Mani, 14, was beaten when she tried to chat with other children working in the cotton fields.“He scolded us with bad words and would strike us on the legs, back and shoulders,” Mani said. But she was powerless. The farmer had loaned her parents 20,000 rupees in return for four years of their daughter’s daily labour ,so that people like me and you can wear a cool shirt or trouser.
There are lots of children being bought,kidnapped and taken to cotton fields to work for 10 hours daily because cotton production is painstaking work that requires long hours of cleaning, seeding and hauling water to fields, then standing and individually cross-pollinating each flower by hand before finally plucking every bloom. Often, child workers suffer respiratory and other health problems caused by exposure to pesticides, extreme heat and physical stress. Some are also beaten or sexually abused by employers.The severity can be realized from the fact that until two years back the number of children engaged in this work was over 1.5 lakh. Parents of these children are paid some advance amount and what these children get later is a paltry amount like Rs 10 a day for toiling for hours together. They get food which is much better than what they get back at home. But studies by NGOs and others show that they are served very poor quality food and no education ofcourse!
Most child workers are Dalits, the bottom layer of India’s complex caste system, and among the world’s most exploited people. Which is all part of the problem.The main reason for this flourishing trade is poverty condition in the districts dominated by tribal population. These families have extremely low expectations, especially when it comes to educating girls who could be earning in the cotton fields.
Rajasthan police keeps a special check on children crossing into Gujarat. Village level task forces and children protection committees have been formed in bordering districts of Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur to check movement of children but all in vain as the checkposts doesn't have the staff and sometimes bribing the police is also too easy.
The business is flourishing because of middle men who get handsome commission for bringing children to BT cotton fields. Taking advantage of backwardness of people, they keep lion share of the money they get for payment to children. In the distant land, there is none to help these children nor anyone to guide them, shouldn't we do something for these kids who almost give there blood and life for our cloths?
There are lots of children being bought,kidnapped and taken to cotton fields to work for 10 hours daily because cotton production is painstaking work that requires long hours of cleaning, seeding and hauling water to fields, then standing and individually cross-pollinating each flower by hand before finally plucking every bloom. Often, child workers suffer respiratory and other health problems caused by exposure to pesticides, extreme heat and physical stress. Some are also beaten or sexually abused by employers.The severity can be realized from the fact that until two years back the number of children engaged in this work was over 1.5 lakh. Parents of these children are paid some advance amount and what these children get later is a paltry amount like Rs 10 a day for toiling for hours together. They get food which is much better than what they get back at home. But studies by NGOs and others show that they are served very poor quality food and no education ofcourse!
Most child workers are Dalits, the bottom layer of India’s complex caste system, and among the world’s most exploited people. Which is all part of the problem.The main reason for this flourishing trade is poverty condition in the districts dominated by tribal population. These families have extremely low expectations, especially when it comes to educating girls who could be earning in the cotton fields.
Rajasthan police keeps a special check on children crossing into Gujarat. Village level task forces and children protection committees have been formed in bordering districts of Dungarpur, Banswara and Udaipur to check movement of children but all in vain as the checkposts doesn't have the staff and sometimes bribing the police is also too easy.
The business is flourishing because of middle men who get handsome commission for bringing children to BT cotton fields. Taking advantage of backwardness of people, they keep lion share of the money they get for payment to children. In the distant land, there is none to help these children nor anyone to guide them, shouldn't we do something for these kids who almost give there blood and life for our cloths?
