Hybrid cottonseed industry

US Department of Labor Executive Order 13126 requires the Department of Labor to publish and maintain a list of products, by country of origin, which might have been mined, produced or manufactured by forced or indentured child labor. A few products from India that make it to this dubious list are bricks, cottonseed(hybrid), embroidered textiles(zari), garments, rice, and stones. Carpet was initially on the list. However, the Labor Department removed the product citing various reports that indicate reduction of child labor.

Child labour in Indian cotton fields. Image source: www.indianet.nl

For long, India has been violating child labor rights and laws. Despite various laws, industries, and factories flouting child labor laws are rampant across the country.  Take the example of the hybrid cottonseed industry.

A new system of employing female children as `bonded labourers’ has come into practice on hybrid cottonseed farms in south India. Local seed farmers, who cultivate hybrid cottonseeds for national and Multinational Seed Companies, secure the labour of girls by offering loans to their parents in advance of cultivation, compelling the girls to work at the terms set by the employer for the entire season, and, in practice, for several years.  These girls work long days, are paid very little, are deprived of an education and are exposed for long periods to dangerous agricultural chemicals. Source: Dr.Davuluri Venkateswarlu

And the companies that are involved include multinational companies (MNC’s) operating either through Indian subsidiaries or joint ventures. Companies are Hindustan Lever Limited (for Unilever Plc ),  Syngenta India (for Syngenta AG ) Advanta India (for Advanta BV) Monsanto India and Mahyco  (for Monsanto), Proagro (for Bayer) and Mahendra Hybrid Seeds (for Emergent Genetics)

It is estimated that nearly 450,000 children, in the age group of 6 to 14 years, are employed in cottonseed fields in India, in which the Telangana, Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh alone account for about 247,800. Source: Dr.Davuluri Venkateswarlu

It is well known that all MNCs  claim to be committed to highest standards of socially responsible corporate behaviour. However,  their activities in the area of cottonseed business in India appears to be out of sync with their claims as is demonstrated by Dr. Venkateswarlu’s paper and other reports.

The inability of the Indian legal system to address the issue of child labor has created a need for NGOs, international organizations, and  conscientious consumers to be more vigilant.

Go for the Goal:End Child Labour

World Anti-Child Labour Day aims to highlight the need to end child labour on a global scale while promoting awareness  on the negative aspects of child labour for the entire society. This year the Day coincides with the World Cup soccer tournament underway.

Go for the Goal: End Child Labour 2010. Image Source: www.ilo.org

Soccer is a beautiful game. Through all the multi-million dollar extravaganza associated with the World Cup frenzy, comes the irrefutable concern over the issue of child labour in the manufacture of the soccer balls. The International Labor Rights Forum, an advocacy organization dedicated to achieving just and humane treatment for workers worldwide  recently released a report on the reality of soccer ball stitchers in Pakistan, India, China and Thailand – the four largest producers of hand-stitched soccer balls used during the world cup.

Highlights of the report pertaining to India:

Child stitching soccer ball in India. Image source: www.laborrights.org

• Soccer balls are mainly(75 to 80%)  manufactured in Jalandhar and Meerut .

• In stitching centres, drinking water facilities are absent. Some of them, do not have toilets.

• Needle piercings, muscular pains, and loss of eye sight are common.

The Sports Goods Federation of India (SGFI) , an NGO was created by 25 exporters of sports goods in India with the objectives of eliminating child labour in the stitching of soccer balls, facilitating an attitudinal change in the community regarding importance of education, and promoting education among the soccer-stitching communities.

As a country, we have a long way to go before reaching the ‘goal post’, let alone the ‘goal’ of eradicating child labour.

70000 child workers in the coal mines of Jaintia Hills: NGO

My first reaction to this news  was ‘ is there a typo in that number?’ Child Trafficking is a huge problem all over India, and more so in the North Eastern states.  Shillong based ‘Impulse NGO Network’ estimates around 70,000 Nepalese and Bangladeshi child workers work in bonded labour in the coal mines of Jaintia Hills district in Meghalaya.

According to the 6th Schedule of the Indian Constitution the tribal and native communities residing in Meghalaya have exclusive rights over their land which includes the right to operate mines on these lands. This situation means that thousands of privately owned mines are operating in the Jaintia Hills and although this is a legal use of the land, child labour and bondage labour is prevalent.

