Extensive research has been done and several publications are available on child labour issues. This National Conference on Child Labour: Issue and Challenges, organized by Open Forum, as part of their Advocacy & Communication Programme, reviews the recent developments to examine the reasons why child labour is prevalent and the consequences of such labour. According to a recent estimate of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), more than 120 million children between the ages of 5-14 are employed as full time labourers around the world, and maximum of them are into the most hazardous and dangerous industries. In India itself, it is estimated that there are at least 44 million child labourers in the age group of 5-14. More than eighty percent of child labourers in India are employed in the agricultural and non-formal sectors and many are bonded labourers. Most of them are either illiterate or dropped out of school after two or three years.

The National Conference on Child Labour Issue in India was organized to discuss the issue and find solution to eliminate Child Labour activities from India. The Conference held on Saturday, 28th April 2007 at Lalit Kala Academy, Rabindra Bhawan, 35, Copernicus Marg, New Delhi and supported by Tata Steel Limited and Oriental Bank of Commerce, presented the different definitions of child labour which are mostly based on the ways in which children participate in different types of work, such as waged work, domestic work, hazardous jobs, bonded labour and so on. The conference also looked at the time children actually allocate to such activities and how that influences their schooling, health and other aspects of life. Mr. Oscar Fernandes, Minister of State – IC, Ministry of Labour & Employment, Govt. of India; Mr. K. K. Varma, Director, Smile Foundation; Mr. Raghunath Pandey, President, Tata Workers Union; Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi, Former Human Resource Minister and Member of Parliament; Mr. Bhuvan Ribhu, Eminent Lawyer and Secretary, Bachpan Bachao Andolan; Mr.Rajib K Haldar, Executive Director, Prayas Institute of Juvenile Justice; Mr. Shyam Benegal, Cine Director & Member of Parliament; and Dr. Mahavir Jain, Sr. Fellow, V. V. Giri National Labour Institute were some of the experts who addressed the Conference on thematic areas related and centric to the Child Labour Issues in India.

We at Open Forum are close to the Child Labour Issue and have been highlighting the plight of millions of children who are employed in various activities often as bonded labourers in India. A recent Research activity of Open Forum’s Research & Analysis Wing has learned that “exploitation of labour is at the very heart of the caste system and they comprise the majority of agricultural, bonded and child labourers in the country. The Research shows, very often, child labour is considered to be a "necessary evil" in poor countries such as India for the maintenance of the family. In that context, some consider it virtuous to give a job to a child. In fact, some academics and activists campaign not for the reduction of child labour but only for a reduction in the exploitation of children. However, the question has to be asked whether it is justifiable to allow children from poor families to undergo physical, cognitive, emotional and moral hazards because they must help their families. Is the joy of childhood reserved only for some, privileged, children?