🔆 World Day Against Child Labour (WDACL) ✅ Observed every year on June 12 under the International Labour Organization (ILO) ✅ Aims to raise awareness and bring together stakeholders to eliminate child labour ✅ Linked with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 8.7, which seeks to end child labour in all forms by 2025 📍 Prevalence of Child Labour ✅ Globally, around 160 million children are engaged in child labour, i.e., 1 in every 10 children ✅ The Africa, Asia and the Pacific regions together account for almost nine out of every 10 children being in child labour ✅ COVID-19 pandemic worsened conditions, forcing many children to leave school and work 📍 Child Labour in India ✅ Census 2011 estimated that 43.53 lakh children (5–14 years) engaged in child labour due to factors such as poverty, non-accessibility and illiteracy ✅ Child labour is preferred in beedi, carpet-weaving and firework factories 📍 Legislative Framework: ✅ India enacted the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act (CLPRA) in 1986 ✅ National Policy on Child Labour, 1987 sought a gradual and sequential approach with focus on rehabilitation ✅ National Child Labour Project (NCLP) implemented in high-incidence areas ✅ CLPRA Amendment Act, 2016:  ▪ Prohibits employment of children below 14  ▪ Prohibits employment of adolescents (14–18 years) in hazardous occupations ✅ Right to Education mandates free and compulsory education to all children aged 6 to 14 years 📍 The Velpur Model (Success Story) ✅ Velpur Mandal, Nizamabad district (Telangana) was once notorious for child labour ✅ In 2001, a community-driven campaign ensured all children (5–15 years) were enrolled in school ✅ Velpur was declared “child labour free mandal” on October 2, 2001, after 100 days of efforts ✅ 24 years later, there is 100% retention in schools and no child labour in the mandal 📍 Innovative Measures in Velpur ✅ Children found working were sent to bridge schools under NCLP ✅ Public meetings emphasised education; children recognised employers who let them leave work ✅ Employers wrote off loans taken by parents (children were earlier used as mortgage) ✅ All sarpanchs signed MoUs (under Andhra Pradesh Compulsory Primary Education Rules, 1982) to ensure schooling ✅ Government ensured access, infrastructure and teachers 📍 Recognition and Replicability ✅ Model recognised by national and international bodies including ILO and media ✅ Supported by former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam ✅ Mentioned in Parliamentary Standing Committee on Labour report (2022) #gs1 #society #mains