Indian Minister Questions Total Ban on Child Labor

New Delhi, India, November 20, 2006--Union Minister of State for Women & Child Development Renuka Chowdhury wants the ban on child labor eased to allow them to pick up traditional crafts and skills such as carpet-weaving within the family structure, according to One world South Asia. She even says international laws banning purchase of the products of child labor are insensitive to regional issues and that India has signed on to them without thinking through the issues properly. Chowdhury will soon be forwarding a proposal on this to Union Labor Minister Oscar Fernandes. The proposal will suggest a “learning while earning” policy, through which she hopes the Labor Ministry will be able to make a case for India’s unique situation and highlight the policy in a international forum without being afraid of saying what is right for them. Said Chowdhury: “Traditionally, our arts and crafts have been passed down from parent to child at the workplace, whether at home or outside. But today, a parent is fined if the child is found working at the loom or weaving a carpet. Why can’t a child learn a skill within the family structure that can equip him for the future to earn a livelihood? We are not talking about hazardous industries and exploitative employers here, but surely a master textile weaver or silversmith can teach the child the skill.” The immediate benefit, she said, would be that “there will not be so many cases of runaway children who get exploited in cities and towns as cheap and quick labor.” She is of the opinion that child labor cannot be viewed entirely as a labor problem, and that policy-makers should look at child labor holistically “without having accusatory glances thrown at us.” About international laws against child labor, she said: “International laws on child labor have been highly insensitive to local and regional issues. ILO has made a sweeping ban on buying products made by children. We too are signatories to anti-child labor laws without putting our minds to it. It cannot be a one size fits all policy.” The blanket ban, she says, denies children the right to a profession or livelihood by preventing them from picking up vital skills passed on by master craftsmen. “Why can’t we have laws where the rights of children are protected in an environment where a child is safe and secure?” she said. She says she does not deny that children should have a childhood and that the primary goal of the government should be to ensure that all children have access to education, nutrition, healthcare. But that goal should be seen in the context of India’s reality of employment generation, especially in traditional industries. “In 2020 India will be a country with the largest, youngest productive force in the world. Today, there are no universities in rural areas, primary education is a mirage outside urban areas. Are we equipping our children to face the future with no proper education or training?” she said. And she has an interesting comparison: “We applaud China when it recruits six-year-olds and turns them into world class gymnasts or the West turns young children into tennis stars through rigorous, gruelling training. Why is there a hue and cry only when we want to impart our traditional skills to our children?” She said the policy will also keep our traditional industries from dying out, besides putting to better use the meager funds available for betterment of children.