Child Labour is The True Cost of “Low Cost”, says Solicitor in Sutton Coldfield

To my horror I recently discovered that child labour is still a widespread problem in India.

Even after the Indian government introduced legislation to stop child labour in 2006 to my amazement in 2010, this is still openly happening.

The ban specifically states that using children under the age of fourteen is illegal for factories, mines and hazardous places in trades such as embroidery, carpet weaving, sewing.

However, from visiting Punjab recently I was shocked to see the number of children working within the Retail industry as water boys, messengers, folding up suits until late hours of the early morning. Basically all the jobs the salesmen were not employed to do, all they need to do is sell , sell , sell and pile up fabrics ready to be folded.

The young children were expected to take orders and produce results in an instance with the fear that if they didn’t they would no longer have a job to support their families.

The issue stems from poverty that the families live in and that when the children come to an understanding age, they are expected to work and become the bread winners of the family.

Children as young as 6 are forced to have to work in poor working conditions.

The government has made the public aware of the consequences of violating the ban which would result in the punishment of imprisonment from a minimum of 3 months to 2 years or a financial punishment of a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 rupees (about £275 max).To a suit shop owner, who prices his fancy frock at £260, he would just see it as 1 suit in his shop of thousands of frocks, sarees, fabrics.

Is this punishment really enough to deter an employer from taking on a young vulnerable helper? As child labour continues it is very apparent that its time the government did more to invest in the education sector and steer children into schools to educate them and give them the choice and opportunity.

This is the “true cost of Low Cost!” I will think twice before I buy a “designer” t-shirt which is £3.99.

Reena Dehal, Paralegal at Harvey McKibbin – Solicitors in Sutton Coldfield

Posted via email from Harvey’s posterous