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India, home to the largest number of child labourers in the world, has banned children under the age of 14 from working as domestic servants or at hotels, tea shops, restaurants and resorts, reports Reuters.
The labour ministry said the ban would come into effect from October 10 and those violating it could face a jail termup to two years and a maximum fine of Rs 20,000 (USD 430). Children working in lower-end restaurants and highway foodstalls are a common sight in many parts of India, and many urban households and shops hire young boys and girls under theage of 14 from poor families as servants or maids.
"These children are made to work for long hours and aremade to undertake various hazardous activities severelyaffecting their health and psyche," it said, in a statement released late on Tuesday. Under India's 1986 Child Labour (Prohibition andRegulation) Act, children under 14 are already banned from"hazardous" industries such as making fireworks, carpet-weaving and glass-making.
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"The committee while recommending a ban on employingchildren in these occupations, had said that these children are subjected to physical violence, psychological trauma and, at times, even sexual abuse," a government statement said, referring to the Technical Advisory Committee on Child Labour.
