The following are the effect of child labour on the child and on society:
1. Health Effects
Child Labour at a fairly young age creates problems for children in the future with respect to health. Children are forced to perform strenuous work which affects their physical and mental growth at a young age.
2. Denying of Education
The poor families deny education to their children because they send their children to work. The poor child will support the family and earn bread and butter at a very tender age. The uneducated parents deny even basic education to their children.
3. Effects on Personality
Child labourers suffer from health problems. They remain illiterate and they do not get any parental care. The unbounded exploitation and hardships at work adversely affect their personality development.
4. Poor Image of the Country
It is said that India has the largest number of child labourers in the world. It gives a poor image of the country and also portrays the government badly.
5. Effects on HRD
HRD is the acronym of Human Resource Development. Human Resource is the most important resource of a country. If you want the country to develop then you should have a strong human resource in the country. The HRD is possible only through proper education, training etc. Child Labour has a negative effect on the development of human resources.
6. Effects on the Society
The children who are employed at a very young age fall victim to various social evils like smoking, drinking, gambling and smuggling. They start earning at a very young age and since they have money, they spent a good chunk of the money on these evils. In the later part of their life they become addicted and this addiction affects their family and society.
7. Increase in Juvenile Delinquency
Most of the child labourers in Mumbai and other cities are runaway children. Due to exploitation from their family and their employers they run away to other cities. Most of the time they remain unemployed in the cities. This compels them to get involved in crimes like pickpocketing and they turn into juvenile delinquents. Juvenile delinquency means crimes committed by persons who are below the age of 17 years.
8. Encroachment of Human Rights
The child labourers are not treated properly and they are exploited beyond the limits of their human rights. They are scolded and beaten up by their employers. Hence their growth as a child stops. They forget their childhood and become mature at a very young age. They have to live under a considerable amount of stress.
