broken hard
Child labour in mines, Rajasthan

It is interesting to analyze the meaning of child labour as a variety of definitions are given. But, there is no universally accepted definition of child labour, available at present. Child labour in general means the employment of children (5 to 14 years of age) in gainful occupations, which are injurious to their physical, mental, moral and social development. The child labour is, at times, used as synonym ‘employed child’ or ‘working child’. According to International Labour Organization (ILO), "child labour includes children primarily leading adult lives, working long hours for low wages under conditions damaging to their health and to their physical and mental development, sometimes separated from their families, frequently deprived of meaningful education and training opportunities that could open up to them a better future".