Abstract

India is a signatory to ILO Conventions for prevention of child labour. In India, there exist judicial decisions as well as many central acts which aim to curb child labour. Despite that, it is one of the most notorious countries for exploiting child labour, which is very rampant in the garment industry. Children below 14 years are employed in various stages of supply chain due to their small fingers as well as cheap labour which benefits their employers. The handloom, silk and textile industries have harmful processes which leads to long term health issues in children, who are also subject to mental as well as physical abuse on a daily basis. The Human Rights Watch released a report where these bonded children’s labourers were addressed as “virtual slaves”; many parents sell their children, especially girls to factory owners for money. The home-based garment sector is the worst hit without any accountability due to “supply chain opacity”. In light of these facts, an analysis of the international standards, landmark judgements and existing laws makes it clear that their implementation is weak. Through this, the author suggests some changes to the laws and regulatory policies which would help save vulnerable children from exploitation.

Keywords