The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986

The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, prohibits children from working in certain occupations and regulates their conditions of work in others (including permitted working hours, rest and holidays). The Act lays down rules for those employing children as well as penalties for their unlawful employment. This Act, which defines a child as a person under 14, was amended by The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016. The amendment prohibits the employment of children between 6 and 14 in any occupation or process (except two), and introduces the category of ‘adolescents’ (those in the 14-18 age group), who are prohibited from working in ‘hazardous occupations and processes’ that are defined in the Factories Act, 1948.