Child Labour in a Rural Non-Farm Sector – A Study of the Silk Reeling Industry

Abstract

Child labour must not be tolerated in any form and must be prevented and eliminated. It is imperative to abolish the most exploitative and intolerable forms of child labour as a first priority.

- The UN System in India

Silk reeling is one of those small scale hazardous industries in which child labour is dominant in India. A detailed study made in Ramanagaram, a reeling centre in Karnataka, shows that about 50 per cent of the workers are children below 14, working for a pittance, a major human tragedy. The responsibility for this tragedy lies both with the parents and the owners of the reeling units. Most of the children are eager to go to school and with the help of the state government and some NGOs, a bridge course has been started to help them fulfil their desires. Some live case studies document the facts uncovered.

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