Literacy

This rhetorical device was very persuasive, because it illustrated Graff’s childhood and how intellectualism played a part in his childhood. When Graff was a child, he lived in an area where street-smart children that lacked book smarts-referred to as “hoods”-were prevalent. In order to assimilate in his community, Graff had to show that his street smarts out weighted his academic knowledge. In his community, being too book smart translated to “putting on airs” and lead to not being accepted by the “hoods”. Graff worked to avoid any interest in literary works such as Shakespeare, so he would not seem too smart.

But, he actively read sports magazines and other “street” forms of literature, causing a growth of his knowledge and literacy more than he ever knew. “I was practicing being an intellectual before I knew that was what I wanted to be” (Graff 383). Graff’s diction in this essay is very emotive. He strongly believes that intellectualism is not only defined as being book smart, and I agree with him. You can still gain literary skills byreading current magazines or other forms of current literature. Because these sport magazines entertained Graff’s youth mind, he retained more literary knowledge than in school.

This is due to the fact that minds must be entertained to learn and retain information. By being knowledgeable on sports, Graff was able to partake in arguments and debates with others on the topic. This gave him a deeper level over understanding literacy, as well as improved his conceptual skills. Schooling typically only requires reading, creating summaries, and regurgitating information. For children who excel more in “street-smarts”, I believe that is not enough to give them a fair education. Street-smart children learn better through real world situations. I agree with Graff in that children that are street-smart do not lack intellectualism, but just learn in ways that differ from standard schooling. For example, sports literature requires not only reading the material, but also understanding it on a level deep enough to articulate opinions and participate in debates.

Sports also require memorizing and interpreting statistics, arming one with the evidence needed to argue and defend the relevance of his/her favorite player. I stand in strong affirmation of Graff’s idea that street smarts satisfy the intellectual thirst of a youth’s mind more than standard schooling does, due to the fact that street smarts are applicable to everyone, not just classmates. Graff argues that having street smarts gives one an upper hand in one’s community. If one is only literate in schoolwork, then one’s discussions are only applicable to their classmates. Having these street smarts add an extra level of knowledge, even though it is not perceived in that way. I firmly agree with Graff in that street smarts satisfy the thirst for community. “When you entered sports debates, you became part of a community that was not limited to your family and friends” (Graff 384).

I also agree with this point. If one is to have a conversation with the average community member, the conversation is more likely to involve current events and media related topics. Being able to discuss at length the underlying themes of a Shaksperean play is great, but only for a classroom setting. Outside of an educational atmosphere, these types of conversations are irrelevant. For example, Graff discusses how sports and sports related topics applied to all people in his community, from when he was a child up until now into his adulthood. Being able to have discussions with various people leads to better conversations, thus creating better conversational skills.

I believe, as does Graff, that conversational skills are essential to literacy because they develop verbal skills. Being literate and intellectual is often seen as synonymous with an academic education, when actually literacy is not that limited. The real world is a competition unlike schooling has ever taught. Graff explains that competition in school primarily consisted of grade grubbing, memorization, and “oneupmanship” to earn the student points. Graff makes a compelling argument regarding this point by using the rhetorical strategy of evidence by example. He gives the example that sports competition brings points through debates, and closeness with the community.

In the real world, one cannot succeed through the practice of one-upmanship. I believe that one must create their own thoughts and opinions, and argue them when challenged to do so. Graff points out that schools have distanced themselves from the real world, and this distance is why children with street smarts do not excel in a traditional school environment. For schooling to be successful, it must interest all of the students. I agree that schools need to integrate different ways of learning. Throughout elementary and high school, I found that I had great difficulty with learning basic literary skills, because we students were forced to read boring essays that did not interest us. The teachers seemed to be more interested in the type of literature, than whether or not the students were retaining and literary intellect. “…

Schools and colleges are missing an opportunity when they do not encourage students to take their nonacademic interests as objects of academic study” (Graff 386). The type of literature does not matter, as long as proper literary techniques are being applied to it. Graff believes that children do need schooling to sharpen their analytical and literal knowledge, but he also argues that schools must step up to the plate and try to interest all of their students equally, in order to give all students a great wealth of literary knowledge. The idea of hidden intellectualism in students is that everyone is unique in their style of learning. I agree with Graff that literary skills are necessary for intellectualism, but these skills do not have a set way of being learned. If a student is not excelling in standard schooling, it does not mean that the student lacks intellect. Many students are more street-smart than book smart, so they learn more literary skills effeciantly through current literature and media. Street smart require as much intellect, if not more, as standard schooling. Graff shows that intellect comes in a variety of forms, and schools need to use a variety of means to tap into the varying intellects of street-smart and book smart students.

Development is ‘the use of resources and the application of available technology in order to bring about an increased standard of living within a country’. *1

There are variations in the economic development of different countries; this has lead to the formation of the ‘Development Gap’. In 1980, the Brandt Report divided the world into rich (North) and poor (South) sectors and found that in developing countries more than 800 million are impoverished and 17 million die needlessly before they are five years old. 25 per cent of the world’s population live in the north but consume 80 per cent of all the goods made.

Over the years there has been a wide range of criteria used for measuring development. These measures have included GNP which is used when looking at the wealth of a country and GNP per capita which looks at the wealth of a country when divided by the number of people.

There are specific measures, for example number of people per doctor, adult literacy, food intake and birth & death rates. These are useful measures when looking at specific areas of development but are too specific when dealing with development as a whole.

HDI is also used to bridge the gap between GNP and the other specific measures. It is made up by using a range of data.

This report will investigate which measures are the most useful at giving a true and fair view of how fast development is taking place in a sample of countries and the reasons for this. The countries used (as shown on appendix 2: a world map) were selected by choosing every seventh country from appendix 1, The World: Social and Economic Statistics)

*1 Source: Letts, A2 in a week: Geography.

Analysis

The Gross National Product (GNP) of a country is one of the most recognisable measures of development. It is an estimate of the value of the countries production and measures the value of goods and services provided in a country, plus the balance of income from abroad.

Until it is split by the population of the country (creating GNP per capita) GNP it is not an accurate measure of development. This is because one country with 7 million people could have the same output as a poorer country with 700 million people.

HDI was devised by the United Nations and ranks all countries, taking into account their national income, life expectancy, adult literacy and year’s people spend in education, which in themselves could be used as measures of development. It is a measure of national human progress. It is measured on a scale of between 0 and 1 with the more developed countries near 1 and the least developed countries nearer 0.

Food Intake is the average number of calories a person consumes per day. The more developed a country is the more calories are person is likely to intake, as food is more readily available.

Adult Literacy is the percentage of males and females that are unable to read or write a simple sentence. Again, the more developed a country is the lower this figure will be.

In more developed countries there tend to be more doctors per a smaller section of society, so health care tends to be better, this could lengthen life expectancy of a country.

The semi-log graph shows that countries with a high GNP per capita tend to have a low doctors per population figure but for those countries with a low GNP there is no pattern for doctors per population, with Burkina Faso having a GNP of US$ 180 and having 34804 people per doctor where as the Gambia has a GNP per capita of US$ 320 but Gambians have 1400 people per doctor.

The only apparent anomaly on this graph was for the data for Mozambique that has a GNP of US$ 2000 and 36225 people per doctor. In relation to Togo, they have fewer doctors per person but a higher GNP.

This could have been because in 1975 the government, nationalized health services and so doctors that were practicing for profit may have stopped practicing as they did not want to practice in a nationalized health service.

In 1985 Mozambique, was effected by drought leading to a loss of 25% of all grain produced, leading to mass starvation, so people with specialist qualifications such as doctors may have found employment in other countries in order to keep their families from starving. This is likely to have been similar in 1991 when the country was affected by drought again.

The Gambia

The Gambia is a LEDC in West Africa. The Gambia has a GNP of US$ 354 million, this is extremely low when compared to US$ 1094734 million but when split between the 1.2 million inhabitants equaling a GNP per capital of US$ 320 million, where as Britain’s GNP per capita when split between its 268 million inhabitants is US$ 18700 million, so Gambia’s GNP per Capita is relatively very low as well.

