ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

We are grateful to the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) and our OTS Co-ordinator,
Prof. Jayant Negi, for providing us with the opportunity to conduct this study.

We would also like to express our sincere gratitude to our faculty guide, Prof. Kameshwar
Choudhary, for guidance and valuable suggestions in preparing the report.

We wish to thank our host organisation, Pratham, for giving us an opportunity to work with them
and for providing us all the needed support. We would like to mention our gratitude towards our
Reporting Officer, Miss Kanupriya Kumar, who was always there to lend a helping hand, was
open to all suggestions, and provided valuable guidance and useful insights which helped us in
the preparation of the report.

We would also like to thank the Balsakhis Shahin and Saleha who are taking classes there and
facilitated our meeting with the working children and their parents. We are also grateful to Mr.
Jeetendra, the supervisor who accompanied us to the slums, and helped us in conducting the
survey. Moreover, the study would not have been possible without the invaluable responses
given by the child labourers, their family members and employers.

Last, but not the least, we thank all the employees of Pratham for giving us their support and
making our stay a memorable and educative one.

Ruchi Agarwal (25042)

Subodh Bhadani (25045)

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 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Title: Explore the extent of prevalence of child labour in urban slum area of Surat City and study
the correlation among the different factors affecting the incidence of child labour to determine
suitable bases for initiating programmes and interventions in the area.

Organisation: Pratham Gujarat Education Initiative.

Reporting Officer: Miss Kanupriya Kumar
Faculty Guide: Prof.Kameshwar Choudhary
Student Name: Ruchi Agarwal(25042) & Subodh Bhadani (25045)

Objective of the study: The objective of the study was to determine the extent and incidence of
child labour in an area, to find out the major determinants responsible and to suggest suitable
bases for intervention.

Scope of the study: Our study is limited to the Ved Road of Surat city which is predominantly a
slum area having 1200 households in slums. It includes those children of age 6-14 years, who are
engaged in occupations outside or within their household and whose contribution to the total
household income is visible and measurable.

Limitations of the study: The major limitations of our study are that the findings cannot be
generalised as our study was limited to a few occupations children are engaged in Ved Road.
Besides, the apprehensions among the employers resulted in their reluctance to talk openly about
their perspectives on the issue.

Methodology: The methodology mainly consisted of collecting the data from the families and
the working children using systematic random sampling .For this purpose , two types of
questionnaires were used – household questionnaire and working children questionnaire .
Focused group discussions with parents, children and employers were also held. Then the
collected data was analysed so as to find the extent, incidence and determinants of child labor.

Major Findings: It was found that there are child workers in nearly 62.5% of the households
and average number of children engaged in work per household is 2.3.Major determinants
identified were economic condition of the family, the lack of interest and appreciation for
education among the children and their families. The other factors that are characteristics of Ved
Road and have profound impact on the incidence of child labor are the high concentration of
local industries in the region, which only work as pull factor early socialization towards the work
and also the culture of the inhabitants of Ved Road.
The bases of intervention in the area like Ved road that were arrived at, are to have different set
of strategies for child workers –a) Who are compelled to work due to financial stringency,b)Who
are induced in work due to lack of admiration or interest in studies, emphasis on ‘Amelioration’
and not abolition of child labor ,need of change in attitude towards employers, emphasis on
community level intervention and any intervention to address child labour through education
should first ensure that there is sufficient motivation among both the children and the parents
towards education.

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