind child labor that persists in our country. As per the statistics, a total of 152 million children – 64 million girls and 88 million boys – are estimated to be in child labor globally, accounting for almost one in ten of all children worldwide.

What is child labor?

To eradicate this we first need to understand what is child labor, According to International Labour Organization (ILO), ‘child labor’ is often defined as work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development.

The primary cause for children to be led into child labor is poverty. In many cases, it is the parents or the guardians who force children into labor. Eventually, labor work becomes their utmost means to earn money and a reason for survival for those who are abandoned and homeless. Many circumstances push children to a lifestyle that takes away their basic rights, like the right to education, the right to live, and of course right to be happy, Child labor snatches a child’s formative years to educate them and learn basic life skills. Many NGOs are fighting child labor rigorously for years, one of which is the Samarpan Society in Dehradun, Uttarakhand who has fought this evil and continues to do so.

How can we prevent child labor?

Samarpan society, a child NGO in Dehradun works hard to prevent children from being pushed into child labor. We have several volunteers who are supportive and dedicated to their duty; they not only donate money but also give their precious time whenever needed.

·        Child Labor in major sectors

Thousands of children are still spending their time and energy in professions that require them to do intensive and hard-core jobs like farming, the stone cutting sector, the mining industry, and zari and embroidery. 10 million bonded children in India are working in professions like beedi-rolling, brick kilns, carpet weaving, commercial sexual exploitation, construction, fireworks and matches factories, hotels, hybrid cottonseed production, leather, mines, quarries, silk, synthetic gems, etc.

·        Creating awareness

Samarpan society in India is working towards making child rights important in the eyes of the people and the society. We conduct anti-child labor programs; high-publicity campaigns in Dehradun help create awareness among the masses.