> So -- what should be done? Let the kids
> in India work? Redistribution of wealth inside India?
> Grants to India from the outside to sustain these
> folks while infrastructure is developed, or ...?
Well, the kids need to be in school, of course. But child labor happens because there's no welfare net and deep polarization in the rural economy. There are no alternatives for many families -- it's either that or starvation. And that's not a metaphor -- 50% of Indian children are chronically malnourished, according to UNESCO.
I've seen statistics elsewhere claiming the incidence of child labor has actually dropped quite a bit in India since the 1960s. Anyone know if this true?
-- DRR