The Gambia’s GNP is split, 1.8% spent on health (Britain sends 2.5 times this amount on health care), 2.7% spent on education (half of what Britain spends) and 3.8% spent on the military (which is 0.7% more than Britain, but of a smaller figure so Britain is spending more money on its military, just a lesser percentage).

Gambians take in approximately 2360 calories per day and have 1400 people per doctor. This compares to 3732 calories per day and 421 people per doctor in Britain.

In the 1980’s there was a sudden drop in the production of agricultural exports due to several severe drought. This led to an increase in unemployment, migration to the capital and an increase in foreign dept to import food. In 1993 agriculture and tourism was hit by the consequences of the European economic crisis.

The Gambia’s trade with Senegal was also damaged when the Central Bank of Western African States decided to stop financing trade. The economy is now improving due to a developing tourist industry with new hotels being built to capitalize on the European tourist.

Cuba

Cuba has a GNP of US$ 13700 million but with a population of 11.3 million its GNP per capita is US$ 1250 million. Although Cuba has a higher GNP than Gambia, it also has a larger population to share it between, although Cuba’s GNP per capita is still high.

Cuba’s GNP until 1990 relied on highly upon the former Soviet Union and other Eastern European countries and so with the fall of communism, Cuba’s GNP will have fallen.

Its 1994 Cuba’s HDI position was 0.723, this in relation to The Gambia is high because the Gambia’s HDI is only 0.281, but in comparison to Sweden Cuba has a low HDI as Sweden’s HDI is 0.936; while Cuba’s population food intake (in calories per day) is 2833. There are 275 people per doctor; this could be because Cuba spends 7.9% of its GNP on health services.

In the 1960’s the Cuban government, under their leader Castro, ran campaigns to free Cuba of illiteracy and improve health services and by 1964 the illiteracy campaign was complete and Cuba was free of illiteracy. Cuba could remain free of illiteracy today because they spend 6.6% of their GNP on education.

The military budget will have been gradually reduced over recent years after the threat from the United States of America had subsided after the Cold Was finished, and now only 2.8% of the GNP is spent on the military.

Now Cuba is been advertised as a tourist destination, this will help to raise their GNP as there will be more money coming into the country, which can then go into services such as health, benefiting the whole of the country.

Ethiopia

Ethiopia (an LEDC in Africa) has a GNP of US$ 5722 million, this figure is lower than that for Cuba but higher than that for the Gambia (another LEDC in Africa) and a GNP per capita of US$ 100 million when split between the 58.5 million inhabitants. The Gross National Product has been split 1.1% on health, 6.4% on education and 2.1% on their military.

Ethiopians take in approximately 1610 calories per day, this shows that many people in Ethiopia suffer from malnutrition. There are 32499 people per doctor, which is very high compared to Cuba, which only has 275 people per doctor; this is possibly because not much of the GNP is spent on health care.

In 1984 Ethiopia was badly affected by drought and famine, this had started 2 years earlier and caused hundreds of thousands of people to die from starvation. It also caused the crops for those years to fail and so there was nothing to sell causing GNP to fall dramatically.

In the late 80’s Ethiopia was involved in a civil war that consumed more than 60% of Ethiopia’s national budget and agriculture was still slumping.

United States

With a GNP of US$ 7100007 million, the United States of America has the largest GNP of all countries (22187 that of The Gambia’s) but when split between its 268 million nationals its GNP per capita equates to US$ 26980 million, this is lower than that of Germany, Denmark, Sweden and Japan. This GNP is then split down into 14.3% on health services, 5.5% on education and 3.8% on its military forces.

The US has a HDI rating of 0.942 and the American people consume 3732 calories per day, which is the most after Ireland and Cyprus. American’s have 421 people per doctor, which is double the number of people per doctor in Austria.

A high GNP could be as a result of American Transnational companies which spread around the world in the post Second World War period. In 1991, 15% of the US population lived below the poverty line. Those most affected were those citizens from African and Latin American origins.

In January 1994, the US joined with Mexico and Canada to form The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which reduced trade with Europe as Americans found it cheaper to buy and sell to Canada and Mexico.

Tourism is the biggest industry in the US but after the terrorist attacks of September 11th 2001, visitor numbers fell dramatically, having a significant effect on the American economy as people were scared to travel in case of reprisals. More recently, visitor numbers have fallen as a result of the conflict in Iraq as people feared more terrorist attacks to revenge the invasion of Iraq.

This time period witnessed the collapse of over 30 authoritarian regimes in Europe, Asia, and Latin America which then made the transition to democracy and were characterized mainly by one party systems. Nations that undergo the translation to a democratic form of government usually display three particular characteristics: a high level of economic development, a highly educated public, and a large middle class.

The second table, below Huntington, provides the literacy rates, Gaps, and life expectancies of five imaginary countries. Of these five countries, D and E are the most likely to democratic and hey are also the most likely to consolidate democracy because they possess the three main characteristics of democratic countries. Huntington provides a chart, on page 62 of his work, In which countries are classified according to their GNP In 1 976 In relation to the type of government they possessed in 1974.

It also shows whether the countries democratic or liberalized between 1974 and 1989, or whether they maintained their non-democratic regimes throughout those years. The chart below Huntington provides the literacy rate, GAP per capita, and life expectancy of five imaginary countries. The characteristics provided on the second graph are critical to understanding each Individual country potential towards becoming democracies and their ability to consolidate democracy.

The first characteristic of the chart is the literacy rate of the five countries, which is an excellent indicator of the overall level of education the countries. A highly educated public is a crucial factor in the transition to democracy, and political scientist Mitchell Gilson argued that in Latin America the thresholds that made democracy possible were both a GNP of $250 and a literacy rate of over fifty percent. This demonstrates that a countries literacy rate Is almost as Important as the level of economic development of a country In demagnification.

Between 1960 and 1981 many more people began attending secondary schools to improve their educations. It has been proven that highly educated people tend to develop the characteristics of trust, satisfaction, and competence which form the civic cultural attitudes necessary in a democracy (Huntington, 69). Without an educated public, it is very difficult for democracies to survive. Thus, a high literacy rate provides evidence of a highly cattle puddle, wanly Is also positively oscillate Witt democracy.

In Alton, a high literacy rate also provides evidence that a particular nation possesses a large middle class, which is often a product of industrialization and economic growth. The presence of a large middle class is another one of the most important factors of demagnification. Due to the fact that democracies often rely on a system of majority rule, a middle class is necessary in order to accurately represent the wishes of the populace. In addition, it is the middle class which strives to achieve their objectives.

In virtually every country the most active supporters of demagnification came from the urban middle class,[l]” and it was this group which led the third wave movements for demagnification. For example, in the Philippines, the middle class, comprised of professionals and business people, encouraged and actively participated in the demonstrations in 1984 against the oppressive regime of Ferdinand Marco’s. It is clear that “When tear gas meets the middle class… Tear gas loses. 2]” A large middle class is crucial in the transition to democracy because they are the people who lead the demonstrations, rallies, and protests calling for an end o authoritarian regimes and the transition to a democratic form of government. The literacy rates of the five countries suggest that countries A and C most likely have a very small middle class and only a small percentage of the overall population is highly educated, country Bi’s literacy rate was unavailable, and that countries D and E have both a highly educated population and a large middle class.

The second characteristic of the chart is the GAP per capita of the five countries. The gross domestic product (GAP), the gross national product minus the net income earned abroad, tells us the economic development and status of each particular nation. A higher GAP per capita is found in wealthy, economically advanced countries such as Switzerland which has a per capita income of $21 ,330. Conversely, a lower GAP is found in poorer countries such as Ethiopia with a per capita income of $130 (Huntington, 60).

