CHILD LABOR IN INDIA

Mo, Prue and Namfon

MISUSING CHILDREN∏

Child labor is an ongoing problem in today’s society that existed even back in the 1800s. Kids enduring work at a young age risk their physical and mental health by doing so. Children are supposed to enjoy their childhood and have a chance to education. Vulnerable kids are being taken advantaged of by adults. One major exploiter of children is India. Millions of Indian children are facing either deliberate or forced labor.

India is one of the countries with the largest number of child laborers in the world. Each year, the number of children increases constantly. For example, in 1991 to 2001, the number had increased from 11.28 million to 12.59 million. 90% of child labor is occurring in Andhra Pradesh which is in the southeast coast of India. Each day, the children had to do a numerous amount of work with very little amount of pay.

The town of Sivakasi in South India has been reported to employ child labour in the production of fireworks. The fireworks industry employed about 150,000 people at an average of 15 employees per factory. In 2003, Human Rights Watch reported that children as young as 5 years old are hired to manufacture silk up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. It is revealed in 2013 that children under 18 are hired to work in coal mines despite the law made in 1952.

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Child Labor Occurring in India

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One main cause of child labor in India is poverty, high population of people who lack education. In India poor people are all around the streets begging for food, this lower class of people are insufficient in amount and they have no choice to choose. Some of them need to send their children to work in a bad condition such as mining industry and in factories to earn money to support the family. However, the average earnings of the children is about 2 dollars per day, which is not enough to support the family.

Another cause is overpopulation that leads to a competition for jobs. The industrialists in India have been successful in taking advantage of disadvantaged job seekers, a person who is unemployed and looking for work. As a result, the poor remain poor working for low wages and living in a bad condition.

Lack of education is a situation when a person is unable to read or write. In India, people who are not educated will become unaware of things which an average person is required to know. Such people are normally unaware of their rights, rights of their children and always get used by people who are well educated. The children end up becoming labors around their homes.

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Causes of Child Labor

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Children being victims of child labor don’t have the chance to develop physically, intellectually, emotionally and psychologically. This is worse in hazardous working conditions. Some children are mentally and/or physically abused in these traumatic workhouses. Children who work often don’t get education. This results in an endless cycle that makes India even poorer. Because the kids don’t get education, they don’t have the chance to compete with those who does. If the rate of underage children working continues to grow, there will even be a higher amount of poverty than before. The children who potentially can be leaders don’t get the opportunity to live up to their abilities due to their education limitations.

According to the International Labor Organization, it is economically more beneficial to send children to school rather than to work. Not giving children education affects the country as a whole. Without many educated people, the country becomes less developed. The evidence is present as the most developed countries have the highest literacy rates as opposed to those of the less developed countries.

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Consequences of Child Labor

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•Raise awareness for this cause by discussing this matter with your peers or adults.

•Stop buying goods that you know are made by children.

•Donate some funds that go into building schools for these children.

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YOU can Make a Difference

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SOURCES

Information:

http://www.childlineindia.org.in/child-labour-india.htm

http://www.ilo.org/public/english/region/eurpro/moscow/areas/ipec/causes.htm

http://www.dw.de/india-freeing-the-small-hands-of-the-silk-industry/a-1114659-1

http://www.change.org/petitions/monsanto-stop-using-child-labor-in-cottonseed-production-in-india

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour_in_India

http://vegaselias.hubpages.com/hub/CHILD-LABOR-IN-INDIA-AND-ITS-CAUSES

Photos:

http://community.ejc.net/profiles/blogs/child-labor-in-third-world

http://www.indianet.nl/pdf/childbondagecotton.pdf

http://sairaalikhan.wordpress.com/tag/children/

http://cartons4kids.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html

http://data0.revolublog.com/thechildlabour/mod_article2612394_1.jpg?5099

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