While many children prepare for school, others are burdened with work, sacrificing their right to learn, play, and grow. Hidden behind household doors and informal spaces, child labour continues to deprive children of their childhood
Imagine a child barely in their teens, cradling a baby in their arms while their own childhood slips away. Instead of carrying a school bag, the 13-year-old shoulders the responsibility of caring for another child, moving from room to room while the baby’s parents are away at work. While this may sound like a scene from a distant time, it remains a reality for some even today.
Yesterday, the world observed Day Against Child Labour. And although Goa was the first state to enact legislation aimed at protecting and promoting the best interests of children and creating a child-friendly society, child labour continues to persist. Families often employ children as domestic caretakers, often depriving them of education and exposing them to isolation, neglect, and, at times, even physical and emotional abuse. While Goa does not witness industrial child labour on a large scale, cases of children being rescued from domestic labour continue to surface. Poverty and the promise of an additional source of income often compel families to send their children to work, depriving them of their right to a safe and fulfilling childhood.
Children are often brought to Goa from states such as Jharkhand and Bihar through organised networks. “If you assess these children, many times it is with the consent of parents that they are brought here,” mentions Emidio Pinho, Coordinator of SCAN-Goa and Victim Assistance Unit for the State of Goa. He points out that child labour often goes unnoticed in everyday settings. “Even the ladies begging at one particular area with a child in hand very much constitute child labour,” he adds. However, such cases rarely come to light as standalone offences. “Child labour does not exist as an offence on its own. Many other offences have happened and are connected to it,” he notes, adding that it is often only when crimes such as physical or sexual abuse are reported that child labour is uncovered.
The exploitation behind such cases can be severe. Pinho recalls a rescue operation that exposed harsh realities. The child had allegedly been subjected to severe abuse, confined to a balcony, and denied access to basic sanitation facilities. Multiple scars on her body reflected the mistreatment she had endured. According to Pinho, this was among the less severe cases they had encountered. Other cases have involved sexual abuse and even murder, highlighting the grave exploitation and violence that often accompany child labour.
“Although awareness has increased, the issue remains deeply rooted in poverty, migration, family distress, school dropouts, and the demand for cheap labour,” explains Former Chairperson of the Goa State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Peter Borges. He also highlights the often-overlooked exploitation of child artists. “Exploitation does not become acceptable simply because it happens under stage lights or in front of a camera,” he emphasises.
The greatest tragedy of child labour is not the work, but the childhood that is lost. One of the biggest challenges today is that child labour has largely shifted from factories and workshops to informal and private spaces, making it far more difficult to identify and address. “Children are often described as ‘helping’ rather than working,” mentions Borges. While enforcement agencies and institutions have largely been cooperative, gaps in the legal framework continue to pose challenges. “While the system has been cooperative, there have been a lot of legal lacunae in the law that do not let victims receive justice,” mentions Pinho.
However, a single institution cannot help in reducing and eradicating child labour. It takes a collective conscience. “Every citizen can make a difference by refusing to employ children, reporting suspected cases, supporting school attendance, and challenging the normalisation of child labour,” remarks Borges. One way ordinary citizens can help is by calling 1098 or 112. “Yet another important thing to note is that, in Goa, the law clearly states that no family can keep a child under the age of 18 without the permission of the WCD or the Child Welfare committee. It is an offence which has an imprisonment of 3 years to 1 lakh fine under the Goa Children’s Act,” mentions Pinho.
Every child who works loses opportunities to learn, play, develop, and dream. As child labour shifts away from factories and into homes and other less visible spaces, experts caution that the responsibility of identifying and reporting such cases cannot rest with authorities alone. Ensuring that every child enjoys a safe and dignified childhood requires vigilance from families, communities, and society as a whole.