Undoubtedly, there exists a positive relationship between economic development and demagnification. Huntington claims that the nations most likely to undergo a transition to democracy are those characterized as “middle- income” countries. The correlation between wealth and democracy implies that transitions to democracy should occur primarily in countries at the middle levels of economic development. In poor countries demagnification is unlikely; in rich countries it has already occurred. 3]” Thus the GAP per capita of country D shows that it is the only country out of the five which is in the middle income range which Huntington claims possesses the most potential to make the transition to democracy, while countries A, B, C, and E are in the lower income range and less likely to make the transition to democracy. The third characteristic on the chart is the life expectancy, which is another important factor because it helps determine the level of technology of a nation.

Countries with high life expectancies are more technologically advanced than those with lower life expectancies due to above average health care systems, medications and vaccines, and competent doctors. Most wealthy countries tend to have higher levels of technology than poorer countries, and most wealthy countries are democracies. “Most wealthy countries are democratic and most democratic countries – India is the most dramatic exception – are wealthy. [4]” As such, a higher life expectancy is also associated with democracy. Entrees A, c, Ana nave ten tenure lowest Tie expectancies wanly demonstrates Tanat they are the least technologically advanced. Country D has the second highest life expectancy, but based on life expectancy alone, country B would be the most technologically advanced of all the countries because it has the highest life The literacy rate, GAP, and life expectancy are three vital statistics in expectancy. Formulating a hypothesis as to the level of education, level of economic development, and level of technology that a country possesses and help in determining the type of government of a particular country.

From these characteristics it is possible to infer that the countries least likely to democratic would be countries A and C, country B has somewhat a chance of demonstrating, depending on its literacy rate, and countries D and E would be the most likely to democratic. Countries A and C have the lowest literacy rates, Gaps, and life expectancies of the entire group and as such lack the high level of economic development, highly educated public, and large middle class which are almost always present in countries making the transition to democracy.

The lack of an educated population and large middle class shows that it loud be extremely difficult to establish a democracy in these nations because the people, for the most part, would be unable to participate or take an active role in their governments. Country B would most likely remain whatever government, most likely authoritarian, that it currently was because of its decent GAP and because it has the highest life expectancy of the group.

The high life expectancy suggests that the people are living relatively well, and as such, they would most likely not attempt to undermine their current regime. However, country E would most likely emaciation, and country D is the most likely to democratic out of the entire group. The reason that countries E and D are the most likely to democratic is because they possess the highest literacy rates (68 % and 78 % respectively), highest Gaps per capita ($700 and $1600), and good life expectancies (46 and 48 years).

Both countries possess the characteristics common to democracies: high levels of economic development, a highly educated public, and a large middle class which is why they are the countries which would undergo the transition from a non democratic form of government to a democratic form of government. Country D is the most probable, out of the five countries, to democratic because it is precisely in the middle income range which Huntington believes leads to the demagnification of a nation.

He proves his assertion in his chart which shows that the highest percentage of countries to democratic or liberalize between 1974 and 1989 did in fact occur in countries with per capita GNP in the $1000 – $3000 range (the middle income range). In fact, 76 percent of countries in the middle income range democratic or liberalized, while poorer nations with per capita GNP of $250-$1000 such as countries A, B, C, and E) experienced only a 29 percent transition rate.

Therefore, countries A and C are the least likely to democratic, B is somewhat likely to democratic, and E and D have the highest probability of demonstrating. Furthermore, supposing that all five nations have experienced a transition to democracy and have established a democratic regime, countries A, B, and C would be the least likely to consolidate democracy while countries E and D would be the most likely to consolidate their newly emerged democratic regimes. Political scientist

Adam Paperwork’s claimed that “Democracy is consolidated when under given political Ana economic contraltos a particular system AT Institutions Decodes ten only game in town, when no one can imagine acting outside the democratic institutions, when all losers want to do is to try again within the same institutions under which they have Just lost. [5]” It could be argued that countries A, B, and C have such low literacy rates, and Gaps that their situation could only get better; however, they do not have the resources (both economically and population-wise) to maintain or strengthen their new found democracies.

Out of the five nations, countries E and D are the most economically developed which means they are the least likely to experience an economic crisis which could potentially undermine their regimes. The fact that they are the least likely to experience an economic crisis is extremely important, because economic crises were one of the main reasons that countries converted from non-democratic governments to democratic forms of government in the third wave of demagnification. In the third wave, the combination of substantial levels of economic development and short-term economic rises or failure was the economic formula most favorable to the transition from authoritarian to democratic government. [6]” Country E and Ad’s educated middle class will actively work to maintain, improve, and strengthen the democratic system which gives them their freedoms and opportunities.

Those two countries have the most potential and the most resources available at their disposal to maintain and strengthen their democracies. Therefore, due to their superior economic development, abundant resources, and the existence of an educated, middle class, countries E and D are by far the most likely to consolidate democracy. The third wave of demagnification witnessed the transition of over 30 countries to democratic forms of government, predominantly due to the economies of those countries.

The countries most likely to establish a democratic regime are those which display a high level of economic development, a highly educated public, and a large middle class. These factors are crucial to demagnification. Countries A, B, and C are the least likely to democratic and consolidate demagnification because of their low literacy rates and lack of abundant resources. As time progresses and their literacy rates and Gaps increase, they may eventually enter the “middle income” range which is so conducive to democracy.

The article I chose deals about the lack of practice in speaking skill in language teaching, and although it refers to Chinese schools, I found it relevant because the situations it refers to are very similar to the ones we face in most of the schools in our country. Since a very powerful motivation to learn a second language is to be able to converse with speakers of that language, speaking seems to be the most important skill to be developed.

Although, it is also a huge challenge if we take into count on the one hand, the different micro-skills that learners need to manage, which vary from pronunciation of unfamiliar words to the appropriate use of formal and informal expressions. Furthermore, the very limited chances that students have to speak English outside the classroom make things harder for them. INTEGRATING ORAL COMMUNICATION SKILLS. Having a more integrated approach ensuring enough practice in oral communication by including speaking into reading and writing lessons, would be an appropriate option, which would hopefully offer important benefits.

Student’s acquisition of English could be improved by taking advantage of some interesting topics for reading and writing, which would provide a chance to discuss and test their language. In order to reach this goal, teachers are expected to go beyond the traditional courses and integrate different skills during their lessons. READING TO SPEAK. The activities presented here can helps students notice the difference between what they want to say and what they can really say, and maybe make them focus their attention on meaning first and on form later, and can be used both for intensive ND extensive reading classes. Reading to act. This in an activity in which students act out a story they have Just read, being encouraged to make as many changes as they want to the plot and dialogues, and it is organized as follows: Divide the class into small groups and assign each one a director to organize rehearsals. Students scan the story focusing on how to express it through their acting. They have a first rehearsal relying only on their memories. They scan the story again, searching for some variations and take some notes that an be used for the second rehearsal.

A contest is held to determine who offered the best performance. An acting project helps to achieve four-skill integration and makes the reading task much more interesting. 2. – Reading to debate. Students are required to select an article containing a controversial issue which they can discuss about. The activity is organized as follows: Students are formed by pairs and agree on which position they will take. They scan the text without taking notes and debate about it, using quotes to support their arguments.

They scan the text again, searching for useful expressions and ideas to support their position. Note taking is allowed so later they can participate in the debate by small groups or as a whole class, being encouraged to personalize their comments. This activity can improve student’s understanding of the issue and helps them to defend their point of view about it. 3. – Reading to interview. This activity is a lot more flexible and can include texts of different genres and it is organized as follows: Students scan the text to get all the ideas they can.

They form pairs with the roles of interviewer and interviewee. The first one has to ask questions related which can be answered using facts from the reading. They check the text again looking for further questions which can be noted down this time. They switch roles or find new partners if they want to and perform the interview again. A competition is held to decide on the pair who best represented the text. This activity provides students with an opportunity to orally express what they got from a text.

