Just 0.02% child labourers rescued: Kailash Satyarthi NGO refutes Central govt claim

By Jag Jivan
A study conducted by the Kailash Satyarthi Children's Foundation (KSCF) titled ‘Extent of child labour and prosecution of cases under Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, in India’ has revealed that 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.
KSCF was founded by top child rights leader Nobel laureate Kailash Satyarthi in 2004.
The study, which seeks to assess government’s efforts towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 8.7 of eliminating Child Labour by 2025 in the country, says that despite the Central government’s “commitment” to end child labour by 2025, “The effort as well as will of the government to rescue child labourers is evidently not reflected in the number of FIRs that are registered every year in the country”, especially because “the magnitude of instances of child labour is so large (10 million as per Census of India 2011), State-Wise Extent and Prosecution Analysis.”
A secondary analysis of data from three successive ‘Crime in India’ reports published by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) from 2016 to 2018 and the Census of India 2011 suggests that a mere 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, suggesting, these are grossly inadequate and do not reflect the ground realities.
According to the study, state-wise analysis reveals that even though Uttar Pradesh has the highest population of child labourers in the country (21%), only 15 FIRs have been registered under CLPRA in the last three years, rescuing only 20 child labourers.

Similarly, in Bihar, which has the second largest child labour population, not even a single FIR under CLPRA was registered in 2016 and 2017, and only 14 FIRs were registered in the year 2018. These figures not only signify a major gap with regards to registration of cases under CLPRA by the law enforcement agencies, but also emphasizes upon the need to create awareness among the general population of Bihar in order to substantially scale-up reporting of child labour in the state.

In more than 10 states, which constitute almost 14% of the total child labour population in the country, not even a single child was rescued

The situation in Maharashtra, being one of the major destinations for migration/trafficking, which has the fourth largest child labour population in the country (700,000 child labourers), is also appalling. Only a total of 313 FIRS have been lodged under CLPRA in the last three years in the state. States like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, which are the prime source areas from where child labourers are trafficked to large cities, are performing equally badly.
While 33 FIRs were registered and 33 children were rescued in Jharkhand between 2016 and 2018, the number of FIRs and rescues for the same period in Chhattisgarh was one each. The same pattern is observed in Madhya Pradesh (29 FIRs and 32 children rescued) and West Bengal (11 FIRs and 11 children rescued) between 2016 and 2018.
As per the study, in more than 10 states which constitute almost 14% of the total child labour population in the country, not even a single child was rescued from situations of forced labour. These states are Mizoram, Sikkim, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Nagaland, Odisha, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh.

Pendency and conviction

An analysis of prosecution of cases filed under CLPRA has brought out a huge gap between the number of prosecutions lodged in a year and the number of cases whose trials were completed. As a result, pendency of under trial cases under the CLPRA has been going up from year to year. For pendency to remain constant, it is necessary that the number of cases under CLPRA in which chargesheet is filed is equal to trials completed, the study says.
It adds, if pendency is to be brought down, the annual disposal of cases filed under CLPRA must exceed the annual institution of new cases under in the court. This can happen if and only if exclusive dedicated court to try cases under the CLPRA are created.
According to the study, as far as conviction under the CLPRA cases is concerned, the situation was much worse in 2016 as compared to the rate of conviction in other crimes against children. In the year 2016 the conviction rate under CLPRA was 11% which was substantially lower than the conviction rate for all crimes against children in the country, which was more than 30%.
However, it says, the conviction rate in 2017 rose drastically to 70% but the year 2018 again saw a fall in the conviction rate where it dropped to 44%.

Comments

Telangana government urged to stop 'unconstitutional' relocation of Chenchu tribes

By A Representative The Nallamalla forests are witnessing a renewed surge of indigenous resistance as the Chenchu adivasis , a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), have formally launched the Chenchu Solidarity Forum (CSF) on the eve of World Earth Day to combat what they describe as unlawful and forced relocation from the Amrabad Tiger Reserve .

Kolkata dialogue flags policy and finance deficit in wetland sustainability

By A Representative Wetlands were the focus of India–Germany climate talks in Kolkata, where experts from government, business, and civil society stressed both their ecological importance and the urgent need for stronger conservation frameworks.

Cracks in Gujarat model? Surat’s exodus reveals precarity behind prosperity claims

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The return of migrant workers from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, particularly from Gujarat, was inevitable. Gujarat has long been showcased as the epitome of “infrastructure” and the business-friendly Modi model. Yet, when governments become business-friendly, they require the poor to serve them—while keeping them precarious, unable to stabilize, demand fair wages, or assert their rights. The agenda is clear: workers must remain grateful for whatever crumbs the Seth ji offers.

'Fraudulent': Ex-civil servants urge President to halt Odisha tribal land dispossession

By A Representative A collective of 81 retired civil servants from the Constitutional Conduct Group has written to the President of India expressing alarm over what they describe as the wrongful dispossession of tribal lands in Odisha’s Rayagada district. The letter, dated April 19, 2026, highlights violent clashes in Kantamal village where police personnel reportedly injured over 70 tribal residents attempting to protect their community rights.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Dhandhuka violence: Gujarat minority group seeks judicial action, cites targeted arson

By A Representative The Minority Coordination Committee (MCC) Gujarat has written to the Director General of Police seeking judicial action in connection with recent violence in Dhandhuka town of Ahmedabad district, alleging targeted attacks on properties belonging to members of the Muslim community following a fatal altercation between two bike riders on April 18.

Maoist activity in India: Weakening structures, 'shifts' in leadership, strategy and ideology

By Harsh Thakor* Recent statements by government representatives have suggested that Maoism in India has been effectively eliminated, citing the weakening of central leadership and intensified security operations. These claims follow sustained counterinsurgency efforts across key regions, including central and eastern India. However, available information from security agencies and independent observers indicates that while the organizational structure of the CPI (Maoist) has been significantly disrupted, elements of the movement remain active. Reports acknowledge the continued presence of cadres in certain forested regions such as Bastar and parts of Dandakaranya, alongside smaller, decentralized units adapting their operational strategies.

Why link women’s reservation to delimitation? The unspoken political calculus

By Vikas Meshram* April 16, 2026, is likely to be recorded as a special day in the history of Indian democracy. In a three-day special session of Parliament, the central government is set to introduce a comprehensive package of three historic bills: the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, 2026; the Delimitation Bill, 2026; and the Union Territories Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2026. The stated purpose of all three is the same: to implement the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment) passed in 2023. However, the political intent concealed behind these measures — and their impact on the federal balance — is far more profound. It is absolutely essential to understand this.

The high price of unemployment: The human cost of the drug crisis in J&K

By Raqif Makhdoomi* Jammu and Kashmir is no longer merely at risk of a drug epidemic ; it is losing the fight. The statistics are staggering, with approximately 13.5 lakh people—nearly 8% of the total population—caught in the grip of substance abuse . In the ranking of Indian Union Territories , Jammu and Kashmir now sits at a grim top. We have officially reached a point where we can no longer speak in hypotheticals about a future crisis. The vocabulary has shifted from "if" to "if not addressed immediately."

Search This Blog