When a film star or producer allows his or her sons or daughters to play a small role in a film then it is encouraged. Similarly, when a cricket player grooms his son from childhood to play cricket or participate in sports, it’s too is encouraged but when a mechanic’s son helps his father in the garage then it is called child labour.
In a same vein, a carpet weaver’s daughter too learns the art of carpet making at a very young age. Over the years she becomes expert but Americans or other white people object to it saying it’s child labour.
The point is when there are sports events below fourteen, fifteen, sixteen or nineteen, where are the child labour activistsIJ
Present system of education produces idiotic robots because their talents are neglected. If you open any TV programmes, you will find very small children, even toddlers, are earning money through mockery, modeling, jokes, dance and songs which are encouraged by the parents and society, but they are called talent hunt not child labour!
The school children are asked to carry five to eight kg of load to school and back home—is it not the worst form of child labourIJ Many young children have started having neck and shoulder problems due to these hunch bags. One famous film personality always carries her child in front of camera and in airports instead of sending the child to schoolIJ Is this not grooming style of child labourIJ Once I asked one economist about this paradox—why western media is so much worried
about our child labourIJ He said, “It’s because our manpower is cheap and our products are also cheaper; that’s why so many multinationals have set up factories in India and Bangladesh. Our excellent Kashmir carpets are cheaper than other countries’ carpets because the family does not have to hire anyone for the job. It’s a family affair, like making of scotch whiskey!”
let’s not confuse education with the art of acting or playing or participating in sportsIJ How many of the Olympic gold medalists are post graduate or post doctorate, very few, you can say nil at the moment. Some people say these talented children must have some basic education and then join the profession of his or her family. There is nothing wrong in it. Yes children employed as hotel boy, kabadiwala, and theft activities, floor cleaning in trains, show polish and getting punished by the employer is very bad, that point we agree .Our Supreme Court has made it clear that a child helping her or his parents in their profession is not child labour. Remember not all child labourers are ill treated; sometimes they become the owner of the place or factory where they learnt the art, as a child labourer.
Our point is when rich people employ their children for earning money in tender age it’s not child labour but in case of poor people with so many mouths to feed in the family with invalid parents, why should a kid’s toil for the family be called child labour.
It is argued that if these urchins are not engaged, they would create problem in society and become Maoists or terrorists in future. But with so many rules and regulations, has the western society been able to stop child pornographyIJ Now it’s time to introspect.