Within this assessment, I will cover and compare several factors between the development of Japan and the development of Brazil. Japan is an MEDC, which is a More Economically Developed Country and Brazil is an LEDC, a Less Economically Developed Country. The indicators I am about to compare and expand on include a range of factors, from the likes of Population to Area. First of all, Population. There are around 127. 5 million people living in Japan at the moment, compared to Brazil which has a population of just fewer than 194 million people.

The population has a big effect on the development of both countries and in fact the majority of the countries in the world because if a population increases then there are more people to get involved in industry and manufacture. Therefore, more products can be invented or advanced meaning more will be sold to other countries turning in more money for the countries economy. My second indicator is to do with the Environment, more specifically CO? emissions. In Japan, the figure is 9. 8 metric tonnes of Carbon Dioxide per capita or person and in Brazil, the current figure stands at around just 1. metric tonnes of CO? per capita. This affects the development of the countries because often the effects of bad environmental factors and causes many people to get ill or even die. If people die, this affects the number of people in the industry. The next indicator is Literacy. In Japan, the adult literacy rate (aged 15 and above) is 99% of the population and the same rate for either male or women. Whereas in Brazil the rate of adult literacy is 88. 6% of the total population. 88. 4% of males and 88. 8% of females.

Literacy is important no matter where you come from and the more people literate in a country the more likely the country is to survive and develop because if people are illiterate, they won’t get very far in the industry. For instance, signing contracts or cheques are assets required to survive in the industry so literacy is regarded as essential in today’s world. The fourth indicator is Transportation, in particular, airports and ports. Japan has 10 key ports in Chiba, Kawasaki, Kobe, Osaka, Tokyo, Moji, Nagoya, Tomakomai, and Mizushima, Yokohama.

Also, Japan has a total of 144 airports. 38% of them with paved runways measuring 0-1500m, 57% of their paved runways measure 1501-3000m and 5% of the runways are 3000m or greater. In Brazil, there are 7 key ports: Guaiba, Ilha Grande, Paranagua, Rio Grande, Santos, Sao Sebastiao and Tubarao. With regards to the airports, there are over 23 times the amount of airports in Brazil than there are in Japan. There are 3346 airports. 1642 of these airport’s paved runways are less than 914m, 1617 are 914m to 1523m and 87 are 1524m to 2437m.

They are 49%, 48% and 3% respectively. The amounts of airports and ports affect the development of a country to a very large extent as the industry is where the majority of a countries income comes from industry and without anywhere to import products there would be near to no industry apart from the industry based in Japan. My fifth indicator is another transport based one. Motor powered vehicles per 1000 people. The figure for Japan is 595 per 1000 people and in Brazil, it’s 198 people per 1000 that own motor vehicles 198 people.

It’s relatively clear that a motor vehicle is quite an essential aspect of life and without any means of transport then life would be very difficult to make industry and development work. My penultimate indicator is the birth rate. The birth rate in Brazil is 16 people per 1000 and in Japan, the figure stands at just 9 births per 1000 people. A birth rate is a key to development because it all links in with development and the higher the birth rate, the higher the population, the higher the number of people helping to work in the development of their country whether it be in industry or just the development or life.

Finally, my last indicator is infant mortality. In Brazil, the mortality rate of 22. 58 deaths per 1000 live births with 26. 16 deaths out of 1000 male live births and 18. 83 deaths out of 1000 female live births. In Japan, the rate is much lower. Their figure is 2. 79 deaths out of 1000 live births and that’s 2. 99 out 1000 male live births and 2. 58 deaths out of 1000 live female births. The large difference in these figures shows that Japan is by far more developed than Brazil as the quality of living conditions in Japan are far better than in Brazil as there is less disease to cause deaths. By Conor Thompson

Importance of Education A leader is a person who takes charge of their own life by self education. Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X demonstrate leadership by trying to further their people. In Sherman Alexie’s essay “” he demonstrates how influential education is to him. Once Alexie was able to read he wanted to show how smart he was in the classroom. However, the other Indian boys kept trying to keep him quiet because they were expected to be stupid. This infuriated Alexie because until his people became educated they were going to continually be taken advantage of.

In Malcolm X’s essay “Learning to Read” he explains how education made him the person that he is today. After Malcolm X became literate his whole world changed. Up until he started reading he believed that the best way for African Americans to gain civil rights was to use violence. However, after reading the history of his people and how they had been taken advantage of, he realized that the best way to gain rights was through knowledge. Both of them try to lead their people to educate themselves.

Education was necessary for Alexie and Malcolm X to overcome the disadvantages in their background because they were able to learn about their histories and became examples to others. Both Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X had obstacles to overcome in their past. For Alexie, it was that of his childhood “classmates whom fought with him daily” (pg 13). Alexie was constantly trying to speak up during class and participate but the other children told him to keep quiet. The Indian children were accepted into society if they were submissive and struggled in the “non-Indian world” (pg 13).

The people on the reservation lived this way for generations believing that their place wasn’t in the classroom and that they had to fail. Malcolm X had to overcome not only his personal obstacles of poverty and illiteracy but also the abuse of his people. X only had an eighth grade education and throughout all of his schooling he was never taught how to read. After X taught himself how to read in jail he started learning about the abuse that his people had endured. X said he would never forget “how shocked [he] was when [he] began reading about slavery’s total horror” (pg 286).

This was only the beginning of all the cruelties he soon learned had been inflicted upon his people. After Sherman Alexie and Malcolm X educated themselves they were able to go back and lead their people to change. Alexie visited the Indian schools in an effort to show the children that education should be accepted not feared. He teaches creative writing and poetry to the children in an effort to spread the importance of education. He said that the children whom read many books and stared at him with bright eyes and arrogant wonder were “trying to save their lives” (pg 14).

By becoming educated they would no longer be prone to being taken advantage of any longer. With out education these children will lead the same lives as their parents have, filled with hard labor and small wages. Malcolm X’s view on education is stronger than most because he had lived a life with his eyes closed until the day that he was able to read. Once he became literate he realized how much easier his people’s lives could have been if they had been educated. They would have been able to clearly see how wrong their situation had been for so long.

X said that “with every additional book that [he] read he was given a little bit more sensitivity to the deafness, dumbness, and blindness that was afflicting the black race in America” (pg 289). He is saying that the only way to keep his people from being mistreated is to educate them. With education they will gain opinions and the knowledge to understand how helpless they are without it. Education was necessary for Alexie and Malcolm X to overcome the disadvantages in their background because they were able to learn about their histories and became examples to others.

Throughout both their lives and struggles each of them realized that achieving their goals were impossible without education. My advice to a new college student who would like to become a leader would be first to take charge of their life and identify the problem they need to resolve. A leader has a clear vision of achieving specific goals. They attack their obstacles head on and inspire others through their examples. Works Cited Samuel Cohen. 50 Essays Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2007. Print

CAUSES OF CHILD LABOUR •Poverty •Parental illiteracy •Tradition of making children learn the family skills •Absence of universal compulsory Primary education •Social apathy and tolerance of child labour •Ignorance of the parents about the adverse consequences of Child labour •Ineffective enforcement of the legal provisions pertaining to child labour •Non-availability of and non-accessibility to schools •Irrelevant and non-attractive school curriculum Employers prefer children as they constitute cheap labour and they are not able to organize themselves against exploitation. Causes of Child Labour Some common causes of child labor are poverty, parental illiteracy, social apathy, ignorance, lack of education and exposure, exploitation of cheap and unorganized labor. The family practice to inculcate traditional skills in children also pulls little ones inexorably in the trap of child labor, as they never get the opportunity to learn anything else.

Absence of compulsory education at the primary level, parental ignorance regarding the bad effects of child labor, the ineffictivity of child labor laws in terms of implementation, non availability and non accessibility of schools, boring and unpractical school curriculum and cheap child labor are some other factors which encourages the phenomenon of child labor. It is also very difficult for immature minds and undeveloped bodies to understand and organize them selves against exploitation in the absence of adult guidance.

