Child labour and Diwali Extravaganza!

A leading Tamil newspaper carried a news item with jumbo font size saying that in Tamilnadu alone, Rs.60 crore worth of crackers were burst just in a couple of days! This was a startling item and the newspaper actually boasted saying that this was much higher than last year's figures.

Just imagine how much pollutants we would have pumped into the atmosphere in these days? How much of money just vanished in to thin air making just light and sound? Of course it is true that the the cracker industry in Tamilnadu is one of the biggest in the world as the ad line of "Standard" crackers say it is the world's largest industry. We also note that thousands of children work in these industries with extremely dangerous threat to their lives, devoid of any rights (forget about child rights, not even basic human rights). It is also true that these industries feed these children without which they may not have an alternate income. What is so pathetic is that, the government do not have any controls on these industries as for minimum wages, life insurance cover, better healthy working conditions etc. Whenever a few people die in accidents, the government announces relief and everybody forgets them the next day. Every year, the number of victims in such fireworks accidents increase, but still we, who burst crores of rupees, do not even think of the little hands which make these same crackers.

Though there are regulations which control child labour, the fact remains that children are still used as cheap labour. We see them in hotels, workshops, as paper walahs, as petty vendors, in industries, even those who are "employed" as beggars on the streets while their masters travel in cars to collect the day's revenue. And most of these happen with the knowledge of the police is another matter of concern. A leading national TV News Channel even conducted an SMS survey (this is the SMS Yuga : for deciding winners in reality shows, to interim polls etc.- what ever the issue, the telecom operators gain!) as to whether it is okay to allow child labour since at least they "earn" something.

A time should come, when the nation realizes and takes strong action that the children are the national property and anything which is against their interests is the against the interests of the nation. Those who exploit the children are the real terrorists of this nation. Those who kill the childhood are the real murderers ! Identify them and boycot them. That would be the best thing we can do.