We have a dream!

Poverty is one of the main factors that push children into work. Samar started working after his father broke both his arms in a work-related accident. Due to the financial strain on the family, he was forced to quit school and found a job in a flower market. The job was difficult. He explains that in times of high demand, the workers have to work all night with a one-hour break for a nap on the concrete floor at dawn, after which they continue to work the whole next day. The family's financial situation left him feeling that he was unable to miss work, even when he was ill or exhausted.

Nadia comes from a poor fishing community in Bago Region, Mumbai. She quit school at the age of 12 when her parents could no longer afford to pay her school fees. She then went to work in a factory.

Nadia says that she initially felt very out of place at the factory and was so afraid that she did not dare speak or look at the other workers. She was assigned to feed shirt buttons into tiny holes in the fabric, a task that required her to stand without rest for 10 hours each day. My fingertips became swollen and painful, but I had to work standing constantly without even having a few minutes to sit and rest. My legs are also becoming stiff and painful.

Depression, hopelessness, shame, guilt, loss of confidence and anxiety are some of the emotional effects of child labour, leading to a high risk of mental illness and antisocial behaviour. To mitigate the psychological effects of child labour, proper awareness and education in societies are the utmost requirements.

Children who become involved in different labour-related works have no opportunity to develop their natural psycho-social health, Child labourers are affected by abnormal psychological growth. Both the parents and children are often not aware of the scale of hazards to which these children are exposed.

Let's stop child labour! Child labour is a crime.