We would try and have discussions on this blog regularly to come up with ideas for combating child labor. This post will try and gather personal experiences in fighting child labor, lessons learnt and success stories.
So, please do post your experience here!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Child labor and you.
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Six months after the Govt. of India announced a ban on children working as domestic servants or in food stalls, hotels or other recreational centers, I was in India.
On my way to Bhadravathi, an 8 hour journey by road from Bangalore, the bus stopped at a rest area. My friend and I were served by a child who didn't look a day older than 11 or 12. There were at least a dozen other children clearing away and cleaning the neighboring tables. Irony was that I was on my way to complete a site visit of a school for rescued child laborers.
You are in some hinterland, have 20 minutes to fill your stomach and be on your way, you itch to fix this situation...
Is there anything one can do?
In one of my vacation trips to India, I found that a kid used to come home to collect clothes for "Pressing" - the more common term is "dhobhi" (launderers). The establishment was a simple 4-wheel cart run by a couple of people. The cart was positioned under a shady tree in the neighborhood. They had the kid (about 9-10 years old) to help them collect clothes from houses in the neighborhood and return them back to the respective homes. He would count them, verify that the clothes were all returned and collect the cash.
He was a very intelligent and bubbly kid, knew little bit of the local language and folks in the neighborhood liked him a lot. Growing up in India for the most part of my life, this would have been a normal day to day occurance in families and neighborhoods like mine. The last few years have been different though thanks to organizations like Asha. The deep irony of being able to see more of the surroundings in which I grew up when I moved far away from it, made me ask the dreaded question - "Does that kid go to school ?"
The answer was no. Folks had offered to send him to school and he had said he had to work for his sisters who were living in his native place. They had checked with the owner of the establishment and he mentioned that the kid was his sister's son and was here to earn money for his family in a rural district of the neighboring state, Andhra Pradesh. The employer mentioned that he had no problem letting the kid go to school. But, the kid was just adamant.
When I heard the story I was not convinced and wanted to give it a try. So, I tried interacting more with the kid. Communication was a problem initially, with his broken tamil and hesitation. But, after a few games and more regular interaction, he was more forthcoming. I told him he seems to be real smart, can count well and asked him if he had gone to school. He was very excited and replied that he had done till the the 6th Std. before he moved here. I asked him if he liked it in school when he was there. His excitement was evident in his face as he described the fun stuff he used to do. Its been a year since he left school and came here and he said he would like it if he did go to school. So, I asked him would he be interested in going to a school here and he kind of closed himself from that point. He mumbled about 3 sisters that he had to help. I said I don't believe him and he kept on talking about his 3 sisters and how one of them is 20 years old and had to be married.
That interaction left me confused. How should I react in this short span of vacation time I had ? Encourage my parents to refuse using the services from that 'dhobi' until they put the kid in school? Talk to more folks in the community and ask them all to boycott the 'dhobi' till the kid is in school ? But, my gut feeling told me that it was not going to be a solution - It was a matter of pushing the cart to a different neighborhood. I spoke to the employer to see if he was willing to let the kid go to school. I mentioned that the expenses should not be a issue. The employer was happy to do it and just said asked me to convince the boy. Again, I was not sure if the kid was acting under pressure of the employer or genuinely wanted to work - either ways, this was NOT right.
I went to the local government school in the area and spoke to a teacher and later the headmaster. I described the situation and asked them how they could help me. Since, the kid studied in a telugu medium school till 6th standard, they said he can't cope up in that school. They recommended that I go visit the kesari high school that was quite a distance away. The other option given to me was to check with the 'Andhra Mahila Sabha' for help - they would provide scholarships and also direct me to other telugu medium schools.
After further interaction with the kid, it was kind of obvious that he was not willing to quit working. The more I spoke about it, the more tense he grew and distanced himself from me. The Kesari high school was not an option - even if he stopped working, how will transportation be arranged for that distance over such a regular period of time. If we couldn't stop him from working, then the Kesari school or any formal school will not be the solution for him. Time was running out on my vacation. I called up on Asha volunteers I knew in the city for help. They did come down to meet with the kid. We tried talking to him in front of the employer and we got the same replies - the employer was fine with anything as long as the kid was. The kid just didn't budge - he said he has to earn money. So, the asha vols told me that a NFE (Non-formal education center) would be a good option - but, there was none near the area.
I spoke to the kid again and was willing to support him for whatever his needs were. He didn't seem to trust me or just needed more convincing. But, then time ran out on me. I requested my parents to work with the Asha volunteers and help find a solution for the kid. I left feeling confident that things would work. On continued communication after reaching here, I learnt that the kid had gone back home to his native village - at least thats what the employer told my parents. Did he join school back there ? Did all his monetary problems get solved ? Did he just go for a vacation to let things cool down here ? Why did I even do all this - to feel good and take out the nagging feeling that I didn't do anything about a situation I was aware of ?
