Sunday, October 28, 2007

Outsourcing

I thought Child Labour is more in China than in India. We are more civilized aren’t we? Remember we send them to schools instead...

I thought outsourcing means those Call Centers, but outsourcing equals child labour too.

Gap has huge contracts in India, which boasts one of the world's fastest-growing economies. But over the past decade, India has also become the world capital for child labour. According to the UN, child labour contributes an estimated 20 per cent of India's gross national product with 55 million children aged from five to 14 employed across the business and domestic sectors.
Gap may be one of the best-known fashion brands with a public commitment to social responsibility, but the employment [by subcontractors ultimately supplying major international retail chains] of bonded child slaves as young as 10 in India's illegal sweatshops tells a different story,' says Bhuwan Ribhu, a Delhi lawyer and activist for the Global March Against Child Labour.


Next time we buy cheap clothes made in India, China or Thailand, I guess we should ask ourselves how we get it so cheap. But alas, you and me will never do that since we are already sagging under our own financial burdens.

But I guess the Corporate world is under scanner and is forced to enforce stricter laws. This is a relief. There is no other way child labour can be stopped.

8 comments:

  1. Oh.. That explains the low salaries and low payoffs.. No wonder.. But call centers have to exist na...?

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  2. Did I speak against the Call Centers?

    I thougth I was speaking abt Child Labour and I am sure the Call Centers dont employ minors? or do they? please enlighten me..

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  3. Sometimes I do think they do.. I ve heard of people being picked right out of Government schools in Tamil Nadu for call centers.. Anyway, even if it is not child labor, it is under-employment.. Which is even worse.. :)

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  4. Call centers - UNDER EMPLOYMENT!!??!???

    now this is definitely news to me.

    Happy, about the Child labor bit, well its a sad reality. It hits all over the world, but for some reason people highlight only issues of their countries..

    no.. i dont have a problem with it.

    about Outsourcing, well the industry is called BPO - i.e. Business Process Outsourcing.. and that would mean that any Business Process can be outsourced. not limited to only Call centers..

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  5. There are laws to get these child-slave-traders n employers to a court of justice, but does anyone hav the balls to do it. The system is so corrupted. India might be shining n booming economically, but it shud trickle down to the, poorest of the poor. Only then, can the parents send their kids to skool n not to any sweat-shops.

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  6. Raj.. u dont have a problem with child labour?

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  7. Happy - What i said was, I dont have a problem with people highlighting the problem ONLY IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTRIES. probably wasnt clear enough.

    Abt Child labor.. yes thats a problem.

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  8. Outsourcing is fine, but child labor is definitely not. Adults need work -- children need to be in schools.

    ReplyDelete

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