Poverty and over population have been identified as the two main causes of child labor. Parents are forced to send little children into hazardous jobs for reasons of survival, even when they know it is wrong. Monetary constraints and the need for food, shelter and clothing drives their children in the trap of premature labor. Over population in some regions creates paucity of resources. When there are limited means and more mouths to feed children are driven to commercial activities and not provided for their development needs. This is the case in most Asian and African countries.

Illiterate and ignorant parents do not understand the need for wholesome proper physical, cognitive and emotional development of their child. They are themselves uneducated and unexposed, so they don’t realize the importance of education for their children. Adult unemployment and urbanization also causes child labor. Adults often find it difficult to find jobs because factory owners find it more beneficial to employ children at cheap rates. This exploitation is particularly visible in garment factories of urban areas. Adult exploitation of children is also seen in many places.

Elders relax at home and live on the labor of poor helpless children. The industrial revolution has also had a negative effect by giving rise to circumstances which encourages child labor. Sometimes multinationals prefer to employ child workers in the developing countries. This is so because they can be recruited for less pay, more work can be extracted from them and there is no union problem with them. This attitude also makes it difficult for adults to find jobs in factories, forcing them to drive their little ones to work to keep the fire burning their homes.

The incidence of child labor would diminish considerably even in the face of poverty, if there are no parties willing to exploits them. Strict implementation of child labor laws and practical and healthy alternatives to replace this evil can go a long way to solve the problem of child labor. Children who are born out of wedlock, orphaned or abandoned are especially vulnerable to exploitation. They are forced to work for survival when there are no adults and relatives to support them. Livelihood considerations can also drive a child into the dirtiest forms of child labor like child prostitution and organized begging.

Child Labour in India: The Causes The complex issue of child labour is a developmental issue worth investigating. The notion that children are being exploited and forced into labour, while not receiving education crucial to development, concerns many people. India is the largest example of a nation plagued by the problem of child labour. Estimates cite figures of between 60 and 115 million working children in India — the highest number in the world (Human Rights Watch 1996, 1). What are the causes of child labour in India? How do governmental policies affect it?

What role does education play in regard to child labour in India? A critical analysis of the answers to these questions may lead in the direction of a possible solution. These questions will be answered through an analysis of the problem of child labour as it is now, investigating how prevalent it is and what types of child labour exist. The necessity of child labour to poor families, and the role of poverty as a determinant will be examined. Governmental policies concerning child labour will be investigated. The current state of education in India will be examined and compared with other developing countries.

Compulsory education policies and their relationship to child labour will be investigated using Sri Lanka and the Indian state of Kerala as examples of where these policies have worked. Finally, India’s policies concerning compulsory education will be assessed. The Problem of Child Labour in India How many children are involved? It is difficult to cite a current figure for the number of children engaged in child labour. This difficulty is attributed to the fact that the Indian Government “has been negligent in its refusal to collect and analyze current and relevant data regarding the incidence of child labor.

As of 1996, official figures continue to be based on 1981 census figures” (Human Rights Watch 1996, 122). The 1981 Indian census reports that there were 13. 6 million child labourers in India (Census of India 1981 cited in Weiner 1991, 20). Indian government extrapolations of this 1981 data place the current number of child labourers at between seventeen and twenty million (Human Rights Watch 1996, 122). This extrapolation seems highly unlikely as “The Official National Sample Survey of 1983 [of India] reports 17. 4 million child labourers, while a study . . . ponsored by the Labour Ministry, concluded that the child-labour force was 44 million” (Weiner 1991, 20-21). UNICEF “cites figures ranging from seventy-five to ninety million child laborers under the age of fourteen” (Human Rights Watch 1996, 122). A universal difficulty in obtaining accurate data may be that individuals fail to report child labour participation during surveys, for fear of persecution. Although the figure for the number of child labourers varies, they are all significantly high when considering that the Child Economic Activity rate for 1980-1991 was 13. % for males and 10. 3% for females (International Labour Organization, 1995, 113). In comparison, other developing countries such as Sri Lanka and Malaysia (where data is available), have lower activity rates: 5. 3% for males and 4. 6% for females in Sri Lanka, and 8. 8% for males and 6. 5% for females in Malaysia (International Labour Organization, 1995, 113). Historical census data shows an overall child work participation rate of 12. 69% in 1961 and 7. 13% in 1971 (Census of India 1971 cited in Devi 1985, 50).

This data is misleading because the definitions of child labour are different in the two censuses (unpaid workers are not included in the 1971 census), thus a comparison cannot be completely valid (Devi 1985, 37). The data shows that in a p of twenty years (1961-1981), the proportion of children who are working has not changed significantly, but since comparisons with this data are not valid, this conclusion is questionable. What are children doing in terms of work? The 1981 Census of India divided child labour into nine industrial divisions: I. Cultivation, II. Agricultural Labour, III.

Livestock, Forestry, Fishing, Plantation, IV. Mining and Quarrying, V. Manufacturing, Processing, Servicing and Repairs, VI. Construction, VII. Trade and Commerce, VIII. Transport, Storage and Communication, and IX. Other Services (Census of India 1981 cited in Nangia 1987, 72). Table 1. 1 shows the percentage distribution of child workers by these industrial divisions in 1981. From this table it is observed that the majority of rural child workers (84. 29%) are employed in cultivation and agricultural labour (divisions I and II). Urban child labourers are distributed differently, as table 1. 1 shows 39. 6% of them are involved in manufacturing, processing, servicing and repairs. Although more children are involved in agriculturally related jobs (table 1. 1 shows a total of 78. 67% for divisions I and II), human rights organizations tend to focus on the manufacturing types of child labour because most children in these situations are bonded labourers. Bonded labour “refers to the phenomenon of children working in conditions of servitude in order to pay off a debt” (Human Rights Watch 1996, 2). Estimates place the number of bonded child labourers in India at close to one million (International Labour Organisation 1992, 15).

Causes of Child Labour in India and Government Policy Dealing with it How necessary is child labour to families in India? Child labour is a source of income for poor families. A study conducted by the ILO Bureau of Statistics found that “Children’s work was considered essential to maintaining the economic level of households, either in the form of work for wages, of help in household enterprises or of household chores in order to free adult household members for economic activity elsewhere” (Mehra-Kerpelman 1996, 8). In some cases, the study found that a child’s income accounted for between 34 and 37 percent of the total household income.

This study concludes that a child labourer’s income is important to the livelihood of a poor family. There is a questionable aspect of this study. It was conducted in the form of a survey, and the responses were given by the parents of the child labourers. Parents would be biased into being compelled to support their decision to send their children to work, by saying that it is essential. They are probably right: for most poor families in India, alternative sources of income are close to non-existent. There are no social welfare systems such as those in the West, nor is there easy access to loans, which will be discussed.

What is apparent is the fact that child labourers are being exploited, shown by the pay that they receive. For the same type of work, studies show that children are paid less than their adult counterparts. Table 2. 1 shows a comparison of child wages to adult wages obtained by a study of child workers in the Delhi region of India. Although 39. 5% of employers said that child workers earn wages equal to adults, if the percentage of employers admitting that wages are lower for children are added up, a figure of 35. 9% is found. This figure is significant when taking the bias of employers into account.

Employers would have been likely to defend their wages for child workers, by saying that children earn the same wages as adults. The fact that no employers stated children earned more than adults, should be also be noted. Other studies have also concluded that “children’s earnings are consistently lower than those of adults, even where there two groups are engaged in the same tasks” (Bequele and Boyden cited in Grootaert and Kanbur 1995, 195). Child labour is a significant problem in India. The prevalence of it is shown by the child work participation rates which are higher in Indian than in other developing countries.

The major determinant of child labour is poverty. Even though children are paid less than adults, whatever income they earn is of benefit to poor families. In addition to poverty, the lack of adequate and accessible souces of credit forces poor parents to engage their children in the harsher form of child labour — bonded child labour. Some parents also feel that a formal education is not beneficial, and that children learn work skills through labour at a young age. These views are narrow and do not take the long term developmental benefits of education into account. Another determinant is access to education.

