Poverty As The Primary Driver Of Child Labour In Rural Tamil Nadu: A Socio-Legal Analysis
- IJLLR Journal
- 4 days ago
- 1 min read
R. Gunal, LLB, Vels Institute of Science, Technology & Advanced Studies (VISTAS)
Under the Guidance of G. Uma Maheswari, Assistant Professor, Department of Legal Studies, VISTAS, Chennai
ABSTRACT
Child labour in rural Tamil Nadu is deeply rooted in structural poverty, weak institutional support, and limited access to quality education. This article examines the multidimensional relationship between household poverty and child labour incidence in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, India. Drawing on constitutional provisions, judicial precedents, international conventions, and existing empirical literature, the study analyses the socio-economic mechanisms through which poverty compels families to deploy children in agricultural, domestic, and informal labour markets. The study demonstrates that poverty is not merely a correlate but a fundamental structural driver that sustains intergenerational cycles of educational deprivation and economic marginalisation. The article further evaluates the adequacy of India's legislative framework — including the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 as amended in 2016 and the Right to Education Act of 2009 — and assesses judicial interventions that have shaped child protection jurisprudence. The study concludes that lasting elimination of child labour requires a convergent strategy: robust poverty alleviation, universal quality education, effective legal enforcement, community mobilisation, and rehabilitative support for rescued children.
