Child Labour and ‘Nowhere’ Children in Post-reforms India

Abstract

Child labour is not only detrimental to individual children, but also to the society, community and the nation as it negatively affects the pace of economic growth by preventing full realization of positive externalities associated with human capital formation. It is also one of the major causes and consequences of poverty. Until early 1990, India had one of the highest incidences of child labour and out of school children in the world. Following the launching of economic reforms, India’s economy started growing at an accelerated rate in the post-reforms era, along with faster decline in the incidence of poverty. In the post-reforms era, the state of India also launched a slew of policies and programmes to eradicate child labour and to increase school enrolment in the country. But, had there been a phenomenal decline in the incidence of child labour and ‘nowhere’ children in the country? Had there been a phenomenal increase in school enrolment and decline in gender educational disparity in the post-reforms era in India? This article addresses these issues.

Post reforms dynamics in India's labour market

“…Compared to 13.08 million children (below 14 years) employed in economic activities in 1993-94, the number of children employed in economic activities had declined to 3.61 million in 2011-12 (Giri and Singh, 2016a).…”

A Bayesian Estimation of Child Labour in India

“…Webbink et al (2015) provide a Tobit model of working hours in paid work but do not critically differentiate child labour from child work. Giri and Singh (2016) attempt to count child labourers in India by integrating economic activities and domestic chores and including 'nowhere children' 4 ; they do not make use of models but multiply the ratio of child labourers by the population. Moreover, considering all 'nowhere children' as potential child labourers might bring about misunderstandings of reality (Lieten 2002).…”