A child is any person below the age of 18 years

“Child labour includes children prematurely leading adult lives, working with or without wages, under conditions damaging to their physical, social, emotional and spiritual development, denying them their basic rights to education, health and development”. CACL is against all manifestations of children working in any sector, occupation or process, including the formal and non-formal, organized and unorganized, within or outside the family.

CACL believes that any child out of school is a child labourers or potential child labour. It hopes that the enforcement of free, compulsory, quality and equitable education for all children up to 18 years of age is a prerequisite for the eradication of child labour. The campaign aims at the immediate eradication of child labour.

The CACL believes in working in collaboration with Government initiatives against child labour. However, it reserves the rights to be critical of Government initiatives when necessary. The CACL endorses solidarity support for such campaigns from international organisations and other concerned groups and individuals outside the country. However, it does not approve of any legislative restriction involving trade and export of goods from India, as a deterrent to child labour. It opposes all forms of boycott calls of goods produced by children. It actively rejects initiatives like that of Tom Harkins Bill introduced in the Senate of USA. CACL also does not favour moves like proposed social clauses in WTO. It endorses the role of ILO, demands implementation of ILO convention on labour standards by all countries