It deals with “worst forms of child labour” and is the first ILO Convention to be universally ratified.

• India ratified it in 2017 along with convention No.  138 which deals with minimum age of employment.

Prevalence of Child Labour in India

• As per census 2011,10.1 million children (3.9% of total child population) are working, either as ‘main worker’ or as ‘marginal worker’.
• Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh constitute nearly 55% of total working children in India.
• Child labour mostly persists in agriculture, household industries, roadside dabas, etc.

Reasons for Child Labour in India

• Poverty forces families to rely on their children's labour to make their ends meet.
• Lack of quality education increases the likelihood of children entering the workforce prematurely.
• Disasters, conflicts and mass migration leads to economic instability and disrupts families exposing children to labour.
• Demand for Cheap Labour in various industries such as agriculture, domestic work.
• Lack of stringent legislation and enforcement of laws.