Nobel Peace Prize winner Kailash Satyarthi today urged the Centre to bring in amendments to the Child Labour Act, 1986 during the current Budget session of Parliament and pass it.

The Act should ensure that all forms of child labour is banned up to 14. At present, it allows employment of child labour in hazardous areas, which constitutes significant number, he told newspersons at an interaction at the Press Club of Hyderabad.

India has brought in two new progressive laws subsequent to 1986 Act. These are the Right to Education and Juvenile Justice. As per the Right to Education, all children up to 14 are entitled to education. This is contradictory to the Child Labour Act provisions, Satyarthi argued.

Both the present BJP-led NDA Government and the previous Congress-led UPA regime had agreed to these contradictions. The time was ripe to bring in the necessary changes. The triangle of child labour-lack of education-poverty was totally inter-linked, said the child rights activist, who shared the Nobel with Malala Yousafzai, the teenaged Pakistani girl, who stood up to terrorists.

He said there were 168 million kids across the world who fell under the category of child labour. At least 85 million of them are victims of the worst atrocities. There are 20 crore unemployed youth, which makes the entire situation very paradoxical.

Asked how the recognition of the Nobel Prize made to difference to the cause of his fight to abolish child labour, Satyarthi said it has in many ways. It is easier to get access to global leaders and institutions.

Further, the awareness about the problem has grown. In India, it has helped bring back the issue to the importance stage. People in departments of labour, police are giving it more serious thought and action. The Judiciary has pointed out in orders and observations the need for sensitivity and getting rid of it.

In the next few years, Satyarthi will focus on getting the abolishing of child labour on priority in the next phase of the Millennium Development Goals (2015-30). At present, there are 5.5 million child slaves. This child slavery has to be abolished and included in the goals, he added.

For India, the challenge is to convert the demographic or youth dividend (41 per cent of population below 18 yrs) into an engine driving growth. He urged faith leaders to play an important role in educating people on elimination of child labour.

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