Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah said that the Karnataka government is considering introduction of a state law prohibiting child labour in order to plug loop holes in the existing Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (CLA), 1986.
“Specifically in Karnataka business activities have spilled over into new and diverse areas over the past 20 years and the 1986 Act is vague and does not define work hazards for children in new industries. A few people are using these loopholes to employ children for labour and are getting away with the offences,” he said while addressing a meeting in connection with World Anti-Child Labour Day.
Siddaramaiah while reacting to a submission by the state labour department said that though 19038 cases had been booked against violators of the child labor law since 2001 only four had resulted in imprisonment.
Apart from increasing the penalty and imprisonment term, a new law is needed against employers of children, he said.
The government will discuss achieving better conviction rates with prosecutors and the law department, said the Karnataka chief minister.