Short Speech on Child Labour

Today, I am presenting before the learned audience, my speech on Child Labour.

Child Labour refers to the situation where minor boys and girls are engaged into commercial activities. They are basically forced to work to earn wages.

Child Labour is a social problem, because it is deep ingrained in the roots of the society. Small children are seen working at social places such as restaurants, hotels, etc. There have been reports of them working in manufacturing industries and mines. The health of the children working in mines suffers so much that it even poses life threats.

At present in the agricultural sector, they were working with their parents or other workers. These minor workers are called child labourers.

The poverty is often cites as the primary reason that has forced the children to work. As a result, the children do not get the time for education. As they have to accept hard work before their maturity, they lose their health and they are deprived of having the scope for spiritual, psychological and cultural development.

It is altogether inhuman to engage the children as laborers. William Blake, the great poet and Charles Dickens, the novelist raised their voice of protest against it for the first time. They have exposed the misery of child labourers in their many writings. Afterwards, many effective rules and regulations have been passed against the cruel system.

In India, child labour system has become a problem to the society. Though in the Factory Act some rules are framed for the unemployment of labor at a specified age, the employment of the child labour has not been totally stopped. The constitution of India has made education of children a fundamental right. Thus, it violates the Constitution of India.

Only the law cannot protect the children from being engaged in hard work and becoming the labourers. Anti-poverty programme should be taken in a vast way and that should be applied all over the country as a whole. And, a comprehensive propaganda planning against child labour should have to be taken which will make the people conscious about their problem.

I will end my speech with a slogan, “Don’t expect the children to earn, instead give them an opportunity to learn at schools.”

Thank You!