Child Labor in India | Page 3

International Contribution

The aforementioned organizations have been advocating to resolve the issue, though some countries are increasing child labor rates within India since the country is also a transit point for young boys who are sent to Dubai and other Middle-Eastern countries for camel racing. These boys are often sexually exploited and kept as bonded labourers.

Current Events

Trafficking for sex and other purposes has always existed in India, but trafficking children for domestic slavery is a relatively new development. This is due to a rising demand for domestic maids due to rising income in urban areas and wide scale poverty in rural areas. This trafficking shows the rise of massive inequality in India. Furthermore, the police cannot search for missing children as they lack the proper funding. Even if cases are filed against the traffickers, the traffickers can threaten the families into changing their statements. Millions of Indian children work as slaves in factories, brothels or in the homes of families. Out of poverty and desperation, parents sell their daughters. Human traffickers wait at train stations for runaways and search for orphans in monsoon-ravaged villages. A lot of young boys are trafficked into India for work as bonded labour in industries. They are made to work up to 16 hours a day in return for subsistence food and very little or no money. These children are often sexually exploited by their owners and beaten or tortured in cases of non-compliance.

Solutions

Indian Government

The Indian government needs to enforce their laws against child labor more strictly. For instance, they can fund the police with more money so that they can do their job of enforcing the law. Ultimately, however, the Indian government must address the country's widespread poverty in order to address the issue of child labor, as poverty is the root of the problem. Any solutions that do not address poverty are temporary solutions that can only do so much.

United Nations

The UN should also enforce its regulations more strictly. Regardless of how much the UN attempts to help, it may never completely resolve child labor in India since the UN cannot address the root of the problem—only India itself can. That is not to say that organizations under the UN are not helping the cause; many children's lives are rescued due to the hard work of these organizations.

Indian Citizens

Indian citizens are perpetuating the issue by selling their children to traffickers; arguably, they do so in desperation due to their severe monetary conditions. Cities can also educate children so that they will not be lured by traffickers into the horrific industry.

Everyday People

Many companies have been recognized as using child labor in their product production process. Child labor factories have been exposed in companies like GAP, Walmart, H&M, and Nike, though not all have utilized child workers specifically from India. Nonetheless, child labor from anywhere should not be allowed. One way everyday citizens can help end child labor is by researching the companies that continue to utilize child labor and to avoid those companies.

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