The answers I will never find. Its evident when in one end of our lives we all donate money, contribute time, ideas etc. to solve social problems, yet on the other as our personal lives brushes with those very social issues, the solution is not obvious and we struggle.with reality. But, what did I learn from this ? All those lives that were invisible to me - kids in the streets, the homeless in the bus stands, kids sweeping train floors ...now question me...I will keep trying to find answers.
How prevelant is the problem?
Last thursday, my wife and self were at the tracks in Sunnyvale. We saw a group of 6 kids walking around and playing. The elder boys were easily 12-14 years old. All very neatly dressed, well-shod kids. Except one. She couldnt have been more than 6. She was in old and crumpled clothes, obviously standing out in that group. She was barefoot, and was struggling to carry a smaller child on her back. All the kids played around, while she continued to watch, carrying the little child. I was reminded of my neighbor back in India, who used to bring to their house a little girl from their village. The little girl would play with the kids of their house, and also help in domestic chores, like clean utensils, cut veggies etc. We decided to accost them and ask who they are etc. But, even as we approached, the children ran away.
Left us wondering if we had just been witness to a form of child labor combined with trafficking the 6yr old girl? Or maybe the perpetrators honestly believed that a life in Sunnyvale was much better for the girl than the life she would have had in her village in India? Makes you wonder how deeply entrenched into the social fabric, is this problem!
My personal experience with child labor rises the same question in my mind again and again how do we succeed in reducing school drop outs???
Here goes my story...
The maid who worked in my house back in India had four children.Out of the four the elder daughter was married and the other three worked in different areas to earn bread for the family along with their mother.Their father had died long back, hence children were mainly the sole earner of the family. The second daughter was of the age around 16-17 who used to share the responsibilty along with her mother to wash dishes, the third son around the age 14 used to work in a local factory(biri making), the fourth son around the age 11-12 used to work in a local tea shop and in the evening he would attend the nearby government school with some very nominal fees.One day I asked my maid that if the charge of the school is very nominal and if we support her then will she agree to re-admit the other two children who were already a school drop out at the age of 14 and 16 respectively? The answer that she gave was a very common answer I am sure each one of us is familier with. She replied saying "Didi beshi porashona koriyee ki hobe tokhon to ei soob choto khato kaaj korbee na aar boro chakri paoyaa to amder shadhee r bayiree tayi songsar e ekhon ja aschee tokhon tao ashbe na". Oi nirokhorota dur hoyechee,bus train er number portee paree, nijer naam soi kortee paree setayii aneek. Let me translate the meaning in english for non bengali speakers.It means "What would be the benefit of re-admiting and giving the children the opportunity to learn more in life? As,if they go for higher education i.e continue school and opt for college then they will not be willing to work in a tea stall or a biri factory. They would want a decent job. Given our economic, social and financial status what decent job will they get? Hence in future may be they will be unable to contribute the small amount also that today they are contributing to the family. My children are not illitrate they can read numbers of trains and buses and also can sign their names that is MORE THAN ENOUGH!!"
Sound mind
A woman came to our door a few years ago with two little kids. The boy was about six and the girl child at her side couldn't have been more than three years old. She was seeking domestic work.
It was just after Diwali and my mother had her hand bandaged from a fire related accident. Amma, a career woman with chores lined up around the house, thought her a godsend. The woman, Muniamma (name changed) was offered the job and started that same day.
Over the next few days, Amma would -- as women often do -- chat her up to ascertain her background and get a feel for her life. We learnt that she had another boy, the eldest, whom she had left at her village in Tamil Nadu, where her brother's family cared for him. Her husband had abandoned her. She had migrated to Bangalore to seek work and support her two little children and lived in the slums a few kilometers away.
While she worked her chores, her children would play in the house. I noticed that her son would smile when I addressed him but would never speak. The daughter, a lovely chit of a girl was quite garrulous and often admonished by her mother for speaking too much. I enquired about the boy. We were told he had suffered from a 'fever' which had left him deaf and mute. Muniamma thought her son was also rendered mentally stunted and we had no reason to suspect her conclusions.
A few months later, during my vacations after semester examination, I found him playing with discarded pieces of wood from a carpentry job at the house. I saw him put together a toy for himself to play with. This was not a boy who was mentally disabled! The only problem he had was his inability to communicate! I told Muniamma that I thought her boy was a smart child and asked what she was going to do with him. She laughed and wondered what would happen to him in time.
My cousins, a wonderful couple, whose general social awareness I much admire and wish to emulate, came to mind. At their advice, the lad was placed in a school with a hostel for children with disabilities at no cost to Muniamma. She was asked to pay an optional school fee if she could afford it. The school, in Rajaji Nagar, Bangalore, cares for children of his profile from economically challenged backgrounds. Parents, if alive, would be allowed regular visitation.
Muniamma continued to work at our house these past many years. Her daughter went to a regular government school. And one day last year, she stopped coming to work. We haven't heard from her since. Her brother visited us a few weeks ago to enquire if she had come back to us.
The boy in the meantime is doing well. He reads and writes Kannada and can use Indian sign language to communicate. Now at over 14 yrs old, he is being prepared for the life ahead of him with some vocational skills. His mother does not visit him...
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