Child-and-adult-labour-in-the-export-oriented-garment-and-gem-polishing-industry-of-India

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Child and adult labour in the gem polishing export industry of Jaipur
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On the basis of official and unofficial estimates and my own observations, the number of child
labourers in the gem polishing industry of Jaipur today, must be definitely more than the estimate
of 10,000 child labourers. If one takes the estimate of around 10,000 153 manufacturing units in
Jaipur today, with an average of two child workers per unit, the figure today (i.e. 1996) is at least
20,000 child labourers.
The pull and push factors
Several studies indicate that one pull factor and three push factors have partly caused the increase
of child labour in the gem polishing industry in Jaipur in the last 8 to 10 years. The pull and push
factors are related to the increased international demand for gem stones.
The pull factor which has caused the influx of children into the industry, is the recent increase in
gem stone manufacturing units which have been established in new, often more congested, areas
in the periphery of the walled city, outside the walled city like Sanganer and Manopura and even
in other districts like the Tonk district, which is adjacent to the Jaipur district. The new units have
created an extra demand for cheap labour, such as provided by children. These new units, which
are often smaller, have come up because every man wants to be the owner of a unit and earn more
money. Especially these new units, located in areas where many poor Muslim families live with
many young children, have caused the recent influx of children into the industry. Most of these 5-
6 years old units process semi-precious stones on cheap machines. The unit owners employ
children because close to their units, a large reservoir of children is available and they are the
cheapest form of labour and therefore give the (new) owner a maximum profit.
Other studies give the same results concerning the expansion of the industry. For example, a
study on the child labour problem in the gem polishing industry in Jaipur, undertaken by the
Indian Institute of Health Management Research in 1991, revealed that industries in the centre of
the city (Johari Bazar and Ghat Gate) were the oldest. The units which were established in the
periphery of the city were relatively recent and had been operating for 1 to 3 years (53% of 17
surveyed units). Another source revealed that 'the establishment of a strong export industry has
led, over the last 5-10 years, to the entry of several new players in the field. These new players
start units where one or two processes are carried out and begin supplying to the exporters. The
influx of new comers, due to the lucrativeness of the business, is enormous with 50 per cent being
first generation manufacturers' 154 .
The first push factor is: the phenomenon that more families with their children have migrated 155
to Jaipur, coming from nearby districts but also from other states like Bihar, Bengal, Orissa, Uttar
Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh, to look for better job opportunities in Jaipur. These families have
heard about the profitability of the gem polishing industry in Jaipur and that there, people can al-
153 Estimate made by a teacher at a 'special school' in Jaipur, 1996.
154 Solitaire, July-August, 1994, Magazine of the Gem & Jewellery Export Promotion Council, op. cit., p. 26.
155 On the aspect of migration the following information is available: A survey, conducted in 1991 by the Institute of Health Management
Research, Jaipur, revealed that '21.4 % of the surveyed families with working children in the gem industry (N=410) were migrants from nearby
districts and 0.9% came from other states. The migrations had taken place during the last 5 years only'. This meant that migration started in
1987 up till 1991, the moment the survey was held. Up till today (1996), the number of migrants must have been increased, as the expansion of
the industry is a recent phenomenon since it attained export potential.