1.2 million children in India are victims of exploitation.
By Deepak Chitnis
WASHINGTON, DC: A newly released report by the US Department of Labor lists India as one of 62 countries that have made “moderate advancements” towards the total elimination of forced child labor.
In the 826-page document’s section on India, the report applauds India for passing legislation which targets and prosecutes criminals who seek out children for sex trafficking, forced labor, and general sexual offenses as well. The country also continues to fund its National Child Labor Project, as well as having updated its Right to Education Act.
Despite all this, however, around 1.2 million children are victims of some sort of sexual crime or exploitation, says the report.
However, the reason India only fell into the “modest” category was because child labor does exist in certain areas of the country, mainly in factories. Saying that children are engaged in the “worst forms” of forced labor, they are involved in the creation of things such as the building of bricks, brassware, glasswork, even cigarettes.
“Children spin thread/yarn, embroider, sew beads to fabric and stitch soccer balls,” said the report. “Many children manufacture goods in the informal economy, increasingly doing so in home-based production.”
Children have also been drafted into servitude as child soldiers by certain warring factions in regions such as Chhattisgarh, such as the Naxalites, a militant Communist group found largely in eastern and northern India.
Other countries grouped into the “moderate advancement” category along with India are Bangladesh, Pakistan, Egypt, Lebanon, Kenya, and South Africa. A further 10 countries are listed as making “significant advancements” to getting rid of child labor. They are, in alphabetical order: Brazil, Chile, Columbia, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Gibraltar, Indonesia, Peru, the Philippines and Thailand. Three countries – Eritrea, Uzbekistan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) – have been cited for allowing child labor.
To contact the author, email to deepakchitnis@americanbazaaronline.com