In some areas, education is not affordable, or is found to be inadequate. With no other alternatives, children spend their time working. The Constitution of India clearly states that child labour is wrong and that measures should be taken to end it. The government of India has implemented the Child Labour Act in 1986 that outlaws child labour in certain areas and sets the minimum age of employment at fourteen. This Act falls short of making all child labour illegal, and fails to meet the ILO guideline concerning the minimum age of employment set at fifteen years of age.

Though policies are in place that could potentially reduce the incidence of child labour, enforcement is a problem. If child labour is to be eradicated in India, the government and those responsible for enforcement need to start doing their jobs. Policies can and will be developed concerning child labour, but without enforcement they are all useless. The state of education in India also needs to be improved. High illiteracy and dropout rates are reflective of the inadequacy of the educational system. Poverty plays a role in the ineffectiveness of the educational system. Dropout rates are high ecause children are forced to work in order to support their families. The attitudes of the people also contribute to the lack of enrollment — parents feel that work develops skills that can be used to earn an income, while education does not help in this matter. Compulsory education may help in regard to these attitudes. The examples of Sri Lanka and Kerala show that compulsory education has worked in those areas. There are differences between Sri Lanka, Kerala and the rest of India. What types of social welfare structures do these places have? What are the attitudes of the people?

Is there some other reason why the labour market for child labourers is poor in these areas? These are some questions that need to be answered before applying the concept of compulsory education to India? India is making progress in terms of educational policy. The DPEP has been implemented only four years ago, and so results are not apparent at this time. Hopefully the future will show that this program has made progress towards universal education, and eradicating child labour. Child labour cannot be eliminated by focusing on one determinant, for example education, or by brute enforcement of child labour laws.

The government of India must ensure that the needs of the poor are filled before attacking child labour. If poverty is addressed, the need for child labour will automatically diminish. No matter how hard India tries, child labour always will exist until the need for it is removed. The development of India as a nation is being hampered by child labour. Children are growing up illiterate because they have been working and not attending school. A cycle of poverty is formed and the need for child labour is reborn after every generation.

India needs to address the situation by tackling the underlying causes of child labour through governmental policies and the enforcement of these policies. Only then will India succeed in the fight against child labour. Child Labour •Fight for their rights •What can you do •No Barbie for me; A hacksaw if you please Fight for the rights of children We fight for our rights at home for almost everything from late nights to going out of station with friends. We chat about human rights with our parents, teachers and friends. But have we ever thought about the children who are forced to work and do not even have basic rights?

India has the largest number of children employed than any other country in the world. According to the statistics provided by The Government of India around 90 million out of 179 million children in the six to 14 age group do not go to school and are engaged in some occupation or other. This means that close to 50 per cent of children are deprived of their right to a free and happy childhood. Unofficially, this figure exceeds 100 million but the fact that a large number of these children work without wages in fields or in cottages alongside their parents, unreported by census, makes it very difficult to estimate accurately.

However, it is estimated that if these working children constituted a country, it would be the 11th largest country in the world. A large number of children work in cottage industries producing carpets, matches, firecrackers, bidis, brassware, diamond, glass, hosiery, hand loomed cloth, embroidery, leather goods, plastic, bangles and sporting goods. The highest number of children are found working in the agricultural sector. Poverty has often been cited as the reason for the child labour problem in India.

While it is true that the poorest, most disadvantaged sectors of Indian society suply the vast majority of child labourers, child labour actually creates an perpetuates poverty as it displaces adults from their jobs and also condemns the child to a life of unskilled badly paid work. Merely passing laws is obviously not the solution, as they need to be enforced, in which our country has a poor track record. What are the causes for child labour? One can attribute it to various factors — unemployment, low wages, poor standards of living, ignorance and illiteracy, social attitudes, and the like.

Together they culminate in poverty and exploitation. The poor would rather have children who work to supplement the income. There are many cases where the parents sell their children as bonded labour for a petty sum of money. Banning child labour therefore is not the solution, nor is the step by the U. S. and Europe to ban carpets from India. Ignorance is one of the main problems; ignorance on the part of the parents who believe that with the children working, poverty will be eradicated; and ignorance on the part of the children who do not know their rights in this country.

The working conditions of the children are inhuman and the incomes given are also meagre. Eighty per cent of the children work in hazardous conditions. At present, the legislations in India only specifically outlaw child labour in designated hazardous industries and bonded child labour, but both Article 24 of the Indian Constitution and Section 67 of the Factories Act explicitly direct that children below the age of 14 years are not to work in factories. In addition, the Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986 forbids the employment of children in specified hazardous industries.

The Supreme Court ruling of December 10, 1996, in an attempt to fill the loopholes left in previous legislation and to bring in judicial activism to social issues ordered the setting up of a fund for the child workers aimed at controlling and eventually eliminating child labour across the length and breadth of the entire country. While setting out a long list of child labour monitoring obligations of the State Governments, it also prescribes heavy fines for employers caught with children at work. In addition, India has ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Laws pertaining to Child Labour: •Children [Pledging of Labour] Act (1933) •Employment of Children Act (1938) •The Bombay Shop and Establishments Act (1948) •Child Labour -Prohibition and Regulation Act •The Indian Factories Act (1948) •Plantations Labour Act (1951) •The Mines Act (1952) •Merchant Shipping Act (1958) •The Apprentice Act (1961) •The Motor Transport Workers Act (1961) •The Atomic Energy Act (1962) •Bidi and Cigar Workers (Condition of Employment) Act (1966) •State Shops and Establishments Act

What you can do — JOIN THE GLOBAL MARCH AGAINST CHILD LABOUR In June 1998, when the International Labour Conference (ILO) will debate a new Convention on Child Labour, a huge motivated and determined group of people will swarm the streets of Geneva. Coming from five continents and marching for five months, they comprise the Global March Against Child Labour. The marchers may have traveled by bus, plane, boat or may have walked some distance. They may have taken over “the torch” from other marchers along the road. They will end up in Geneva to mark the importance of the ILO discussions.

Though the March is spearheaded by a few select organisations working on various issues related to human rights, we think that the real strength lies with you — the general people. The pith of this movement is the actual junta. Issues of child labour has reached such demonic proportions that until the people at the grassroots are mobilised enough, desired results will remain a far away dream. The Global March is but a fraction of our continuous efforts towards stopping child labour globally, and to make it a success, every sincere offer of help is welcome.

Marching along with the Core Marchers is not the only way to express your concern for this scourge. Every person, individually or collectively, can affect a change if he/she is sensitive and observant to this growing menace. You may be a student or a teacher, a parent or a child, an employee or an employer, each of you can help make the March and its cause reach the cherished goal. What we demand is not impossible, neither is child labour the ‘normal’ process of a developing economy, as some groups will want you to believe. The use and abuse of these little souls is an unpardonable sin.

Simply blaming the ineffectiveness of the laws and lackadaisical attitude of the lawmakers will not absolve us of our responsibility. The roots of this growing affliction has the capacity and strength to grow deeper and wider unless every heart, every mind and everybody sheds the complacent attitude and makes small but significant steps towards its complete elimination. No Barbie for me; A hacksaw if you please “It’s finally happened”, the old bearded man in red uttered in sheer disgust. “The world has gone to the dogs,” he thought aloud.

