Digital Dump, Discarded Childhoods: Estimates, Trends, and the Digital Dump Dilemma

Child Labour and e-waste are two topics of utmost urgent attention and concern individually and together as well clubbed as single domain. This new category of waste is not only on rise because of the increased use of the sources like phones, computers etc., but also has adverse health and environmental effects with unknown final destination and uncertain amount found in the environment. To take the steps on an individual level that can prevent the accumulation and irresponsible disposal of e-waste is the need of hour. The accumulation of e-waste has created “digital dumps” which has created one more hazardous and vicious sector of informal employment for the people, especially young children. Their tiny hands, hearts and minds in search of gold working much more harder and dedicatedly than the grown ups. The paper aims to estimate the number of child labourers in India and understand historical trends which will include in depth study of child labour, their reasons, impacts and historical trends as recorded worldwide and in India; exploring the relation between e-waste and child labour, particularly through the “digital dump” on child labour. Finally, exploring the policy interventions and digital education programs as preventive measures and possible solutions for mitigating child labour has also been discussed. The most practical and possible solution to this major social issue is to educate the people continuously following this trap and those who are employing children. Only creating more awareness and implementing the laws with proper action can reduce the number of children involved in this sector.