The Kailash Satyarthi Children’s Foundation (KSCF) has conducted a study titled, ‘Extent of child labour and prosecution of cases under child labour (prohibition and regulation) amendment act, 2016 in India’ to assess government’s efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 of eliminating Child Labour by 2025 in the country.
The secondary analysis of data reveals that a total of 204 FIRs (384 victims) in 2016; 462 FIRs (685 victims) in 2017 and 464 FIRs (810 victims) in 2018, were registered under the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (CPLRA) in the country over the last three years. The study dismisses the dramatic increase in child labour rescues between 2016 and 2018 and categorises it as ‘grossly inadequate’. This is so because the percentage of total number of victims rescued during 2016-18 is only a meagre 0.02% of the total number of child labourers in the country. The study also presents a state-wise analysis of the same along with an analysis of prosecution of cases filed under CLPRA and their trial completion.