Article 24 prohibits the employment of children under 14 years old in factories, mines, or other hazardous work such as construction or railway work. However, it allows their employment in harmless or non-dangerous work.
Key Laws Regulating Child Labor:
- Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986: Most important law prohibiting child labor.
- Employment of Children Act, 1938: Prohibits employment of children below a certain age.
- Factories Act, 1948: Prohibits employment of children under 14 in factories.
- Mines Act, 1952: Prohibits employment of children in mines.
- Merchant Shipping Act, 1958: Restricts child employment in merchant shipping.
- Plantation Labour Act, 1951: Prohibits child labor in plantations.
- Motor Transport Workers Act, 1951: Regulates employment of children in motor transport.
- Apprentices Act, 1961: Sets guidelines for apprenticeships and child labor.
- Bidi and Cigar Workers Act, 1966: Prohibits child labor in the bidi and cigar industries.
Supreme Court Directive:
- In 1996, the Supreme Court directed the creation of a Child Labour Rehabilitation Welfare Fund. Employers caught using child labor must pay a fine of ₹20,000 per child.
Commissions for Protection of Child Rights Act, 2005:
- Established National and State Commissions for Protection of Child Rights and Children's Courts to speed up trials of offenses against children or violations of child rights.
Government Ban in 2006:
- The government banned employing children as domestic servants or in business establishments such as hotels, restaurants, shops, factories, and resorts. Employers found guilty of employing children under 14 face prosecution and penal action.
Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016:
- Renamed the original act as the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986.
- Amended the law to include more protections for children and adolescents and to further restrict child labor.