Protection: India

Because I am a girl…
I have the right to a childhood, not a job. 

Rolling beedis is hard work for anyone, particularly a young girl like Shanu.
Read her story.

As many as 60 million children are engaged in labor in India — that’s more child laborers than in any other country in the world. Certain types of labor, such as working in factories and rolling beedis (cigarettes), can be hazardous to a child’s health, especially when they are exposed at a young age. And no matter what type of labor a child is engaged in, it robs her of her childhood and cripples her opportunities for the future. 

Hard work, long hours and little pay

This research on tobacco farms in Malawi reveals that child labourers, some as young as 5, are suffering severe physical symptoms from absorbing up to the equivalent of 50 cigarettes a day through their skin.

As the tobacco industry continues to shift its production to developing countries, more vulnerable children are being exposed to these hazardous working conditions.

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Because I am a Girl Campaign to Protect Girls’ Rights

Poverty, lack of education, child labor, early marriage, HIV/AIDs-- these are intricately interrelated spheres. Poverty is a leading cause of school dropout for girls, which often leads directly to child labor. The lack of education leaves a girl unaware of how to protect herself from HIV and vulnerable to child marriage. Furthermore, a girl who is forced into early marriage with an older, more sexually experienced male faces an increased likelihood of contracting HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, adolescent girls between the ages of 15-19 are 2-6 times more likely to contract HIV than boys. Complex problems require a complex approach, and these issues must all be addressed in order to truly effect a change for the world’s girls.

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End child labour in India – sign the petition now

On 20 December the Indian parliament is voting on a bill to abolish child labour under 14 years of age and ensure all children can go to school.

From making Christmas decorations to rolling cigarettes, millions of children across India are forced into labour and suffer the consequences.

In India’s cigarette-rolling industry alone, 1.7 million children – mostly girls – are made to work up to 14 hours per day in hazardous conditions. They miss out on school and suffer health problems. Tuberculosis, asthma, body pain and postural problems are most common.

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