The realities of India’s socio-economic situation are often cited as the reason for some of our more retrograde laws. The one on child labour is a case in point...This means the child gets no time for play and will have to engage in labour-intensive work, even though this may not be termed hazardous. The pressure will fall more on the girl child who is in the first place expected to help in household and farming chores after school, if at all she is permitted to attend...Many industries are home-based, making it difficult for the law to ascertain how hazardous this may be to the child’s well-being. Family enterprises could mean anything from carpet-weaving, beedi-making or work in metals...If the law had been unambiguous and stated that no child below 14 should work in any industry, whether hazardous or non-hazardous, it might help in easing the problem.