Hiring child a cognizable offence; Parliament clears Child Labour Bill

New Delhi: Giving employment to a child below 14 years of age in any occupation or processes except where the child helps his family will now invite a imprisonment of up to two years under the provisions of the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, which was passed by Parliament on Tuesday.

The legislation makes employment of children below 14 years as a cognizable offence for employers and provides for penalty for parents. It was passed by Lok Sabha on Tuesday while the Rajya Sabha had already passed it last week.

It defines children between 14-18 years as adolescents and lays down that they should not be employed in any hazardous occupations and processes.

It provides for enhanced punishment for violators. The penalty for employing a child has been increased to imprisonment between 6 months and two years (from 3 months to one year) or a fine of Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 (from Rs 10,000-20,000) or both.