India’s government moved Wednesday to toughen child labour laws in a country where millions of youngsters work long hours, often in poor conditions, but activists slammed the steps as inadequate.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet approved a ban on all children under the age of 14 from working, except if employed in family businesses or in the sports and entertainment industry.
The current law prohibits children under 14 from working only in hazardous jobs, although even this is not properly implemented, according to activists.
The government defended the decision to allow some forms of labour after school hours or during vacations saying some children needed to learn traditional skills.
“In a large number of families, children help their parents in their occupations … and while helping parents, children also learn the basics,” the government said in a statement.
The cabinet also needed to “keep in mind the country’s social fabric and socio-economic conditions”.
Some argue that outlawing child labour altogether is impractical in India where almost a quarter of the 1.2 billion population lives on less than $1.25 a day, according to the World Bank.
Millions of children work as domestic servants and in factories, mines and many other areas, according to aid agencies and government figures.
