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Mr. BURTON of Indiana: Mr. Speaker, much attention was appropriately focussed on
human rights abuses by the Indian Government against minorities in Kashmir and Punjab
during recent consideration of H.R. 1868, the foreign aid appropriations bill for 1996.
However, there exists another little-known human rights problem in India, which is every bit
as grave. This problem, which received little discussion, is the exploitation of child labor.
The United States Government and the international community have paid little attention to
the prolific employment of young children. It is time to attend to this neglect. Child labor in
India is a grave and extensive problem. Children under the age of 14 are forced to work in
glass-blowing, fireworks, and most commonly, carpet-making factories. While the
Government of India reports about 20 million children laborers, other non-governmental
organizations estimate the number to be closer to 50 million. Most prevalent in the northern
part of India, the exploitation of child labor has become an accepted practice, and is viewed
by the local population as necessary to overcome the extreme poverty in the region. Child
labor is one of the main components of the carpet industry. Factories pay children
extremely low wages, for which adults refuse to work, while forcing the youngsters to slave
under perilous and unhygienic labor conditions. Many of these children are migrant
workers, the majority coming from northern India, who are sent away by their families to
earn an income sent directly home. Thus, children are forced to endure the despicable
conditions of the carpet factories, as their families depend on their wages. The situation of
the children at the factories is desperate. Most work around 12 hours a day, with only small
breaks for meals. Ill-nourished, the children are very often fed only minimal staples. The
vast majority of migrant child workers who cannot return home at night sleep alongside of
their loom, further inviting sickness and poor health. Taking aggressive action to eliminate
this problem is difficult in a nation where 75 percent of the population lives in rural areas,
most often stricken by poverty. Children are viewed as a form of economic security in this
desolate setting, necessary to help supplement their families' income. Parents often
sacrifice their children's education, as offspring are often expected to uphold their roles as
wage-earning members of their clan. The Indian Government has taken some steps to
alleviate this monumental problem. In 1989, India invoked a law that made the employment
of children under age 14 illegal, except in family-owned factories. However, this law is rarely
followed, and does not apply to the employment of family members. Thus, factories often
circumvent the law through claims of hiring distant family. Also, in rural areas, there are few
enforcement mechanisms, and punishment for factories violating the mandate is minimal, if
not nonexistent. Legal action taken against the proliferation of child labor often produces
few results. Laws against such abuses have little effect in a nation where this abhorred
practice is accepted as being necessary for poor families to earn an income. Thus, an
extensive reform process is necessary to eliminate the proliferation of child labor abuses in
India which strives to end the desperate poverty in the nation. Changing the structure of
the workforce and hiring the high number of currently unemployed adults in greatly
improved work conditions is only the first step in this lengthy process. New labor standards
and wages must be adopted and medical examinations and minimum nutrition requirements
must be established in India. Establishing schools and eliminating the rampant illiteracy that
plagues the country would work to preserve structural changes. However, these changes
cannot be accomplished immediately. Pressure from the international community,
especially the United States Government, is absolutely necessary to bring about change in
India. I believe that it is imperative for the U.S. Congress and the Clinton administration to
pay more attention to the exploitation of children in India as well as other areas in South
and Southeast Asia. Currently, Germany has instigated a pilot program that places a stamp
on all imported carpets that are child labor free, thus urging consumers to buy these
products. Because of the high price range of these carpets, similar programs can and
should be given serious consideration in the United States. The Child Labor Deterrence
Act of 1993, which is still under consideration, prohibits importing to the U.S. any product
made, whole or in part, by children under 15 who are employed in industry. While this
aspect of the bill may be effective, the United States needs to take action regarding child
labor abuses, specifically targeted at India. Mr. Speaker, I call on every Member of
Congress to pay more attention to this little-recognized problem. We must acknowledge the
fact that we cannot continue to sustain the exploitation of children by purchasing carpets
woven by the hands of children.