NEW DELHI, India, JUNE 13, 2006 (Zenit.org).- India's Catholic episcopate has made a number of proposals to stop the scourge of child labor, which involves more than 100 million children in the subcontinent.
Progress in India has not been accompanied by a decrease in the "social malady" of child labor, stated Auxiliary Bishop Joshua Mar Ignatius of Trivandrum, president of the bishops' Labor Commission.
Bishop Ignatius' concern is expressed in a letter entitled "Awake, Arise and Stop Child Labor," which he addressed to the nation's Catholic community on Friday, ahead of today's observance of "No Child Labor" Day.
Poverty is not the only reason for child labor in India, noted Bishop Ignatius in his message, but also the carelessness of society.
The prelate suggested that instances of child labor be reported, and that adults refuse, for instance, to be served by children in hotels. Hotel managers should be questioned about the age of their employees, if one suspects they are minors, he added.
The bishop further urged that needy families be helped to send their children to school and that work be done through nongovernmental organizations to motivate institutions, offices, small hotels and shops to put up a sign reading "No Children Are Employed Here."
ZE06061321 - 2006-06-13
Permalink: http://www.zenit.org/article-16304?l=english
Indian Bishops Targeting Child Labor
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