I'm All For Child Labor.

Child labor is one of the biggest politically incorrect topics. When I read Mashisha's blog "Child labor - let protect the children...?" I thought of writing my own addition to that. Please read Mashisha's post first.

Turn the TV on, bring the tea cup, and go to the store, water plants, wash the car, my nephews are always sweet deal. But nieces are by nature lazy. But that is alright, they will find a rich man when they grow up (God bless them)

Legal age to work is 14 in most of the countries. When you are 14 you can start working part time. In some countries it is mandatory for school children to work part time in summer vacation.

Sri Lankan law permits the employment of younger children by their guardians in limited family agriculture work or to engage in technical training. Employment of Women and Youth Act prohibits all other forms of family employment of children below 14. Persons under age 18 may not be employed in any public enterprise in which life or limb is endangered. (Yeh right. What about going to school in crammed private bus footboard?)

What ever the law says - first time - around 11 years old or so - helping a relative to clean the yard - I got 20Rs. It was kind of orange color note with bird on it. I never have been happy as much as that, with money ~ even now. First time I earned it. First time I knew I don't have to beg my mother all my life. I know I really didn't do any work worth of that - but who cares.

I started real work around when I'm 16 - painting sign boards - 50Rs to 100Rs a night (night. Because we are not professionals - we had to wait till professionals finish their work). After that I started silk screen printing with my friends - it was hard - specially when you don't know what you doing - break night straight couple of days. I remember Imperial Printing at Bambalapitiya gave us paint free, and told us it was first time school children were interested in screen printing. Good people. After that we make sure to shop in school uniforms.

We print collage T-shirts, even print posters - profit was like couple of 100 Rs after long nights of work. I don't do any of those works any more. But when I'm out of the school, I knew what the work is. I'm not young any more - but I can still work couple of nights straight without complaining.

My parents are teachers - some times transfers to rural areas, I went alone with them - I know how children work and learn at the same time. Some time 12 year old girl take care 3 siblings alone, till their parents come form farm (Hena). She cooks, feed siblings, carry sand form the river for house they planning to build (in villages everyone planning to build a new house always), and also make extra couple of rupees too some how. But they always went to school - at least till interval - because they got biscuits at interval. (It was American Aid square biscuits)

If the parents didn't get killed by elephants, they come back after around three months. (It makes me laugh when Tamil politicians trying to put only their area is not developed.)

One of my clients - Managing Director of the travel section in one of the oldest company in SL - later become a friend of mine -  told me he even have not finished O/L. he grow up as "helper" in his rich relative's house. Then he started to work as a labor ~ pushing wheelbarrows. Then become a welder in Alpha industries. But he wanted to have a job let him wear a tie and don't have to take a wash when every time visitor come to meet him at his work, so he can date 'classy' girls. He got a cleaning job in a small hotel. But a man used to work hard, end up as a managing director.
Alles's life story is not much deferent too.

My point is child labor is not always bad as Whiteman point out. Sometimes it is necessary too, for the child to survive, learn and become the person who he has to be. Rich western countries have enough resources to maintain well funded welfare system. But we are not and we never will be. Our children have to live on the real earth.

When I see a working kid, I see young working man who I wanted to be when I was young. Some times I see a kid in Havelock road selling marbles with bunch of notes between his fingers - like a bus conductor. I don't know his background, but I always admire his marketing skills. A smart young fellow.

In Sri Lanka we don't have child labor issue as much grown up kids not doing any work. Not only grown up kids, even university graduates stay at home depending on their parents. (Protest once is a while, that is not real work).

I'm all for child labor. First of all we need to get this grown children to work. Then we may need to make school kids starts to work part time after 14, as a school activity. At least then they do not have to beg their parents for money. When they out of the school, they know what the work is already.

I'm all for child labor. But I'm not for child labor manipulation. Child labor and child labor manipulation is two deferent things. In Sri Lanka we have a more than enough reasons for children to support family economy - as long as those reasons exist, children will work one way or another. That is not limited to Sri Lanka, that is nature of human family.

But once we put child labor underground, like how we do with prostitution, exploitation starts to grow bigger. Not only that, we loose the control of controlling the exploitation. That is how the parents end up letting children work as housemaids, behind the curtain. If we have open opportunities for children to work with descent wage - with standards - parents may not have to send the children to work behind the curtain.

Bottom line is - I want to see children deliver news papers in Sri Lanka too. I want to see children working on copy machine too. I want to see children working in the post office too.

P.S: Child Solders - that is a deferent issue - we need to campaign in Canada against recruiting child solders in Sri Lanka.