Author: Deepak Kumar

Abstract: The research paper attempts to make a conceptual analysis of some key issues associated with child rights, examining them from the Indian perspective. As we know, India is one of the democratic nations with a constitutional setup, which makes the provision of fundamental rights for all citizens, whereas children are given specific rights to enjoy their childhood and enable them to fully develop their personality. The Article-24 of the Indian Constitution directly states that the children below 14 years of age shall not be made to work in any capacity that shall result in any negative and hazardous impact on their health. In this regard some of the effective legislations on child labour have also been passed by the state legislative assemblies and parliament. But it is a matter of concern that notably child labour has not been eradicated altogether from a large number of states in India. On the other hand, Article-21(A) of the Indian Constitution provides the right to compulsory and free education to children from 6 to 14 years of age. Therefore, it is the duty of their parents and guardians to ensure their children free and compulsory education upto the age of 14 years under the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme implemented at the national level in the year of 2002. On the contrary, children’s rights have also been ensured by framing some of the laws such as: RTE Act- 2009, POCSO Act- 2012, Juvenile Justice Act- 2015, Child Labour Prohibition Amendment Act- 2016 etc. These rights assure free education, basic health facilities and the right to be free from various forms of exploitation including trafficking, child abuse and child labour. In spite of this, there are some drawbacks and challenges in the existing framework of child rights in India, which needs to be eradicated for the all-round development of the children at the global level.

Keywords: Child Labour, Article-21(A), Article-24, RTE Act, CRC, POCSO, J J Act.

Article Info: Received: 30 Mar 2026; Received in revised form: 24 Apr 2026; Accepted: 27 Apr 2026; Available online: 30 Apr 2026

DOI: 10.22161/ijels.112.104