Article 24 — Prohibition of Employment of Children in Factories

No child below the age of fourteen years shall be employed to work in any factory or mine or engaged in any other hazardous employment.

Source: Constitution of India, as published by the Ministry of Law and Justice.

While Article 24 prohibits child labour in hazardous occupations, it did not originally prohibit all child work. Parliament enacted the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act, 1986, which regulated (not prohibited) child labour in non-hazardous occupations. The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Act, 2016, broadened the ban significantly but created exceptions for family enterprises and the entertainment industry that critics argued weakened the protection. The Right to Education Act (2009), enacted under Article 21A, effectively reinforced Article 24 by making school attendance compulsory.

• Article 21A
• Article 23
• Article 39
• Article 45

Last reviewed: 1 July 2026