Prevelance of Child Labour: A Case of Srinagar District of Jammu and Kashmir in North India

Child labour in India has emerged as a big menace in the recent decades. Despite legislation in vogue, child labour is increasing at an alarming rate. Owing to an unprecedented increase in child labour, the present study revisits the issue of child labour in the north Indian state of Jammu and Kashmir. The study tries to explore the factors responsible for the widespread prevalence of child labour in the automobile and handicraft sectors in Srinagar district of Jammu and Kashmir. The empirical evidence suggests that one of the major factors responsible for the prevalence of child labour in Srinagar district is the socio–economic handicaps. The comparative analysis shows that the children working in handicraft sector belong to more economically .more downtrodden families than that of automobile sector. Further, the lack of proper implementation of the legislation coupled with the socio-economic vulnerability of the child labourers, forces them to work in extreme and unhygienic informal conditions, which caste severe repercussions on their health. The present study, therefore, undertakes a discussion of these findings, related policy implication and suggestive measures so as to tackle the menace of child labour