Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

A welcome ban

The Government's decision to ban the employment of children as domestic workers and in restaurants and recreation centres, though belated, is welcome. The condition of children in India leaves much to be desired with large numbers still out of school. While the ban will deter prospective employers, the Centre should initiate steps to prevent children from working by ensuring that they are sent to school. Its reluctance to pass the Right to Education Bill and the continuing neglect of schools show that children are not among our state's priorities.

Isan Magimaidoss,
Bangalore

* * *

The underlying causes of child labour are lack of education among women, early marriage and ineffective family planning. How can the ban be effective when the problems are not addressed and the existing laws not effectively implemented? Acquisition of skills is a major necessity for children of poor families. Unless the Government subsidises the families to compensate for the children's earnings, ground realities will force parents to send their children to work for a living. In the circumstances, the Government should make it the responsibility of employers to arrange for formal education of child workers.

Shree Krishna N. Phadnis,
Mumbai

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It is indeed heartening that child labour has been banned in places where it is most rampant. At the same time, it is important to ensure that the families of working children are paid adequate monetary compensation. It would be worthwhile to cite the case of Bangladesh, where as a consequence of a U.S. law banning import of goods that used child labour, child labour was banned and nearly 30,000 children lost their jobs.

Although the idea was to provide them with education, not many went to school. Instead they took up less desirable jobs and became streetchildren. We surely don't want our children to jump out of the frying pan into the fire.

Manashi Misra,
New Delhi

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