COVID-19 and Child Labour in India: Challenges and Way Forward

The last two decades have seen significant strides in the fight against child labour. But the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to backtrack these gains. The pandemic had already increased economic insecurity for the future. Has profoundly disrupted supply chains and halted manufacturing. Tightening credit is constraining financial markets in many countries. Public budgets are straining to keep up. When these factors result in losses in household income, expectations that children contribute financially rise. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many children were forced into exploitative and hazardous jobs. Those already working did work for longer hours or under worsening conditions. Moreover, for the billion people living in slums and those working in the informal economy, lockdowns have crippled their livelihoods. Declining working capital from losses in remittances and business failures led to continuous reduction of demand for workers, lower wages and elimination of jobs. Businesses deliberately recruited children to cut costs and boost earnings. Compared to adults, they are likely to work for less pay and under vulnerable conditions. Furthermore, gender inequalities have grown more acute and intense within families. Pushed girls to take up domestic jobs and odd mechanical jobs for boys. Complimentary closure of schools exacerbated the problem. Besides education benefits, schools provided critical social protection resources for children and their families. Many schools provided the facilities of a proper meal, a hygienic environment, and various opportunities to improve the effectiveness of education and the nutritional status of these children. But the COVID-19 pandemic distorted these services and resulted in academic losses, developmental delays, nutritional deficiency and mental health problems. The complexity of child labour and the unique character of the current crisis makes it clear that there is no single solution. I suggest that making the right socioeconomic and child protection policy choices will safeguard families and their children during the immediate crisis. It will also yield lasting benefits. Ensuring decent employment and safe return-to-work policies for adults, and safe reopening of schools for children, are of paramount importance. So are further adapting and strengthening child protection systems and social services, and social protection measures, such as cash transfers. For low-income families, these are the fundamentals to meet basic needs without resorting to child labour or other harmful practices that put children at risk. Urgent measures to sustain health care should be pursued because of progress towards national health coverage. Policymakers and governmental bodies should address the social distress, economic losses, and risks of impoverishment associated with serious health issues, all of which raise the spectre of child labour.