Child Labor & FDI!

Just saw a documentary produced by BBC under Our World series dealing with the problem of child labor in cotton industry in India & cocoa in Ivory Coast-both employing child labor, often enslaved and earning nothing at a tender age. The weaving unit in India from whom leading brands like GAP, Marks & Spencer etc sourced supplies looked okay in terms of working conditions & wages but the owner could not claim the same below the spinning unit. Since the supply chain begins with picking up of cotton in the fields, action should also begin from there. The responsibility must be shared by the local govt. under whose jurisdiction the laws prohibiting child labor & minimum wages are violated & the brands in developed world, which charge exorbitant prices but care little about the poor people at the first stage of supply chain.

As we introduce FDI into various segments of Indian economy, we should ensure that the benefits of investment flow to the poor of the poorest & we are not just exploited as a market. The stipulation for companies like Ikea, which have been granted permission to set up businesses in India, that a fixed percentage of material must be sourced locally should stay. At the same time, steps must be taken to ensure that no child labor is involved at any stage & remunerative wages are paid to everyone. Wonder why our own media remains confined to political debates in the capital & cannot do stories revealing how politics & economy is actually impacting the life & living of our people in a globalized economy!

On Attires & Culture!

Following the infamous gang rape case of Delhi, one assumed that Indian males would reflect upon the traditional bias against women & correct their mindset. After all, we worships goddesses & deities in our homes everyday and seek from them blessings in the form of knowledge, wealth, and security. Our nation too is our ‘motherland’. But reactions to the ghastly event brought out again how we as a society discriminate against women both at home & outside. The bias cuts across the political & social spectrum. A Congress MP described the protesters crying for change in rape laws as ‘dented & painted women’ implying perhaps they did not represent the real or Aam women. The remark led to a huge outrage forcing him to apologize & retract what he had said. The BJP performed no better. An MP Minister mentioned a Lakshman Rekha for women- you cross it and you would be punished like Sita! The RSS Chief termed marriage between man & woman as a ‘contract’. The woman serves the man & he provides her security. Whatever happened to our much not only means shifting the onus of crime from accused to the victim but revered culture! There were snide remarks opposing everything that women do-using mobile phones, wearing western wear or working late. It is curious how one can blame wearing of jeans for sexual assaults on women. Men of all ages are seen clad in jeans without an eyelid being batted. Besides, linking of attire to culture is ironic. How are khaki shorts worn by RSS workers in consonance with Indian culture? If we go around the country, we can see dhotis, lungis, pajamas &, churidars in plenty but not one ‘Aam aadmi’ in British army-style khaki shorts. Raising such non-issues also violates the principle of equality of sexes enshrined in our Constitution. If men are free to dress up the way they like, let them not preach sermons to women because the fault lies with men.  When a Pir, a spiritual healer of eighty rapes a minor of thirteen in Kashmir or a young rickshaw puller sexually assaults an eighty year old & dumps her in a Delhi park, you can’t blame the victims or the way they dressed. A placard at Jantar Mantar aptly asked:  why should a woman feel ashamed when it’s the men who have a dirty gaze?