Standing alone in the dark night, he looked as vehicles whizzed past him, and through him, with uncaring ferocity. Merriment and festivity filled the air as brightly-lit homes exuded an atmosphere of festivity and opulence. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t been warned. “There will come a time when no one will be able to see you,” his `Father’ had told him. (He always referred to God as `Father’). “Why can nobody see me,” the old man asked. “Hadn’t I told you earlier that you won’t be visible to the wicked, treacherous, liars, backbiters, putrid schemers, thieves, cheaters …..? ” asked God. So what? None of the grown ups can see me even now. Its only the children and don’t tell me they would turn into such vile creatures,” argued the old man. “Okay, don’t believe me,” God shrugged helplessly, “just wait till they invent television. ” He hadn’t believed God then. But then, God had that notoriously bad habit of being right. Now he stood there lonely, alone facing the silence that confronted him, nostalgic about the past when he and his `jingle bells’ were eagerly awaited. The children would spell out their wishes and he would grant them their wildest desires. You there old man, move! ” A shrill voice commanded him. He turned and faced a dirty-looking kid with a hardened face looking irritatingly at him. The old man was stupefied, “You can actually see me? ” he asked. “You crazy or what? ” retorted the child. “Just tell me, can you really see me? ” The old man was almost shouting now. The kid started to walk away. ” Wa… Wait. Stop,” the man shouted. He did not want to lose the only person he could talk with. “Come back. I’m not quite feeling alright now. Could you please talk to me for a while? ” he was almost pleading. The boy turned back. I understand,” winked the boy knowingly, “You’re just BPT, isn’t it. ” “BPT? ” The old man looked perplexed. “Bewda Peeke Tight. Ha! Ha! Ha! “, the child explained and burst into peals of laughter. The laughter sounded strange especially coming from a person who appeared incapable of relishing the finer shades of life. But when he saw the sad look on the face of the old man, the child was filled with shame. “Sorry, uncle”, he apologised. “Whether you drink or not is none of my business. In fact, my father drinks like a fish everyday. ” “No need to apologise son. I didn’t mind anything you just said.

For that matter, I’m not even drunk now,” said the old man understandingly. “You don’t appear to now, but a while ago you were talking just like my father and walking on the middle of the road. So I thought ……. ” The boy paused. “Say, anyway isn’t it an odd time to be roaming about, its almost midnight? ” queried the old man. “Yes, of course, I’m usually at the factory at this time. They leave us usually at 1 am, but you know because of all these riots, the supervisor left us early,” pat came the reply. “You work in a factory ? ” The old man was astonished. “Don’t you go to school? ” “Sure,

I do, thrice a week. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays. I have to go to the factory on other days, Ramu goes to school on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. ” “Who’s Ramu ? “asked the old man. “My little brother. He’s only this high,” the boy touched his knee, palm stretched out and downwards. “and still he can easily pick you up and throw you down. Of course, he cannot pick me up and throw me down but then he’s only this high. “He once more pointed to his knee. Matters were getting complicated for the old man. The rest of the dialogue followed thus — “Won’t your studies suffer? ” “What is that ? “Don’t you study ? ” “No. ” “You do not go to school to study? ” “No. We go to clean up all the rooms, with all those big black and green slates with cloth and water and take all the kachra and dump it in the street. ” “Don’t your parents scold you for not going to school? ” The boy’s eyes being moist. “I want to go to school carrying books and wearing white shirts and blue pants. My father doesn’t allow me to. I asked him once when Shamu started going to school in uniform and with brown books. He beat me up and said that reading books and going to school causes one to lose his God. “But that’s idiotic, crazy. I never heard a thing so ridiculous before,” the old man shouted. “I know, I guess even father knows it. Its just that we do not have enough money to pay for the school. And then if I go to the school who will go to the factory? “, the boy looked soulfully at the old man. He understands nothing, he thought. He was right. The old man was stupefied, he didn’t know how he could bring cheer to the only person who could see him. And it was his job to make the boy happy, if he could. He thought the best way out would be to ask him. “What would you like to have? Just tell me.

See here, in this sack I’ve just about all the toys in the world. ” “But what in the world would I possibly need a toy for? ” “Don’t tell me you do not like toys. Children love toys, they bring a sparkle to a child’s being, everyone wants a toy, everyone needs a toy,” the old man declared. “But I don’t,” the boy replied, “When would I play with them? ” “Just look at this sweet little Barbie,” the old man continued “and this is a G. I. Joe, here’s a He-Man, take your pick. If you like cars, I’ve a whole lot of them, battery operated and remote controlled, the latest and the best. I have eroplanes and helicopters and I have a dog that barks, a cat that mews, a donkey that brays and a doll that says ‘mama, papa, good day. And a house of cards, chess, carom board, darts, checkers. I also have computer games, TV games, …… ” “Do you have a hacksaw blade? ” the boy asked hesitatingly. “What? A hacksaw blade? What’s that ? ” The old man was bowled. “A blade that’s fixed in a hacksaw. You see I broke one today, they will cut my pay for today. So do you have one? ” the boy pleaded. The old man rummaged through his sack. It had everything he felt would bring cheer and happiness to a child.

Till now, that is. He looked and looked and finally gave up. “It isn’t there, is it? ” Seeing the hopeless look on the face of the old man, the boy said: “It’s okay. Thanks anyway for trying to help. I’ll go now, its getting late. ” “Wait,” shouted the old man, “look here’s a golden sword, a magic lamp, a do-it-yourself kit, WAIT, anything you want, its there. ” The boy didn’t turn back this time. He was already late for work. NEW DELHI—Ten-year-old Sonu sits forlornly on a plastic chair in a ramshackle street food stall in New Delhi, taking a break after serving customers tea.

A ban on child labor in households, restaurants, hotels and resorts came into effect in India on Tuesday but nothing has changed for the tired-looking boy, dressed in scruffy blue jeans and a faded green shirt. Sonu, whose father also works in a food stall, says he’d rather be in school. “But what to do? This is necessary,” said the boy, reality teaching him an early and harsh lesson in life. Sonu comes from a poor family from a New Delhi slum and is one of the millions of children who work in roadside food stalls or in the homes of India’s upper and middle-class.

Officials hope the new ban, which will apply to children under 14, will protect underage workers from psychological and sexual abuse as well as from strenuous working conditions. On the eve of the ban, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh warned of “firm action” against violators but appealed to Indians to give up the practice voluntarily. Under the country’s existing Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act of 1986, children under 14 are already banned from working in industries deemed “hazardous” such as fireworks, matchstick-making, auto workshops, or carpet weaving.

ILLEGAL HELP: Babulu, an 11-year-old boy, cleans tea cups outside a road side eating place in New Delhi, earning INR 25 (50 U. S. cents) per day. The government is working on media advertisements to warn people that they could be jailed for employing children under 14 as domestic helps and in roadside eateries. (Raveednran/AFP/Getty Images) Activists say they have their doubts about how authorities will implement the new ban, given their past record. “This ban on child domestic labor is a welcome step, but changes on paper are not enough,” Zama Coursen-Neff of New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a statement.

Less than three miles from India’s labor ministry, 10-year-old Shehzad is covered with grime and dust as he uses a foot pump to inflate the tire tube of a scooter belonging to a policeman, who watches him impassively. Shehzad does not know that children have been banned for a decade from working in workshops but says it does not make a difference. “I can’t go to school as my father can’t afford to buy books for me,” the son of a rickshaw-puller said, while picking up a plastic container of spare parts. The new ban for children in food stalls and working in homes is aimed at providing legal protection to millions more children.

Those found violating the law could face up to two years in jail, a maximum fine of 20,000 rupees ($435), or both The labor ministry says there are 12 million children under 14 years old working in India, but activists say the number could be as high as 60 million. “This is a good tool for us to fight child labor. Now we have a legal instrument to take it on,” said Kailash Satyarthi, head of the Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement). Authorities say results from the new ban will not come overnight, as many Indians do not see the age-old practice of employing children from impoverished families as a crime.

Activists say the new ban will expose the problems faced by child servants—whose living and working conditions are not exposed to public scrutiny—including loss of childhood and sexual exploitation. “These children are very vulnerable. Their employment is an invisible form of slavery,” Satyarthi said. Even though local authorities have been asked to prepare to accommodate thousands of children expected to be freed from raids conducted on homes and restaurants by police, activists say there has been little provision for rehabilitating the freed children.

