India is currently on the list of U.S. labor department
for ‘Items made using child labor’, as report by International Labor
organization (ILO). The items which employ child labor most are garment
and textile industries, where children are used for Zari embroidery or
embellishments, which makes two of the 21 items on the U.S. Department
list. However the manufactures of these items do not concur and have
petitioned to be removed from the list, which has been refused for now,
as reported by Sidhartha for TOI
The U.S. labor study reports that, these allegations do not limit to textile and garment sector. There are reasons to believe it is practiced in other industries and sects too. The news does stir the aplomb of these industries and is humiliating for India to be on this list.
As per the ILO “Presently, throughout the world, around 215 million children work, many full-time. They do not go to school and have little or no time to play. Many do not receive proper nutrition or care. They are denied the chance to be children.
More
than half of them are exposed to the worst forms of child labour such
as work in hazardous environments, slavery, or other forms of forced
labour, illicit activities including drug trafficking and prostitution,
as well as involvement in armed conflict”.
The facts are overwhelming, yet if India is a part of such malice, appropriate measures needs to taken to wash the blame, and be the support in abolishing such heinous act.
The other items mentioned where child labour is enforced are bricks, carpets, hybrid cottonseed, brassware, locks, fireworks, yarn and fabric, incense sticks, rice and stones. However the percentage of children employed in the productions of these items isn’t mentioned, the report only shows the items for which they are made to work.
The report also shows that this concern is seen in greater number in the south Asian countries as compared worldwide, it accounts for 55 percent of forced labour globally. As per the 2010 annual listings by the US labour department, an estimate of 57,000 children, between the ages of 5 to 17 are made to work in carpet industries mostly in India, Nepal and Pakistan.
