The days leading up to the opening night were fraught with frenzied arguments. There was a blank email. There were emails in response. One hadnt collected all the project details. Another wanted to protect privacy of kids in the photographs we were using. A third wanted to have multiple back up plans to distribute monies collected. Someone wanted to have a credit roll. In sharp contradistinction, another vehemently protested. There was a blank email. There were emails in response, anagram-ed names in tow. Any by-stander would have imagined these folks were running amok after a series of scorpion bites, and could have been easily forgiven for that assumption.
In the end, what they were really doing was starting a sensitive campaign to showcase Asha projects which -- each in their own way, each to a different extent -- work on reducing child labor in different parts of India. This group of individuals spanning multiple Asha chapters have on every detail exhibited a rare sensitivity, be it privacy issues of photographs, or listening to every expressed opinion. It has been an honor to work with this team.
That said, lets look at a few common myths of child labor:
Myth: Poverty is the single major cause for child labor
- Most child laborers do come from impoverished social setting. Children start working at an young age, hence remain illiterate/unskilled; are burnt out by the time they are adults; as adults suffer from unemployment and increase chances of child labor in the next generation! Child labor, in fact, causes poverty!
- Global ban proposals focus on export oriented products. Bulk of India’s child labor is in domestic industries (92%). Linking concerns of human rights to export and trade only serves the concerns of developed nations. Social clauses and blanket boycotts do not make any commitment towards rehabilitation of these children.
- In various studies undertaken in carpet industries, match making industries, as well as weaving industries, this has been proved a myth.
- This argument hides the reality of children bonded to families, or hired bonded laborers are rarely taught any art or craft. The arts and crafts can be passed on within the child’s family as part of their socialization and growing up
6 comments:
Excellent job on the blog and the website.. thanks, WAH team for being persistent and creative in your efforts for this WAH!
-Vignesh
Great Powerpoint File Link in your original entry
In reference to the point
"Myth: Poverty is the single major cause for child labor
* Most child laborers do come from impoverished social setting. Children start working at an young age, hence remain illiterate/unskilled; are burnt out by the time they are adults; as adults suffer from unemployment and increase chances of child labor in the next generation! Child labor, in fact, causes poverty!"
I have a comment & a question. It seems instead of describing poverty & child labor as a cause and effect, the relationship is more of a cycle.
The question I invite anyone to answer: If not poverty, what do studies say is/are the major reason(s) of child labor?
Myth: A global ban on child labor products will force the elimination of the practice of child labor and protect children's rights
Global ban proposals focus on export oriented products. Bulk of India’s child labor is in domestic industries (92%). Linking concerns of human rights to export and trade only serves the concerns of developed nations. Social clauses and blanket boycotts do not make any commitment towards rehabilitation of these children.
A good percentage of the children working in domestic sector come from unorganized sector such as being a domestic help. This hurts the girl children more because they form a bulk of this workforce and they are not even counted.
Civil society organizations have tried very hard to combat this over the years and because of their efforts, in Oct. 2006, Ministry of Labour banned use of children as domestic help and work in restaurants under the Child Labor Prohibition & Regulation Act of 1986. Please notice the word "prohibition". Prohibit = ban, not allowed.
So, if your family employs children as domestic help, they are punishable under law.
So, what can you do? Speak up! If your family employs a maid-servant and if she is sick, don't expect her child to do the work. They deserve a sick day too. If you are on vacation, you can still do the "dirty" work. After all, who does it for you in the US and elsewhere? If they are not in school, ask why not? Try to provide assistance in their education. Engage in coversation with them. Find out what they like about school and what they don't. There's lot more to do than be a silent spectator.
In case someone is looking for the reference
http://pib.nic.in/release/rel_print_page1.asp?relid=19296
Ronjon,
I read somewhere, possibly a comment from a grassroots worker/co-ordinator at TEA Trust -- one of the WAH projects this year --that a significant factor leading to children dropping out of school is the lack of relevance of the current education system to their lives.
Such being the case, even if one managed to bring these children to school, keeping them there is a challenge unless there is also an effort to keep them engaged.
What is the next best thing that a parent would do to 'secure' their child's future? They would try to put them to work, learn a vocation, even if supplimenting family income is the last thing on their minds... so what do we have now? Child laborers!
Causes of Child Labor - link from an org that works to eliminate child labor in the tobacco industry
http://www.eclt.org/about/overview.html
Gives some points about causes of Child Labor
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