mumbai yashraj a thirdstandard student from juhu is snowed under with work as a child actor he juggles his time between school homework and film and teleserial shootings hes worked in 20 serials including son pari he shoots after school during the night over weekends and even misses school at times could yashraj and children like him who seem to enjoy their work in films and television be counted among child labourers asha bajpai professor at the tata institute of social sciences tiss believes so child actors are prone to exploitation said ms bajpai in her recommendation on the child labour regulation and prohibition act 1986 this form of work could also be detrimental to a childs growth she said these children have long working hours and at times even unhealthy working conditions that is one reason why some countries have codes for regulating child workers in the entertainment industry any work that affects the health and education of a child should be monitored while nilima mehta chairperson of the child welfare committee said that as long as the child was not completely out of school it could not be interpreted as labour alpa vora of the campaign against child labour noted that most children were not in the profession by choice more often it is the aspiration of parents to see their children in films and serials and this may not necessarily be in the interests of the child ms vora said however she added that parents could be simply exploring their childs talent yashrajs mother neeta kushwaha for instance said her child first faced the camera at the age of one and had no problems he never complains even when he has to shoot all night just like other children go for hobby classes such as dancing he goes for his shoots she said he is also good at his studies however if the international labour organisations definition of child labour is considered this form of work falls in the realm of child labour the ilo defines child labour as any work that exposes children to physical or psychological abuse an unhealthy working environment such as hazardous substances temperature and noise and work under particularly difficult conditions such as long hours during the night the working conditions are not always healthy for children especially infants said kavita advani a production stylist for television commercials while shooting for a diaper advertisement once a fivemonthold baby model was being passed from one person to another she did not stop crying and it was only on the third day of the shoot that we realised that the heat from the halogen lamps was making her uncomfortable she said but shockingly the childs mother who was present did not want the shoot to be stopped as she had already told her neighbours that her baby would soon appear on television every week ms advani receives at least three portfolios of wannabe child models from infants to 13yearolds this despite the fact