Child labour is very much a serious crisis that India needs to confront. Our hon. Commerce Minister Anand Sharma was interviewed by a reporter during his visit to New Zealand, for FTA(free trade agreement)agreement between India & New Zealand, about child labour and how FTA will affect this. He asked this relevant question in the context, India having 12 million children working at the age of having education. Instead of understanding the seriousness of matter our hon. minister replied, "it is insulting to India and India does not allow any extraneous matters, there are other platforms to discuss this, not in trade negotiations". He, not in any way try to face the question boldly instead he always tried to slip by saying things like, "India does not encourage (it), India has forbidden child labour. We are a rule-based and rule-governed country. People should understand the complexities of India's situation and not try to mock us". If this the attitude of a minister, how could anyone possibly expect to eradicate child labour from our country any time soon.
India's caste system is the main obstruction in the eradication of child labour. Indian caste system is infamous in the world for its suppression of low caste people by the higher caste. It is still prevalent in many parts of India. Even in so called highly educated people living in big cities like New Delhi, they keep child servants to look after their children and doing their household works. There are many agencies which provide under age children for this type of works. These children are tortured and are raped in many cases. But they still abide this conditions as they have no where else to go or they have to work for their poor family. But there is one thing that sheds a ray of hope to this issue, that the new generation is kind of having a different perceptive in this matter. They think it is not a good and healthy attitude and moreover they are much more aware in this issue than their predecessors.
Please don't encourage child labour. If you have child servants in your house at least give them their right to have education. It is a punishable offence. Let's hold our hands to eradicate this beast from our mind and our society.
