Roadmap for NGOs to Reduce Child Labour:What Lessons from Indian Interventions

Child labour is today adversely affecting 24.6 crore children in the developing countries. Out of them, India has the largest child labour in world in absolute numbers. Several Northern and Southern NGO interventions are doing demonstrable work to reduce child labour. It is imperative to make strategic rather than only logical choices for effective contribution. In terms of priority, they should work with conceptual clarity, strive for accurate data in association with stake holders, target female child labour for rehabilitation and decide whether to work in urban slums or rural areas. Implementation of modern management techniques in organisational structures would reduce overheads. Recommendations for the policy and management would include demand for liberalised school administration under stricter government supervision, advocacy for modified institutional design for monitoring at national and state levels, reminder to private corporations about their social responsibility and pressing for flexibility in school curriculum, timings and holidays. To overcome criticism, the NGOs should enhance their credibility and responsibility through self-regulation. They need to target champions in the system and create a synergy.