(excerpted from) 
Sunday Times of India, July 27 2008     World Digest: 

.....a 15 year old boy working on a construction site ....died after he was buried under a mountain of searing hot asphalt. The boy, was part of a paving crew.....

For those who love to pointing fingers - this news item may come as an eye opener. The reported incident took place, not in some third world country like India, but Manitoba - Canada
regards, ixedoc

dear Revathi Seshadri, 
Thanks for the feedback and perpective: I agree, there is a world of difference on ' why' but there isnt much, in my view, on what it implies. Child labor, enjoyed or enforced is child labor still - for pocket money or for a piece of bread - its only a matter of definitions and context. 
For me the larger issue is, the remote control button that is weilded by the west to control third world populations - that riles
regards, ixedoc

The difference is that there the kids work in their spare time and the parents do not appropriate their earnings.  Here, the child is made the bread winner for the family and toiling through the the day, his childhood is lost.
Revathi Seshadri.

dear lakshmi,
thanks for the inpout: somehow, the deabte has turned into one bewtween those who oppose and those who approve child labor - this isnt the issue in my blog. The crux of my beef is how laws can be interpreted in different social milieus. To example, each one of us, every Indian  has with an external debt of Rs,7,218. We are bonded to western nations, financially, even at birth. This economic enslavement is what worries. No one wants a child of five to slog at kilns or ovens. that wouldnt be condoned in any society, even here. Unscrupulous exploit innocents, and that is everywhere, including in developed nations. 
And as a personal example, I have also espoused, quite often at differeent fora, the fight against the economic hegemony is what will finally liberate us. Wehave adequate and stringent laws against child labor: yet, you see childen hawking brushes or plastic flowers at every traffic junction in MG Road or Brigade Road, the IT captal and Silicon Valley. Poverty is root of all evils 
I wish for a fre India where every child is going to school, and enabled to earn through education, to become equal partners in helping this third world country of ours - reach its rightful place among the comity of nations
regards, ixedoc

dear Meera San
Thanks for the refernce: value for money and dignity of labor are issues subject to culturo-anthropological variants and perspectives. I oncs again stress, no ne approves child labor, neither must anyone endorse selective imposition of cross cultural laws
regards, ixedoc

Dear sir,

Picture this:
If the news paper boy,lemonade stand girl etc.  had to keep doing that 18 hrs a day under applaing conditions, were taken away or sold away from their homes and handed over to heartless exploiters who also used his/her body for pleasure and punishment what would be the reaction of the US Govt? Child emloyment is allowed there but only with strict conditions.............we ran a automotive business in the US (Virginia) which could not employ children but supermarkets were allowed but only for light jobs, no carrying heavy loads, no long hours etc. and all that was monitored by the local authorities. Childen could complain and even misused that law to get back at parents...........that is the other extreme!! This is really not to do with Western ideas imposing themselves on us, as some folk seem to think................and what the heck! if we can get fat, munching burgers and pizzas from US brands in India, why not also adopt some good stuff like looking into our own child labour laws?

Just my opinion
lakshmi

Doc,

I just read Sugata's blog - Death of innocence - CHILD LABOUR (THE INDIAN PERSPECTIVE)

It defines child labour and comprehensive, 

The first two happens - children learn the value of money, time and economy too :)

Meera

dear Kalyanee,
thanks for the cmment and fedback. I agree, the issue is complicated and emotions often cloud our judgments. However, it is good when blog space is used to raise issues and healthy debate - and exchange ideas and views
regads, ixedoc

dear dimwiot, 
thanks for the reply: I am learning, that for every view, there couild be other points of view. Thanks again,
regards, ixedoc

Dear Sir,

Outsourcing is no different than a village where the potter makes pots, the farmer farms, the doctor heals and so on.  One person cannot be all things.  Ergo outsourcing as a concept has existed from time immemorial.  Now we are in a global village and the farmer is in Canada, the potter in China and the doctor is in India :)  Whoever does the best job at the cheapest price wins the position in this global market.

US has a Child Labour Deterrence Act in force which actually bans the import of products that are produced in conflict with ILO policy for the protection of child workers.  The American buyers are not being unfair.  They are following the laws in their country and asking their suppliers to follow the law in their own countries.  India’s laws are compliant with ILO policy.  They simply need to be enforced properly.

Kamalji paints a rosy picture about benign export units that outsource production to small home based businesses.  There is an exemption for home based business where children grow up apprenticing with the family that would actually make what Kamalji says quite legal and non-prosecutable by any supplier under any law.  However, the *ground realities* are that many exporters are using this loophole to run sweatshops comprised of these child workers and when inspectors come in they claim:

“Oh those five are my uncle’s children, these four are my second cousin’s kids…” and so on.

I agree that power is currently focused in the first world countries.  I am not a fan of many American policies and certainly they hold some pretty bizarre double standards when it comes to protecting their own interests.  I also agree that their own history shows an exploitation of child workers at least during the depression era. 

But we cannot use their history to justify our current practices.  If that were logical, then we could justify bringing back slavery and cancel the vote for women – both practices are part of American history.  But the key word here is *history*.  I hope that India can say in a few years that this unfair practice of exploiting child workers is “history” in its country too.

I have a great deal of respect for both you and Kamalji.  It is not my intention to hound  anyone with legalese.  If it appeared otherwise, please accept my apologies.

Sincerely,

Dimwit