POVERTY AS THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF CHILD LABOUR IN RURAL TAMIL NADU: A SOCIO-LEGAL ANALYSIS

Child labour in rural Tamil Nadu is deeply rooted in structural poverty, weak
institutional support, and limited access to quality education. This article
examines the multidimensional relationship between household poverty and
child labour incidence in rural areas of Tamil Nadu, India. Drawing on
constitutional provisions, judicial precedents, international conventions, and
existing empirical literature, the study analyses the socio-economic
mechanisms through which poverty compels families to deploy children in
agricultural, domestic, and informal labour markets. The study demonstrates
that poverty is not merely a correlate but a fundamental structural driver that
sustains intergenerational cycles of educational deprivation and economic
marginalisation. The article further evaluates the adequacy of India's
legislative framework
including the Child and Adolescent Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986 as amended in 2016 and the Right
to Education Act of 2009 and assesses judicial interventions that have
shaped child protection jurisprudence. The study concludes that lasting
elimination of child labour requires a convergent strategy: robust poverty
alleviation, universal quality education, effective legal enforcement,
community mobilisation, and rehabilitative support for rescued children.