Exclusive HOLI Discounts!
Get Courses and Combos at Upto 50% OFF!
Upgrad
LCI Learning

Share on Facebook

Share on Twitter

Share on LinkedIn

Share on Email

Share More


(Guest)

These kids make crackers to light up your Diwali!

These kids make crackers to light up your Diwali!

https://headlinesindia.mapsofindia.com/burning-issues-news/child-labour/these-kids-make-crackers-to-light-up-your-diwali-66976.html

 

 

Chennai, Oct 31: As you prepare to light up a sparkler to celebrate Diwali next week, spare a thought for the around 40,000 children employed in the hazardous firecrackers industry in Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, for whom the festival simply translates into more forced work.

Sivakasi, about 650 km south of Chennai, is India's fireworks capital. It employs over 100,000 people - mostly women and children. Child labour, therefore, is rampant in this place.

Take the example of 15-year-old Ponnusamy, one of the several children working in a firecracker manufacturing unit there. He dropped out of school in Class 6 and has been working for the past five years.

Asked why and how he got into this work, the shy Ponnusamy mumbled: "I do what my parents ask me."

Working for a factory in the Virudhunagar district of the state for the past one year, Ponnusamy has a back-breaking nine-hour schedule every day - filling tubes, cutting, drying, packing and other preparatory tasks.

His daily wage for the long hours is just Rs.60 - which is 40 percent of the minimum wage entitled for adults for the same work.

Similarly, Sekar, 16, dyes, counts, packs, loads and unloads finished products in his nine-hour workday. He too dropped out of school in Class 6.

The two kids come from very poor families, with both their parents employed in the same industry.

What is startling though is the loss of hope that comes across in the attitude of these children and their indifference towards health risks, and even death - apparently because of poverty.

Accidents in the firecrackers factories are fairly common. And even though the local employers' union claims there is no child labour, casualties in accidents tell a different story.

In July last year, an accident in a licensed unit, V.B.M. Fireworks, left three children dead. In August this year, eight revenue and police officials were killed while inspecting an unlicensed unit.

When asked about these incidents, Ponnuswamy told the media: "If I am lucky there will be no accidents in the factory."

And Sekar calmly added: "The dangerous work is done by the elder and more experienced men. I know there is a chance of a calamity, but then death is inevitable. Of course the chances are more palpable here."

According to Child Rights and You (CRY), one of the several NGOs trying to stop child labour in the firecrackers industry, there are about 550 licensed units and 500 unlicensed units. In addition, there are some 3,989 factories making matches.

John R of CRY said: "Despite the worldwide outcry, little has been done by the local government to stop child labour in Sivakasi. The outcry has just pushed the issue underground."

"Licensed units outsource production of firecrackers to unlicensed, home-based units, unmindful of safety regulations and even the Child Labour Prohibition Act," he added.

An official of Manitham, a grassroots NGO working on the issue in Sivakasi, said simply understanding the problem is not enough.

"We are raising awareness among parents that they should try and do with a little less money and concentrate on their children's education and health," he said.

So although they battle long hours of work, health hazards and a lost childhood every day, the only reason these child labourers look forward to Diwali is a chance to make an extra buck to help their families.

John R said: "We are now trying to deal with this issue by building a state-wide group of small NGOs and people who will act as watchdogs, negotiating with parents and local employers and creating community level vigilantes on child rights."

The fireworks and matchstick industry in and around Sivakasi is worth Rs.1,000 crore (around $225 million). (IANS)



Learning

 6 Replies

Bhartiya No. 1 (Nationalist)     05 November 2010

Kids know how to transform their parents from Happy Deepawali to Hai Hai Ye Diwala.

Renuka Gupta ( Gender Researcher )     06 November 2010

A very sensible posting from Mr. Kushan. 

K.C.Suresh (Advocate)     06 November 2010

India is glittering. Child labour is barred
 

Democratic Indian (n/a)     06 November 2010

India has higher population density per sq. kilometer than even China. It has exploded from only 30 crores to 1.2 Billion in around 60 years. Politicians are only interested in votes. It is high time government spreads awareness about population control methods. If parents cannot provide good food, education and leisure to their children, they should delay producing children, rather than producing children and then forcing them to work.

Roshni B.. (For justice and dignity)     07 November 2010

why not adopt kids if they are unable to have children?

this is also 1 step..

Bhartiya No. 1 (Nationalist)     07 November 2010

Jo doosaron ki jindagi ko roshan karte hain wo khud andhere mein rahte hain. Roshni walon ko ahsas hi nahin hota ki koi andhere me hai.


Leave a reply

Your are not logged in . Please login to post replies

Click here to Login / Register