Trucks that cross the border to Bangladesh with cargo, return with children who are lured by false promises, purchased by ‘middle men’ or abducted from their homes.

According to ‘Impulse’ estimates the children are bought for anywhere between 50 to 75 US dollars. Then they are forced to work for free in the horrendous working conditions of the coal mines. Their work is considered repayment of the debt they owe, which is nothing more than the price at which they were bought.  The mines are infamously known as the ‘rat mines’ of Meghalaya after the narrow and crude holes dug into the hills where the children risk their lives daily. There is lack of safe drinking water, proper sewage system and no medical facilities available.

Despite government promises of strict action to prevent child labour, the NGO reports that only 2 labour inspectors have been assigned to the region. This situation is not confined only to Meghalaya. It reflects conditions in neighbouring Manipur, Mizoram, and Nagaland too.

Can we have some sort of system to take action against individuals and companies that employ children in domestic work, eateries, mining and similar establishments where child labour is prohibited? When will we wake up to the injustice meted out to these innocent children?

Child Labour

Child Labour. Image source: www.inewsindia.com

Child Welder. Image source: www.childlaborphotographs.com

The child labor problem in India is of a scale that is often not even acknowledged, because it is so invisible. We can look at factories where children work, but we don’t look at agricultural labor. We don’t look at domestic labor to the extent that India should be looking at. “There’s a sense of almost justifying it by saying that these children would otherwise be starving and therefore it’s fine to employ them – except that the conditions of that employment are dangerous.”Meenakshi Ganguly, Senior Researcher from Human Rights Watch.

I sincerely hope that we can enforce the existing laws in our country related to child labour.

Child labourers suffer as India ignores the law

India’s abysmal record of confronting its illegal ‘child labour industry’ has afflicted the lives of millions of children.

India has an infamous distinction of being home to the largest population of child workers in the world, with an estimated 60 million to 115 million minors forgoing education to earn money.  A recent article by The Times provides some numbers and indicates how the country has been scornful of the ‘Child Labour Prevention Act’. The numbers are from official records obtained by The Times under India’s Right to Information (RTI) laws.

The Labour Ministry figures show that in Delhi, where hundreds of under-age workers are rescued every year — while thousands more go undetected — there was no record of any official investigation into child labour being carried out by the authorities. There were no records of any prosecutions. Similarly, in the state of Goa, with its range of beach resorts that are favoured by British holidaymakers, there was not a single investigation into child labour.

In Maharashtra, just two official inspections for child labour were carried out in 19 months, despite Mumbai, the state’s largest city, being known to be a hotbed of sweatshops that rely on under-age labour.

This is the case despite the ‘Child Labour Law’ passed in 1986 that bans employment of children under the age of 14 in industries. The law carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a Rs.20000 fine.

Only five of India’s twenty-eight states and seven union territories have set up state-level commissions to protect child rights, despite them all being called upon to do so.

Agencies such as the ‘National Commission for Child Rights’ responsible for protecting India’s 420 million children is understaffed and under funded.

Bhuwan Ribhu, of Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the child labour activist group said: “This indicates a serious lack of political will and lack of preparedness on the part of government to implement the law.”

When I read this article, it occurred to me that to some extent all of us are responsible.  I totally agree that laws are not enforced. What is even more dreadful is the public indifference toward the child labour issue. As an example, many ‘educated’ and ‘ignorant’ people still employ young girls as maids. That is inexcusable. Read the entire article here.

Child, Forced labor behind many products: Study

A while ago I wrote about child labour in mica mining used for cosmetics. (Cost of beauty) According to the recent news article by Reuters, we can add mining gold, sewing clothing, and harvesting cocoa to this increasing list of jobs done by child labourers.

Under international labor standards, child labor is defined as work performed by someone under the age of 15, or under 18 where specific forms of work are deemed harmful. Forced labor is involuntary or done under threat, the US Department of Labor report said.

The purpose for conducting the study is to highlight these activities so that action can be taken to target the problems.

India was linked to the highest number of products made with child labor or forced labor including soccer balls and clothing, according to report.

Various studies are conducted. Reports are generated, and laws are mandated. Why are our lawmakers forgetting the ‘enforcement’ aspect?  Read more of this news article here.

The cost of beauty

The price of beauty is steep when paid by children mining for Mica in the forests of Jharkhand.  Some of the Mica used in cosmetics comes from mines in Jharkhand which is mined by families including children. The effects of child labour are felt across generations as the lack of education for children limits future employment.

