Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986

Meaning of Child Labour
Child Labour is defined as any work within or outside the family that involves time, energy, commitment, which affects the ability of child to participate in leisure, play, and educational activities.
Such work impairs the health and development of a child. According to the International Labour Organization, “Child labour includes children prematurely living adult lives, working long hours for low wages under condition damaging to their health and to their physical and mental development.”
All the children in the age group of 6-14 years, who should actually be in school but are out of school, are deemed to be actual or potential child labourers.

Adverse effects of Child labour on the health of children
Children work for long hours often in dangerous and unhealthy situations and are exposed to lasting physical and psychological harm. They tend to develop:
Respiratory problems such as asthma, tuberculosis
General weakness, stunned growth, body aches and joint pain
Poor eyesight and other eye problems such as watering, irritation and reddining of eyes.
Loss of appetite
Disability by working on looms
Mental disabilities etc.

Features of Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986
Prohibits/bans the employment of any person who has not completed his fourteenth year of age in occupations and processes enlisted in Part A and Part B for schedule of the act.
Lays down a procedure to decide modifications to the schedule of banned occupations or processes.
Regulates conditions of work where children are not prohibited from working.
A child shall not be required to work for more than six hours a day which shall be inclusive of his/her half an hour break

Features of Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986
No child shall be permitted or required to work between 7p.m to 8a.m.
No child shall be required or permitted to work overtime.
Every child shall get a weekly off.
There is an obligation on the part of an employer to furnish information to the inspector regarding the employment of children. It is mandatory for the employer to maintain a register on this matter.

Penalties.
Whoever employs any child or permits any child to work shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which shall not be less than three months to one year or with ten thousand rupees to twenty thousand rupees fine.
Whoever, having been convicted of an offence, commits a like offence afterwards, he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which is for six months to two years.

Penalties.
3) Whoever:
fails to give notice, or
fails to maintain a register or makes any false entry in any such register ; or
fails to display a notice containing an abstract; or
fails to comply with or contravenes any other provisions of this Act or the rules made thereunder,
shall be punishable with simple imprisonment which may extend to one month or with fine which may extend to ten thousand rupees or with both.

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