Peerzade Taha
I travel from Bandipora to my college in Srinagar every day— a 70 km drive. All through the drive, a thought bothers my mind. Because each day, as I pass the gates of the college, I come across a sight that pierces my heart.
Small children loiter by the roadside, selling socks, pens, or simply begging for a few rupees. Their faces are covered in dust, their hands are rough from labour, their shoes are tattered while their innocent eyes speak of pain, hunger, and hopelessness.
What shocks me is how educated and supposedly elite people walk past them as if these children are invisible. Expensive cars stop at the traffic lights, with the people inside them sipping coffee and talking about “development”, while right beside them, the children are losing the essence of their childhood.
What kind of society have we become where indifference is the norm and compassion rare?
Several provisions exist in the law to combat the menace of child labour — from the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, to the Right to Education Act, 2009. These laws are aimed at ending child labour and ensuring free and compulsory education for children aged 6 to 14 years. Yet, the streets of Jammu and Kashmir tell a completely different story.
Laws exist only on paper. Child welfare exists only on social media. Free education is still a dream for millions of children. While across India, millions of child labourers toil throughout the day to earn a living.
Numbers that should send shivers down our spines are reported in the media and forgotten the next instant- between April 2024 and March 2025, about 44,902 children were rescued from exploitation in India — of these, nearly 90 % were from child labour. Estimates suggest around 13.2 million children (aged 6-14 and adolescents 15-18) were engaged in child labour in 2024.
These numbers reveal a harsh truth- child labour still exists because we as a society have failed to take responsibility. Too often, officials make promises during campaigns but forget them when it comes to real groundwork.
Childhood — the most beautiful phase of life — is being crushed under the burden of survival. The elite talk about progress and development, but what about those who can’t even spell the word “school”? The contrast is painful, and yet we stay silent.
It’s time to wake up.
The government must not only make laws but also ensure their strict implementation.
Social welfare workers must be active on the ground, not be confined to office desks.
And we, the educated citizens, must stop being mere spectators.
Let us report, raise our voices, and support NGOs and local initiatives that rescue and educate these children. Each of us can make a difference — by refusing to ignore what we see every day. Because the question is not only why child labour exists, but why do we allow it to continue?
