Child Labour, Indian Primary Education and GM Cotton Farming
Nagarjuna N
multinational GM cotton companies and seeds distributors are avoiding
responsibility on the issue of child labour being used to subsidize GM
cotton production on Indian cotton farms. Indian government, GM seed
companies and GM cotton farmers in north Gujarat and Tamil Nadu seem
to be the culprits in diverting children from school and education -
towards working on high hazard GM cotton farms which are seeing
continual increase in cultivation area.
There seems to be no attempt by Indian Agriculture Ministry to
intevene in this issue and impose strict fines for child abuse on
Indian GM cotton farms. Many of these children are part of the
unregulated and uninsured rural migrations phenomena that is sweeping
silently across Shining and Incredible India which is applauded by
media fixation on Sensex rises and Cricket politics
As per Hindustan Times news report :
"About four lakh Indian children are engaged in hybrid cotton fields
in four cotton growing states, says a report by the India Committee of
the Netherlands' (ICN).
ICN's director Gerard Oonk said, "The report makes it chillingly clear
that our cotton products are tainted with massive bonded child labour.
Both Indian and multinational companies are involved in this trade and
governments and international organisations should make every effort
to get the children out of this pernicious work and direct them to
schools. We would certainly urge Indian organizations and those of
other countries to do so.''
Based on the field research done by Glocal Research, the report said
that out of the total number of children involved in child labour in
the cotton industry, 2.25 lakh are below the age of 14.
The report also said that the children are made to work for 8 to 12
hours with a paltry earning of Rs 20 to 30 per day. "They are
routinely exposed to poisonous pesticides and often trafficked as
migrants from other districts and states," the report said.
While in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat more than 80% of the children are
trafficked, North Gujarat 'receives' tens of thousands of children
from Rajasthan every year. The children often live in makeshift
shelters and are vulnerable to mental, physical and sexual abuse, the
report said.
The report accused the 13 big Indian companies and two multinationals,
Monsanto and Bayer, for their involvement in this 'modern form of
child slavery'. "