Tell an adult who can act, and give them the details. Do not confront the employer yourself — you could put both yourself and the child in danger, and you have no way of protecting the child afterwards.
Step 1 — your teacher or principal. Report what you saw with the facts that make action possible: where (the shop or house and the street), when (the day and roughly the time), how many children, and what work they were doing. A school can contact the local authorities, and it can also arrange the child’s admission once they are out.
Step 2 — Childline 1098. The government has a helpline for children called Childline 1098. It is available all over the country and is easy to remember — just count backwards from 10. It began as an action project at an educational institution in the late 1990s and soon became a national-level helpline.
What the law says, so you know you are on firm ground:
- In general, children below the age of 14 are not allowed to be employed. They can help out in non-hazardous family enterprises, and only during vacations or after school hours.
- There is a ban on work in places such as factories, mines, or restaurants.
- Articles 23–24 ban human trafficking, forced labour and child labour; Article 21A gives the right to free and compulsory education for ages 6–14.
Sample answer (one step, written out): “I will note down the address of the shop and the time I saw the boy working there, and tell my class teacher the same day. If nothing has happened within a week, I will call Childline 1098 with the same details.”