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Watching a young
child work for fourteen hours a-day is what is termed as child
labor. And this is something that seems a predominant feature in
Indian society.
While the carpet
industry requires the fine little fingers to weave the finest
and tiniest of knots to create the most expensive of carpets,
the firecracker industry probably prefers kids to men because
they are cost effective and more efficient. Even household labor
– children last longer and are more honest than adults; is a
claim made by most homemakers.
Well industries and households definitely benefit from child
labor, but what about the slaving children? What about their
lost childhood? |
What about their education? What about
the fact that they lose their innocence and the twinkle in their eyes
from the moment they step in for their first job? Child labor is a
crime, and should be considered a criminal offence by the court of law.
In fact, in the Constitution of India there is an entire Act that
defines child labour in India as a crime that is punishable.
In spite of this the child labor in India statistics does not seem to
show any reversal in numbers. Even if there is a diminishing trend it is
negligible. There is a problem in this area and the truth of the matter
is that not much is being done to rectify it. Activist protest outside
factories where child labor exists, but still nothing changes. For a few
days the factory shuts shop till matters calm down and then its back to
usual business.
While employers are always at the receiving end, the fact is that it is
parents who should be put into the dungeons. They are the ones stricken
by poverty and as a result give birth to children in order to earn
money. They do not care about their children. They just keep producing
more hands to rake in money. And so the actual offenders are not the
employers, they make most of an opportunity to cut costs, which
increases profits. It is parents of these children who need to be taught
vital lessons. They sell their children for food and money!
Today it is necessary to take a resolution to abolish all child labor in
India. The children need to be brought to classrooms and given basic
education, followed by training in vocations of their interest. Things
have to change. The nation does not need working populace below the age
of fourteen, but innocent children laughing through the day, enjoying
being young. Stringent steps have to be taken and it is the collective
responsibility of the government and citizens to rectify the problem and
bring to an end the different types of child labor in India.
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