{"id":51633,"date":"2025-06-24T13:27:44","date_gmt":"2025-06-24T07:57:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=51633"},"modified":"2025-06-25T11:17:54","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T05:47:54","slug":"child-labour-rescues-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/child-labour-rescues-india\/","title":{"rendered":"India\u2019s Crackdown on Child Labour: Telangana, Bihar, and Rajasthan Lead Rescues in 2024-25"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>Child Labour in India Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telangana, Bihar and Rajasthan have emerged as the top three states in India for child labour rescues as well as for the number of arrests in child labour-related cases in 2024-25, a study by a network working in the field of child rights has shown.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Introduction<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India witnessed a major surge in efforts to curb <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/child-labour\/\" target=\"_blank\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">child labour<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in 2024-25, with <\/span><b>over 53,000 children rescued across the country<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A recent report from the child rights network <\/span><b>Just Rights for Children (JRC)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in collaboration with the <\/span><b>Centre for Legal Action and Behaviour Change (C-LAB)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> sheds light on the scale of exploitation and the systemic challenges in eliminating child labour.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The top three states in child labour rescues were <\/span><b>Telangana, Bihar, and Rajasthan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, accounting for a significant share of the nationwide crackdown.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report, titled <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;Building the Case for Zero: How Prosecution Acts as a Tipping Point to End Child Labour&#8221;<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, also offers a comprehensive roadmap for effective legal, educational, and rehabilitative interventions to break the cycle of exploitation.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Scale of the Rescue Operations<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, JRC, through its network of over 250 NGOs, coordinated <\/span><b>38,889 rescue operations<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> across <\/span><b>24 states and union territories<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in partnership with law enforcement agencies.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This led to the rescue of <\/span><b>53,651 children<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a large majority of whom were engaged in the <\/span><b>worst forms of child labour<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The top five states by number of rescues were:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Telangana<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 11,063 children<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Bihar<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 3,974 children<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Rajasthan<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 3,847 children<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Uttar Pradesh<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 3,804 children<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>Delhi<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: 2,588 children<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These states also accounted for the highest number of arrests in child labour-related offences.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Alarming Trends in Exploitation<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The report reveals that nearly <\/span><b>90% of rescued children<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were employed in sectors categorised under the <\/span><b>worst forms of child labour<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> as per ILO Convention 182, ratified by India. These included:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Spas and massage parlours<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Orchestra troupes<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Domestic labour<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Informal entertainment services<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In many instances, children were subjected to <\/span><b>sexual exploitation, pornography, and prostitution<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, underscoring the urgency for focused legal intervention.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Legal and Enforcement Actions<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Following the massive rescue operations:<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>38,388 FIRs<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were registered<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><b>5,809 arrests<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were made, <\/span><b>85%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of them related to child labour<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Telangana, Bihar, and Rajasthan not only led in rescue numbers but also in arrests, suggesting a stronger enforcement mechanism compared to other states such as Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, where <\/span><b>enforcement gaps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> were noted despite high rescues.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The findings reiterate that <\/span><b>prosecution serves as a deterrent<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, building public awareness and reducing the impunity with which exploiters operate.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Recommendations from the Report<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Launch of a National Mission to End Child Labour<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, with dedicated financial and human resources.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creation of <\/span><b>district-level Child Labour Task Forces<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Establishment of a <\/span><b>Child Labour Rehabilitation Fund<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Formulation of a <\/span><b>comprehensive national rehabilitation policy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Compulsory education till 18 years<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, extending beyond the current RTE mandate (up to 14 years).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>State-specific policies<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> aligned with local socio-economic challenges.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Zero-tolerance policy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on child labour in <\/span><b>government procurement<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Expansion of the list of <\/span><b>hazardous occupations and processes<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Extension of the <\/span><b>SDG 8.7 deadline to 2030<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to realistically target the eradication of all forms of child labour.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Global and National Commitments<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">India is a signatory to the <\/span><b>ILO Convention 182<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which mandates the elimination of the worst forms of child labour.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Although India has made strides in legal reforms and enforcement, the report calls for <\/span><b>greater institutional convergence<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and stronger judicial and social frameworks.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The JRC emphasised that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cjustice for children trapped in the worst forms of child labour will only be achieved when the culprits are punished and robust mechanisms for the protection and rehabilitation of victims are in place.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A report by Just Rights for Children highlights a surge in child labour rescues in India, with Telangana, Bihar, and Rajasthan topping the list. Legal action, rehabilitation, and education are key pillars recommended for sustainable eradication.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":21,"featured_media":51626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[1019,60,22,59],"class_list":{"0":"post-51633","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"tag-child-labour-in-india","9":"tag-mains-articles","10":"tag-upsc-current-affairs","11":"tag-upsc-mains-current-affairs","12":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51633","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/21"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=51633"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/51633\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/51626"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=51633"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=51633"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=51633"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}