CHILD labour places children, who are vulnerable to begin with, in a position where they are further exploited. The places that coerce children into working are often dangerous areas such as factories, mines or automobile workshops where hazardous conditions lead to serious harm and even death. Far from their parents and guardians, these children are at risk of abuse and mistreatment by adults who are unconcerned about the direction these children’s lives are taking. An estimated 10.1 million children in India between the ages of 5 and 14 are engaged in illegal work, according to the 2011 Census. In India, a child labour NGO knows that the most effective way to bring children out of child labour is through education and working with families and local communities to end the illegal practice.
According to UNICEF, “child labour lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. In nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights.” Government of India Census data includes the following areas in which children are found to be working: pan, bidi and cigarette making, construction, domestic workers, spinning/weaving, brick kilns, restaurants and hotels, auto workshops, gem-cutting, carpet-making, ceramic, agarbatti and detergent making, to name a few.
While there are many reasons children are forced into work, the root cause is almost always poverty. This World Day Against Child Labour, let’s examine the impact made by child labour NGOs across India and why their work is crucial amongst marginalized communities.
Here are 5 child labour NGOs in India you can support:
Sahyog Care For You
“A child who should be playing with toys is forced to make them” shares Shekhar Mahajan the founder of Sahyog Care For You, a child labour NGO that has rescued more than 1,600 children from the clutches of child labour since it started working to save children over 22 years ago. Shekhar Mahajan goes on to share that “the children are often abused and are forced into bonded labour, the sex trade and domestic servitude. Whenever the children are brought into hazardous factories, the mental torture begins. These innocent children are forced to work 12-15 hours a day and they cannot differentiate between night and day.”
Once Sahyog Care For You rescues these children, the organization works with the children and their families to help them understand the dangers of working as a child and how it can negatively impact their family and future generations. The child labour NGO then guides them in accessing education, healthcare and other forms of support to make sure that they are removed from dangerous conditions and can grow into healthy young adults. There are still more children waiting to be rescued and rehabilitated by the organization and be given the chance to enjoy their childhoods. To support Sahyog Care For You, you can donate here:
Sabuj Sangha
Educational opportunities are denied for many children across India, explains Sabuj Sangha. This is due to multiple factors but the main reason is that their parents are unable to afford school fees, books, uniforms and other school related expenses. Because of poverty, children from poor backgrounds are cut off from the chance to go to school and are then coerced by adults to work. But because of the lack of education, their future opportunities are limited and they remain in a cycle of poverty which passes on to the next generation. Child labour does more than deny a child an education; it strips a child of his or her ability to dream for the future.
Sabuj Sangha is a child labour NGO that runs the National Child Labour School for children who were forced into child labour. The National Child Labour School was established in 2008 and is under the Government of India’s National Child Labour Programme (NCLP). In offering educational opportunities for children who were taken out of the dangerous environments of workplaces, Sabuj Sangha is improving the children’s futures and helping them enjoy their childhoods. The children receive monthly allowances, vocational skills training, midday meals and regular health check-ups. To support Sabuj Sangha, you can donate here:
Children of India Foundation
“It was dark inside, I was afraid the large rocks would fall on me. I went in one day and my worst nightmare came true when the rocks came tumbling down on me” shares a boy named Varun who was rescued by Children of India Foundation, a child labour NGO that has been working for children for over 20 years. Varun is one of countless children who work in mica mines in Bihar and Jharkhand to collect scraps which are then sold by handlers. Since mica scrap collection is a largely unorganized sector, the children and their families are exploited with low wages and hazardous working conditions with no one to come to their aid.
Children of India Foundation works across 41 villages in Bihar and Jharkhand to provide children with activity based learning, digital classes, mobile libraries, study material, school supplies and bicycles to help them study and go to school. The child labour NGO also assists the children’s parents with additional means of livelihood and access to social welfare schemes as well as self help groups to help them understand the importance of education and the dangers of child labour. The NGO also raises awareness among community members about their role in stopping child labour. To support Children of India Foundation, you can donate here:
Support Children of India Foundation
Christian Organisation for Social Service
In Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, there is a growing problem of child labour that stems from poverty. People are forced to go to extremes for employment and an income and this includes forcing their children to drop out of school and work in hazardous factories and other dangerous areas to support their families. Christian Organisation for Social Service focuses on offering education to children to ensure that their childhoods are wholesome and they are not denied the opportunity to improve their lives, discover their potential and live as children ought to live. The child labour NGO recognizes the power of education as the most effective tool to transform their lives.
Christian Organisation for Social Service runs a bridge program to prepare children for enrolment in mainstream schools. This bridge program has trained and experienced teachers conducting lessons in formal subjects from an approved curriculum and even includes sports, cultural experiences, health camps, nutritious meals and accommodation for children who require it. The child labour NGO also focuses on English language education to widen the children’s academic horizons and open doors for them to access better future opportunities. To support Christian Organisation for Social Service, you can donate here:
CHORD
In multiple areas of Rangareddy District in Telangana, there are thousands of children engaged in child labour. According to a study conducted by the child labour NGO CHORD, there are around 9,000 children “working” in the municipalities of Balanagar, Serilingampally and Qutbullapur. But the NGO also notes that this number does not include domestic child labour, which would greatly increase the number. The main reasons for this, according to CHORD, are poverty, vast inequalities, illiteracy, apathy on the part of parents and lack of measures to prevent or address the problem of child labour among marginalized communities.
CHORD has a rehabilitation program to turn these children into productive members of society with access to all that a child needs. First, the child labour NGO conducts a survey to identify areas with high rates of child labour, the children are rescued and their families are counseled about the dangers of sending their children to work. CHORD then holds remedial classes for these children, trains teachers, focuses on curriculum development and conducts extra curricular activities for the children to make their academic experience holistic. Each year, CHORD educates 420 children whose lives are transformed. To support CHORD, you can donate here:
This Child Labour Day, support a child labour NGO
The theme of World Day Against Child Labour 2024 is Let’s act on our commitments: End Child Labour! On World Day Against Child Labour, your charitable contribution can have a massive impact in changing the lives of children, their families and entire communities of people. Your support to a child labour NGO can help that organization give a child the opportunities that he or she needs to improve their lives and live as a child should.
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Shirley has been in the development sector for over 10 years and is passionate about making a change in the world around her, including adopting dogs and writing to make a difference.
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