Child Labour in India: Children Forced to Dig Graves for the Dead

A little boy stands inside a grave, digging out mounds of mud. He sees our cameras and ducks into the grave he has dug for the dead. The image should make an entire nation hang its head in shame. Our team witnessed children digging graves for the dead in graveyards across the country, one of the most disturbing faces of child labour in India. A sight that pierces the heart and shames the soul. This is the plight of our children, the story of India's child gravediggers.

A Child Digging Graves in a Covid Graveyard

"Around a 100 meters from where the Covid-19 positive graves were being dug, in the same graveyard, which was specifically allocated for Covid-19 fatalities by the government, I saw a 7-year-old kid taking out mud from a grave. As a journalist and as a person, I could see the future of our country digging its own grave," said Arjun Samar Mahendran, Founder, Newshound India Foundation, who witnessed one such incident.

The little boy was amidst a mound of mud, digging a grave with tender hands that were supposed to hold a cricket bat or a pen. "As soon as the child realised he was being captured on video, he straightaway ducked. It did not even take him one second to duck. They know what is going on. He might be a child but he does not have an option and he knows that it's not right to be doing what he is doing," Arjun said.

From Bengaluru to Delhi, Children Holding Shovels

The boy was spotted in a graveyard in Bengaluru. The situation is no different for children in the north of India. During the pandemic, underprivileged children in many parts of the country were seen holding shovels to dig graves, just to make ends meet and to fend for their families as well as themselves. The pandemic pushed child labour in India into places few would imagine. In the heart of the national capital, a boy was found casually playing with a shovel, the same one he would later use to dig graves. Children then loaded shovels into a cycle cart on their way to graveyards.

Children Carrying Tombstones and Burying the Dead

In another instance, we saw young boys pick up shovels and get ready to dig graves under elderly supervision, while the elders watched with their hands in their pockets. At times, we also saw children playing with mud among the buried dead. In some graveyards, young boys bore the weight of tombstones. Their childhood was lost, and yet they carried tombstones to mark the dead.

Child rights activists describe this as among the gravest forms of child labour in India. "I think it's perhaps one of the gravest forms of child labour and in fact we prefer to call it worst form of child labour because a graveyard is a situation where even ordinary people will be very scared to go and they will feel very uncomfortable about it," said Amod Kanth, Founder, Prayas, an NGO working for child rights.

As if digging graves was not shocking enough, in many other graveyards across the country, children were seen sprinkling water on graves, sweeping graveyards, cementing and plastering graves and, in some cases, even helping to bury the dead.

What NCPCR and NHRC Said

We approached the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for answers on this form of child labour. "Criminals are employing children this way. The Commission will consider these employers as criminals. NCPCR's request to you is to immediately provide us with information. We will ensure that an FIR is lodged against the perpetrators and the children are sent under a rehabilitation plan," said Priyank Kanoongo, Chairperson, NCPCR.

"It depends upon the age of the child because children are also statutorily or legally entitled to work beyond the age of 14 years. There has to be a violation of human rights and as per the Protection of Human Rights Act. So, that has to be ensured first. If the Commission finds that it is a case of violation of human rights, it will certainly take cognizance of the same," said Jyotika Kalra, a member of the NHRC.

What the Law Says About Child Labour in India

The Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986 is the key law governing child labour in India. Under this law, employing children below the age of 14 years is a criminal offence. Under international conventions laid out by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), this form of labour falls in the category of Hazardous Child Labour, "any form of labour that is likely to harm the health, safety or the morals of children". The ILO classifies such labour among the Worst Forms of Child Labour.

These children should be in classrooms, learning and dreaming about their future. Instead, they spend their days in graveyards, digging graves for the dead. How long will we allow them to bury their dreams along with the dead?

Impact update: Following our investigation, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has taken note and assured action against those employing children. The Commission has said an FIR will be lodged against the perpetrators, and the children will be rescued and placed under a rehabilitation programme. Watch our Impact story here.