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 garment export industry of Tirupur
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During a recent meeting 94 in August 1995, the Tirupur Export Association (TEA) and other organizations
representing 500 out of 550 units in Tirupur have given an assurance 95 that 'their
members would not employ children below the age of 14 in their units'. The Tirupur Export
Association (TEA) has also suggested in the same meeting, a proposal to start training centres in
villages, so that 10,000 women could be trained to work part-time in the hosiery industry, and
make up for loss in income due to withdrawal of children from the work force.
(ii) The South Indian Hosiery Manufacturers Association (SIMHA)
The South Indian Hosiery Manufacturers Association (SIMHA) in Tirupur has come up with a
declaration on the elimination of child labour. Excerpt of the declaration 96 is as follows:
'Children are the future citizens of our motherland. But many of the under-privileged are
forcibly sent to work by their parents to support their family income. This destroys their childhood,
a stage when they should be going to school, play with their counterparts and grow up as
any other child in the society. By allowing this we prevent the young children from progressing
with others'.
'Child labour is prevalent in Tirupur. The child gets Rs 25 to Rs 50 per day for the work but
the children who are working in the match, firework and beedi industry in Tamil Nadu get only a
maximum of Rs 10 per day. The number of child labourers in Tirupur is around 10,000. The
children are in the age group of 12 to 14'.
'Already almost all industries have stopped employing children in Tirupur mainly to comply
with the Child Labour Act of 1986. This is due to pressure and conditions stipulated by many
foreign importers, who will only purchase hosiery goods if a declaration is given that no child
labour is engaged in their factory'.
In the same declaration, SIMHA gives their plan to eradicate child labour in the hosiery industry and
their view of what the role of the Government should be. The plan contains the following steps:
1. 'Stop recruiting children younger than 14 years of age with immediate effect;
2. Seeing that no children below the age of 14 continue to work beyond 1998;
3. The children who are now in employment, may be provided education, for about 2 hours
a day, in non-formal education schools to be opened by the Government'.
94 The Hindu, September 20, 1995. 'Centre's scheme to educate child labour'.
95 In June 1996, the Campaign Against Child Labour (Tamil Nadu department), a network of NGOs in India which campaigns against
child labour for many years, has held a protest action against the exploitation of child labourers in the hosiery industry of Tirupur. The protest
action was organized in Tirupur to coincide with a major knitwear fair in India organized by the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC)
and TEA. The protest action received a concerted and thumping response both within Tirupur and in several parts of the country. A protest
note, which was widely circulated in Tirupur and Tamil Nadu, stated that TEA had not fulfilled its declaration because still every fifth
household in Tirupur Municipality has one child labour who works in the hosiery industry. CACL discovered that 70% of the women in Tirupur
is unemployed and can easily replace child labour in the hosiery industry in Tirupur. CACL has made a memorandum which includes
demands like replacing child labourers by women of the area, and providing all children in and around Tirupur with compulsory and relevant
education. It also wants the government not to permit the AEPC and TEA to export any products, garments, knitwear etc. produced by child
labour in any of the processes. The memorandum has been addressed to ministers and government officials in the Ministry of Labour and
Textiles, Government of India, and to AEPC and TEA. In response to CACL's widespread pressure, the representatives of APEC as well as
TEA have stated their willingness to have a combined meeting with a delegation of CACL and chalk out a programme of action.
96 Declaration presented by the president of SIMHA, Mr. M.P. Kandasamy, at a workshop on child related issues which was sponsored by
Unicef Madras, held in Coimbatore on 29 September 1995.