Can education stop child labour?
The Census of India reports show that the number of child labourers in the country increased from 11.3 million in 1991 to 12.6 million in 2001. They further state that an estimated 87 million children are not attending school. Due to several reasons “including poverty, child trafficking, child migration and even child marriages many of these children are often left on the streets to fend for themselves. “Today, it isnt hard to picture a 10-year-old going to school, while another of his age is accompanying him holding his heavy school bag. Why is it so and who is responsible? The other child also has a right to education. So, why is he denied this right?” questioned Ashok Agarwal, a social jurist. To answer these questions, over 500 activists, Union ministers, MPs, bureaucrats and nearly 80 children from across the country participated in the National Convention on “Right to Education and Abolition of Child Labour: Freedom and Dignity for All Children,” organised recently by the Nationa
