India is ready to ratify two international conventions on child labour with the government banning employment of children below 14 years of age and restricting those below 18 years from taking up hazardous occupations, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said.
"India is now in a position to ratify the ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions 138 and 182 concerning child labour and has started the process. Two historic reforms have been introduced," he said while addressing the labour and employment ministerial meeting of Brics nations here on Tuesday.
While the ILO convention 138 seeks to set a minimum age limit for children at which they can legally be "employed or otherwise work," the convention 182 provides for elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a priority without losing the "long-term goal of the effective elimination of all child labour".
A majority of countries have adopted legislation to prohibit or place severe restrictions on the employment and work of children, much of it stimulated and guided by the standards adopted by the ILO. Parliament recently approved the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012, banning employment of children below 14 years of age. The amendments also ban employment of children below 18 years of age in "hazardous occupations".
"India is now in a position to ratify the ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions 138 and 182 concerning child labour and has started the process. Two historic reforms have been introduced," he said while addressing the labour and employment ministerial meeting of Brics nations here on Tuesday.
While the ILO convention 138 seeks to set a minimum age limit for children at which they can legally be "employed or otherwise work," the convention 182 provides for elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a priority without losing the "long-term goal of the effective elimination of all child labour".
A majority of countries have adopted legislation to prohibit or place severe restrictions on the employment and work of children, much of it stimulated and guided by the standards adopted by the ILO. Parliament recently approved the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012, banning employment of children below 14 years of age. The amendments also ban employment of children below 18 years of age in "hazardous occupations".
India is ready to ratify two international conventions on child labour with the government banning employment of children below 14 years of age and restricting those below 18 years from taking up hazardous occupations, Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya said.
"India is now in a position to ratify the ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions 138 and 182 concerning child labour and has started the process. Two historic reforms have been introduced,” he said while addressing the labour and employment ministerial meeting of Brics nations here on Tuesday.
While the ILO convention 138 seeks to set a minimum age limit for children at which they can legally be "employed or otherwise work,” the convention 182 provides for elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a priority without losing the "long-term goal of the effective elimination of all child labour”.
A majority of countries have adopted legislation to prohibit or place severe restrictions on the employment and work of children, much of it stimulated and guided by the standards adopted by the ILO. Parliament recently approved the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012, banning employment of children below 14 years of age. The amendments also ban employment of children below 18 years of age in "hazardous occupations”.
"India is now in a position to ratify the ILO (International Labour Organisation) conventions 138 and 182 concerning child labour and has started the process. Two historic reforms have been introduced,” he said while addressing the labour and employment ministerial meeting of Brics nations here on Tuesday.
While the ILO convention 138 seeks to set a minimum age limit for children at which they can legally be "employed or otherwise work,” the convention 182 provides for elimination of the worst forms of child labour as a priority without losing the "long-term goal of the effective elimination of all child labour”.
A majority of countries have adopted legislation to prohibit or place severe restrictions on the employment and work of children, much of it stimulated and guided by the standards adopted by the ILO. Parliament recently approved the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2012, banning employment of children below 14 years of age. The amendments also ban employment of children below 18 years of age in "hazardous occupations”.