Srinagar, Dec 29: Despite clear legal prohibitions and repeated government assurances, incidents of child labour continue to surface at several popular, especially tourist destinations across Kashmir. This has triggered serious concern among educators and social activists who are demanding stronger enforcement and sustained awareness drives.
From pony rides to assisting tourists at scenic locations, minors, many of them below the age of 14, are increasingly being seen working at tourist hubs and even factories, where mostly non-local children can be seen working.
Activists warn that this trend not only violates child labour laws but also poses a grave threat to the educational future and overall well-being of these children.
A teacher from the Pahalgam area of Anantnag district expressed deep concern over the growing involvement of school-going children in tourism-related activities.
“When children see their peers earning money by taking tourists on horse rides or assisting them at tourist spots, they too get tempted to follow the same path, which directly affects school attendance,” the teacher said, speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO).
“When other students see a child roaming with horses and ferrying tourists instead of attending classes, it creates a wrong precedent. Slowly, it leads to absenteeism and eventually dropouts. The government must take this issue very seriously,” he added.
The teacher squarely blamed parents for allowing their underage children to engage in such activities during school hours. “Children below 14 years should be in classrooms, not at tourist spots. Parents permitting this are unknowingly harming not only their own children but also influencing others negatively, which impacts the overall attendance and academic environment in schools,” he added.
The issue recently gained wider attention after a video went viral on social media, purportedly showing a minor taking tourists to the famous Betaab Valley. In the video, the child is seen calling his ‘boss’—believed to be his father—at the end of the trip to ask how much money he should collect from the tourists, to which the response comes as Rs 1,500. The video sparked outrage among netizens and renewed debate on the persistence of child labour in Kashmir’s tourism sector.
The teacher stressed that awareness campaigns at tourist destinations are crucial. “First, people must be made aware that employing or engaging children in such work is illegal and harmful. If awareness fails, then strict action must follow against those who violate the law,” he said.
Echoing similar concerns, Waqar Fayaz, Chairman of Noorkash Foundation J&K, a well-known NGO working on social issues in the Valley, said that while the government has taken steps to curb child labour through various departments and agencies, the efforts need to be intensified.
“The government is working to stop child labour, but strict vigilance is the need of the hour, especially at tourist spots, hotels, restaurants and factories where such practices often go unnoticed,” Fayaz said. He added that tourism-related child labour is particularly worrying because it becomes more visible during peak seasons, yet enforcement often remains lax.
Meanwhile, an official from the Labour Department, Jammu and Kashmir, told KNO that the department is aware of such incidents and is actively monitoring the situation. “These issues are being tracked, and we will further intensify vigilance to ensure that child labour is completely eradicated from society,” the official said, adding that action would be taken wherever violations are found.
Social activists, teachers and other people have urged the administration to adopt a multi-pronged approach involving strict enforcement of laws, regular inspections, community awareness, and support for families so that economic compulsions do not push children out of schools and into labour. (KNO)