“I used to go to school and I learned how to write my name in English and some maths,” he said. “Now I just collect mica with groups of children. We work in a 5ft to 10ft hole, and loose earth falls down all the time. Last year one girl was buried.”

The anguish of a grandmother who has worked her life in the mines is evident when she thinks about her grand daughter who is also working in the mines.

I feel pain in my hands and my body, said an eight-year-old girl, Rinki.”

Her grandmother Mangari, 60, has been collecting mica since she was a teenager, a grim reminder of the generational cycle of Jharkhand’s poverty. “Of course I want to send Rinki to school, but we have to earn money and there are no schools,” she said.

You can read more here:Child labour used in cosmetics

World Anti-Child Labour Day

June 12th is World Anti-Child Labour Day.  One day in the calendar year that is set aside to tackle the issue of Child Labour. Numerous events are held across the country and the world to raise awareness. Statistics scream from all media outlets, and  campaigns are launched. Eradication promises are made.

But, for millions of children, it is business as usual. They continue to work in hazardous conditions. Be it handling poisonous chemicals or inhaling toxic fumes. They continue to be employed in industries ranging from textiles and embroidery to stone quarries and fire crackers. Youcan find them as domestic help across the country, at tea shops, restaurants, and on the streets. Toiling hard, under-fed, under-paid, they are forced to work to support their families.

There have been some success stories, but we have a long way to go before eradicating this evil from our society and we cannot rest on our laurels.

A more comprehensive approach is necessary to deal with the issue on an ongoing basis. Poverty cannot be blamed time and again. Why cannot our public education system be developed and affordable? Why does social discrimination still exist in our society?

Solutions to the problem depends on the questions we pose. We need to change our perspective about the issue to deal with it effectively.

A day is a lifetime for the children.

Krishnagiri district takes up Child Mapping

Crimes against children are so rampant in Krishnagiri district of Tamil Nadu that authorities are taking up Child Mapping to gain a better insight into the plight of children. The Child Mapping exercise is a joint effort between the district administration and UNICEF.

Here is the ordeal of some of the children.

Almost every third child in every village in Krishnagiri will bear a scar on their chest. For, within hours of their birth, they are branded with steaming hot iron needles or rods by the elderly women in the village. It is an age-old but “harmless’ practice to “ward off” infections, stomach upsets and evil spirits in this part of the countryside, insist villagers.

Children are offered as bonded labourers for as low as Rs. 10,000. Some parents pledge their children for three or four years to get money to build houses,” says the Sarva Siksha Abiyan programme district coordinator, A Karthikeyan.

Other atrocities include child marriages. Krishnagiri District Collector hopes to develop a comprehensive program to protect  children.  I do hope this effort is a success. Read more here.

Child Market

The title is not a setting of an 18th century play. It reflects the  reality of modern day India. According to the Mid-Day news report, a child labour racket operates every morning in Bangalore. Mid-Day reporters, posing as restaurant owners conducted a ‘sting operation’ and ‘bought’ 4 children.

A tout who called himself Ravi said, “Business is not so easy these days… we have to contend with competition and the activists. We can manage the police, but the media are dangerous.”

They have to ‘contend with activists’, but claim to ‘manage the police.’  I am curious to find out how they ‘manage’ the police. If you are wondering about the ‘cost’ of this purchase,

Ravi demanded Rs 1,200 a child, while we bargained for Rs 3,000 for all four.

And these children are ‘used’ for many purposes.

Buyers mostly use children for labour, but some use them for abuse or begging.  If the kids are small, the beggar mafia maims them and sends them out for begging. Chances of some children being exploited for organ transplantation could not be ruled out.

Some individuals claim that news about child labour rampant in the hotels are propaganda by NGOs.

Vasudeva Adiga, president, Bangalore Hoteliers Association, said, “I can say no hotel in the city employs children. This is just propaganda by NGOs like Bosco Mane.” The downturn in the garment industry was helping hotels find women workers, he explained.

B N Bachche Gowda, labour minister, said, “We conduct a monthly drive to check hotels and shops employing child labourers. The problem has come down.”

Irrational statements don’t always warrant a response. Do they?  Thanks to the entire team of Mid-Day who were involved in bringing this report out. Read more here.

Note: The four children were handed over to the custody of Child Welfare Committee and escorted to ‘Balamandira’, a government home for  orphan and runaway children.