A
little more than 15 years ago my daughters were shown a short film in school
about how small children were involved in the making of firecrackers in Sivakasi.
And since that day we have NEVER had any firecrackers in our home, for Diwali
or any other celebrations. And we have never missed it. I am so proud of my
daughters for following this till date and also for changing our outlook in the
process.
Even
if ONE of you says ‘No to Firecrackers’ this Diwali, it will be a reason to
celebrate.
The
following article explains how and why small children are so used in this industry.
These
kids make crackers to light up your Diwali!
As you prepare to
light up a sparkler to celebrate Diwali this week, spare a thought for the
around 40,000 children employed in the hazardous firecrackers industry in
Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, for whom the festival simply translates into more forced
work. Sivakasi, about 650 km south of Chennai, is India’s fireworks capital. It
employs over 100,000 people – mostly women and children. Child labour,
therefore, is rampant in this place.
Take the example
of 15-year-old Ponnusamy, one of the several children working in a firecracker
manufacturing unit there. He dropped out of school in Class 6 and has been
working for the past five years. Asked why and how he got into this work, the
shy Ponnusamy mumbled: “I do what my parents ask me.” Working for a factory in
the Virudhunagar district of the state for the past one year, Ponnusamy has a
back-breaking nine-hour schedule every day – filling tubes, cutting, drying,
packing and other preparatory tasks. His daily wage for the long hours is just
Rs.60 – which is 40 percent of the minimum wage entitled for adults for the
same work.
Similarly, Sekar,
16, dyes, counts, packs, loads and unloads finished products in his nine-hour
workday. He too dropped out of school in Class 6.
The two kids come
from very poor families, with both their parents employed in the same industry.
What is startling though is the loss of hope that comes across in the attitude
of these children and their indifference towards health risks, and even death –
apparently because of poverty.
Accidents in the
firecrackers factories are fairly common. And even though the local employers’
union claims there is no child labour, casualties in accidents tell a different
story.
In July last year,
an accident in a licensed unit, V.B.M. Fireworks, left three children dead. In
August this year, eight revenue and police officials were killed while
inspecting an unlicensed unit.
When asked about
these incidents, Ponnuswamy told IANS: “If I am lucky there will be no
accidents in the factory.” And Sekar calmly added: “The dangerous work is done
by the elder and more experienced men. I know there is a chance of a calamity,
but then death is inevitable. Of course the chances are more palpable here.”
According to Child
Rights and You (CRY), one of the several NGOs trying to stop child labour in
the firecrackers industry, there are about 550 licensed units and 500
unlicensed units. In addition, there are some 3,989 factories making matches. John
R of CRY said: “Despite the worldwide outcry, little has been done by the local
government to stop child labour in Sivakasi. The outcry has just pushed the
issue underground.” “Licensed units outsource production of firecrackers to
unlicensed, home-based units, unmindful of safety regulations and even the
Child Labour Prohibition Act,” he added.
So although they
battle long hours of work, health hazards and a lost childhood every day, the
only reason these child labourers look forward to Diwali is a chance to make an
extra buck to help their families.
So this time do pause before you light that firecracker and give a thought about saying NO...
And if you still want to, then here is a wonderful suggestion...
totally agree!!!
ReplyDelete