Child Labour Laws — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
Act 35 of 2016	2016	The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016 strengthened the enforcement and rehabilitation framework. It made the specified employer offences cognizable, provided a Child and Adolescent Labour Rehabilitation Fund for each district or group of districts, and required rescued children or adolescents to be rehabilitated under applicable law. It also provided for assignment of implementation powers to the District Magistrate and periodic inspection and monitoring. Its penalty provisions distinguish employers from parents or guardians, including protection for parents or guardians in a first offence.	The legal response extends beyond removing a child from a workplace. Employer fines feed the rehabilitation fund, with a government contribution of Rs 15,000 for each child or adolescent for whom the fine amount is credited. Rehabilitation and follow-up therefore have an institutional and financial basis. Prosecution, fund credit and actual rehabilitation are distinct steps; a reported rescue is not proof that the whole statutory process has been completed.