<P> Child labour is the practice of having children engage in economic activity, on a part - or full - time basis . The practice deprives children of their childhood, and is harmful to their physical and mental development . Poverty, lack of good schools and the growth of the informal economy are considered to be the key causes of child labour in India . Some other causes of Child Labour in India are cheap wages and accessibility to factories that can produce the maximum amount of goods for the lowest possible price . Corruption in the government of India also plays a major role in child labour because laws that should be enforced to prevent child labour are not because of the corrupt government . </P> <P> The 1998 national census of India estimated the total number of child labourers, aged 6 to 14, to be at 12.6 million, out of a total child population of 253 million in the 5 to 14 age group . However, in 2009--10 a nationwide survey found the prevalence of child labour had reduced to 4.98 million children (or less than 2% of the children in the 5 to 14 age group). The 2011 national census of India found the total number of child labourers, aged 5--14, to be at 4.35 million, and the total child population to be 259.64 million in that age group . The child labour problem is not unique to India; worldwide, about 217 million children work, many full - time . </P> <P> As per the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, amended in 2016 ("CLPR Act"), a "Child" is defined as any person below the age of 14, and the CLPR Act prohibits employment of a Child in any employment including as a domestic help . It is a cognizable criminal offence to employ a Child for any work . Children between age of 14 and 18 are defined as "Adolescent" and the law allows Adolescent to be employed except in the listed hazardous occupation and processes which include mining, inflammable substance and explosives related work and any other hazardous process as per the Factories Act, 1948 . In 2001, an estimated 1% of all child workers, or about 120,000 children in India were in a hazardous job . Notably, the Constitution of India prohibits child labour in hazardous industries (but not in non-hazardous industries) as a Fundamental Right under Article 24 . UNICEF estimates that India with its larger population, has the highest number of labourers in the world under 14 years of age, while sub-Saharan African countries have the highest percentage of children who are deployed as child labourers . The International Labour Organisation estimates that agriculture, at 60 percent, is the largest employer of child labour in the world, while the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation estimates 70% of child labour is deployed in agriculture and related activities . Outside of agriculture, child labour is observed in almost all informal sectors of the Indian economy . </P> <P> Companies including Gap, Primark, Monsanto have been criticised for child labour in their products . The companies claim they have strict policies against selling products made by underage children, but there are many links in a supply chain making it difficult to oversee them all . In 2011, after three years of Primark's effort, BBC acknowledged that its award - winning investigative journalism report of Indian child labour use by Primark was a fake . The BBC apologised to Primark, to Indian suppliers and all its viewers . Another company that has come under much scrutiny was Nike . Nike was under pressure to speak up about alleged sweatshops that harbored children that the company was exploiting to make their sneakers . Since then Nike has come out with a separate web page that specifically points out where they get their products from and where their products are manufactured . </P>

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