Child Labour

By the Students of Himjyoti School

By Sonu & Nikita, (VII)

It is a common sight in cities to see small kids pushing long wooden hand-drawn carts overloaded with sacks of coal, vegetables or gas cylinders. I would never have believed such a thing had I not seen it with my own eyes at Kashipur. In Kashipur I also saw small boys serving tea at restaurants. Passing through Haridwar I saw many children begging on the streets. Those who did not mange to get any alms, started to search for food in the public garbage bins and fight with each other for the scraps of bread they found. Yet other kids work in garages covered with grease, wash the big utensils at road eateries – all to earn money for their families. These children come from rural backgrounds to cities, in the hope of feeding their parents. They often work as ‘bonded labour’ for years.
They have never stepped inside a classroom or a playground; they have never known what it is to be happy and carefree.