Int'l Day Against Child Labour: 3 kids rescued from child labour every 2 days since 2021 in Karnataka

Bengaluru: While the number of kids rescued from child labour has progressively increased each year since 2021 in Karnataka – 2,589 children have been rescued from 2021 to April 2025, translating to more than three rescues in two days – experts have voiced the need for a decentralised and case-to-case approach to make rehabilitative efforts more effective. June 12 is observed as International Day Against Child Labour.

The numbers have significantly improved when compared to the 2016-20 period, when 912 children had been rescued.

In 2024 alone, 781 children were rescued from child labour. In 2025, 205 kids had been rescued till April-end.

Pointing out that the rescues were joint operations of the department of labour and the department of women and child development (DWCD), the DWCD principal secretary Shamla Iqbal said there were regular district- and state-level meetings between the two departments.

“These children are brought before the child welfare committees (CWCs) that come under the DWCD. They study a child’s (background) and possible rehabilitation methods before giving orders. The solutions may be sending the children back to their parents, providing foster care, adoption or making hostel arrangements for studies”. 

However, these children face numerous issues, which demand a multi-pronged approach by the authorities concerned.

Kavitha Ratna, executive director of Concerned for Working Children (CWC), said, “Firstly, the rescue procedure needs to be child-friendly. Secondly, authorities must provide immediate relief such as trauma counselling, medical help and tracking their family. Finally, one needs to look into long-term relief for the children.”

Expanding on the contours of long-term relief, Kavitha said, “If a child is 14 years old, blindly admitting that child to class  8 is an age-centric measure. This may be inadequate as many child labourers are deprived of years of schooling and might need more training and exposure before they can join their peers. Thus, a child-specific approach is needed”.

She explained that a long-term solution could not be provided unless the root causes compelling the child to take up job were ascertained and eliminated.

According to the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, employing children aged under 14 years is completely prohibited except in family-run enterprises that don’t affect their schooling and while working as child artistes. 

As per the Act, adolescents (14-18 years) are prohibited from working in “hazardous” industries.

They can only work in non-hazardous industries for not more than six hours a day, alongside 2 hours of schooling.

‘Safe’ work

Though employing children in hazardous industries is strictly prohibited, some children are employed in ‘safe’ jobs like vegetable or fruit shops, where penal actions may jeopardise the situation for both. 

Child rights activists have also highlighted that there is a significant section of children who work to finance their education, adding that this number has only grown post-COVID. 

Experts have argued that in such cases, there should be no interference unless better alternatives can be provided.

People should be vigilant: Minister

“I have toured all districts and have directed DCs and SPs to compulsorily create awareness. The whole purpose is not punitive action but to reform the system and eradicate child labour. People should be vigilant and when they find such cases they must inform authorities” Labour Minister Santosh Lad told DH.