[lbo-talk] India's ban on child labor took effect Tuesday

[Sujeet Bhatt]

On 10/12/06, Dennis Redmond <dredmond at efn.org> wrote:
> B. wrote:
>
> > 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.

Even if some of them manage to stave off starvation by, say, begging,
one immediate consequence will be that they will no more have a roof
over their heads. Most child laborers in Mumbai (where I live) work in
low grade restaurants (where they are allowed to sleep on the hard
table tops after the restaurant closes for the night) or as domestic
help. They will be turned out on the streets immediately if the law is
successfully enforced. Building a welfare net in India on the scale
required is a gigantic task that is not going to happen any time soon.

Sujeet