planet earth looks blue

 In India yesterday eighteen children were rescued from forced labor in a metal-embroidery factory.  They were forced to work for twelve hours a day, locked up in a room, and given little food.  All the children were originally from eastern Indian.  How they ended up on the other side of the country in the western state of Gujarat is unknown.  

The children, all under the age of fourteen were put into a children’s home for the time being.  The state will prosecute the employers, as the child labor laws in India say it is illegal to employee anyone under the age of fourteen.  But the problem is much larger than raiding a factory for a handful of child workers.  The problem is rampant poverty in a nation with more children than the entire population of the United States.  How can India care for its children? - provide health care, education, food, and shelter?  The reality is that many children are working in India - they make up 3.6% of the entire Indian workforce, mostly in farming.  And they will continue to do so out of necessity, as many families are dependent on the extra income or help that their children can provide.  The government has taken a very proactive stance on child labor since the early 1990’s, but until the masses can reach a point of sustainable living, the problem of child labor will continue to exist.