A WORLD WITHOUT CHILD LABOUR ….. can be a reality if there are adequate rehabilitation mechanisms. The Times of India, 15 Oct 2006,http://timesofindia. indiatimes. com/articleshow/2172660. cms October 10 was a benchmark date for the child labourers working in households, and the hospitality sector. On this day, the amended Child Labour (Prohibition & Regulation) Act of 1986 came into force, prohibiting households, officers, hotels and guesthouses from employing children aged below 14 years as domestic help.

It is heartening to read news reports that the Labour department has tracked complaints of child labour in hotels and homes, and implemented the Child Labour Abolition Act. But the lack of effective alternatives and inadequate rehabilitation mechanisms makes the implementation of the law a daunting task. Labour minister G Vinod hits the mark when he says, “The task will be difficult. We will have to intrude into the privacy of thousands of households, to check for child labour. The most striking thing about child labour is that it’s ubiquitous everywhere, despite multi-pronged crusades by government legislations, non-governmental agencies and awareness programmes through media and literature. The issue might be the pet peeve of middle and upper middle class families in the social sphere, but a child working in the homes of most of them isn’t an uncommon sight. Most employers assuage their conscience by the thought that they are offering employment to a child, and in the process, the law gets hoodwinked into selective amnesia.

A case in point is J Arvind, a resident of Sainikpuri, who employed a 14-year-old “to help her family that was in dire need of money for survival”. Arvind says, “The earnings of my maid and her mother together is hardly enough to feed two younger ones in their family. A drunkard father makes matters worse for them. If we cease to employ her, what will happen to her family? The child is free to choose whether she should earn or learn. ” Subramanyam, secretary of an apartment in West Marredpally that was recently declared child labour free, suggests, “In most cases, kids work because either their parents are alcoholics or sick.

Apart from prohibiting their employment, the government should also counsel parents and ensure that they are fit to work. ” While there is a debate on which kind of child labour is exploitative, most people agree that there is an intrinsic link between elimination of child labour, elimination of poverty and retention of children in schools. “Recently, when I had gone to an MLA’s house, I was surprised to see a 10-year-old working there. The irony is that the lawmakers themselves break the law. But let us consider that even if the child is sent back to his home, can his family afford to educate and feed him?

In the first place, if they could, they would have never sent him to work,” says R Vijayan, a resident of Begumpet. However, Shanta Sinha, founder of MV Foundation that has been actively fighting against child labour, says observes, “People are aware of the law but don’t pay much heed to it because the government isn’t actively implementing it. ” So what are the solutions? While lawmakers chalk out action-plans to mitigate the problem, Shanta says, “The government should treat the situation as an emergency and get cracking on it. If communities come together and cooperate with the government, the problem can be solved in a year or two.

New forums need to be formed to support the cause. The day we feel a sense of shame for making a child work, that would be the end of child labour. ” Citizens like Shanta Kumari of Bowenpally opine, “I think the state should build homes where such kids can study and get vocational training. Otherwise, employers could educate them at home. ” “Such measures seem like an egalitarian dream in a scenario where even if people are booked for employing children, they bribe their way out or produce fake age certificates showing workers as over 18,” concludes Subramanyam. hyderabadtimes@indiatimes. om Fate of Children in our World : Fact sheet Unicef,http://www. unicef. org/voy/explore/sowc06/explore_2463. html •More than 1 billion children suffer from a lack of proper nutrition, safe drinking water, decent sanitation facilities, health-care services, shelter, education and information. •Of those orphaned by AIDS, 12. 1 million, or more than 80 per cent, are in sub-Saharan Africa. •Every day, nearly 1,800 children under 15 are infected with HIV. Children under 15 make up 13 per cent of new global HIV infections and 17 per cent of HIV/AIDS deaths every year. About 30 per cent of rural children in developing countries are out of school, compared with 18 per cent of those living in urban areas, and over 80 per cent of all children who are not in primary school live in rural areas. •More than 900 million people live in slums; most lack access to safe drinking water, improved sanitation facilities, sufficient living space and decent housing. •In 2004, an estimated 10. 5 million children died before they reached age five, most from preventable diseases. Vaccine-preventable diseases cause more than 2 million deaths every year. There are some 300 million indigenous peoples in more than 70 countries, around half of whom live in Asia. Many of them face extreme exclusion. •There are an estimated 150 million children with disabilities in the world, most of whom face discrimination in one form or another. •An estimated 48 million children in 2003 – 36 per cent of total births that year – were not formally registered. •At the end of 2004, roughly 48 per cent of all refugees worldwide were children. During the same year, roughly 25 million people were displaced within their own countries by conflict or human rights violations. At the end of 2003, there were an estimated 143 million orphans under the age of 18 living in 93 developing countries. •The exact number of street children is impossible to count, but estimates are that tens of millions exist across the world. •More than 1 million children are living in detention (jail) as a result of being in conflict with the law, according to estimates. •UNICEF estimates that in 2005, 48 per cent of South Asian females aged 15 to 24 will marry before age 18. •The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that 246 million children between 5 and 17 are engaged in child labour.

Of these, nearly 70 per cent are working in hazardous conditions – in mines, with chemicals and pesticides in agriculture or with dangerous machinery. Some 73 million of them are less than 10 years old. •Reliable global statistics are impossible to compile, but it is estimated that trafficking affects about 1. 2 million children each year. 23 months ago: Two young Indian labourers load and carry mixed concrete during up-grading work at a railway station in New Delhi, 18 February 2007. India has one of the highest percentages of child labour in the world as it is a source of income for poor families.

The United Nations Children’s’ Fund says that the sheer volume of children engaged in work world-wide is living proof of the world’s failure to protect them. Although India has laws in place to protect children and bans the use of young workers, these laws remain pretty ineffective Day in pictures Babu, a six-year-old Indian boy, works with his grandmother despite a new law prohibiting child labour in India. Child labour is a burning problem in all over the world. In developing countries like India, Srilanka Bangladesh etc is becoming a current issue and government also thinking this issue very seriously and succeeded in some areas .

They are taking support from the public , media ,service organizations and voluntaries. Child labour and the most evil forms of child labour , as defined by international labour organization conventions, damage children’s health, threaten their education and lead to further misuse and abuse. Heavy duty: The pile of tyres seems an overload even for six hands, a sad spectacle caught on camera near Royapettah. When will the shame of child labour end in our country? © The Hindu, January 6, 2008. One thing I find difficult to get used to in India is seeing children at work.

The young boy who rides a bicycle in the mornings delivering milk can’t be over 13. Same with the kids in shorts and bare feet who clear tables and mop floors in restaurants. The rag pickers who roam the streets and rummage through garbage for plastic and other salvageable items are often children. Children are also employed on farms, in hotels, tea shops, and factories. Many young girls work as maids in private homes. Today’s paper reported that over 10. 5 million children work in India, while 60 million children are neither in work or at school.

The law on child labour prohibits the employment of children under 14 in ‘hazardous’ jobs, which includes domestic, hotel and restaurant work, but it is not enforced and children at work, like the image above, continues to be a familiar sight. Not only are they missing out on a childhood and education, but with no one to fend for them, these children are often subject to exploitation and abuse at the hands of their unscrupulous employers. Many of these children’s parents cannot afford to pay for their schooling, and to make ends meet, they send them to work so that they can bring home a little extra income.

The only way to give these children a future is to send them to school. Some employers of domestic staff are willing to pay for the schooling of their employees’ children. There are also many NGOs working to eradicate child labour by putting working children in school and offering support to families so that their children can stay in school. Some of these organisations include the Lovedale Foundation, the MV Foundation and theParikrma Foundation, and there are many others. The cost of sending a child to school for a year is 7090 rupees (123 EUR / 185 CAD / 179 USD).

For many of us, this is a small price to pay for the future of a child, a family, a country. But it’s only through enforcement of the child labour law, responsibility being taken on the part of employers to respect the rights of children, as well as the responsibility of the government to support education for the underprivileged that the ‘sad spectacle’ pictured above will become a less familiar sight. 26 months ago: An Indian streetchild holds a rose at a traffic light as she waits for commuters in New Delhi, 13 November 2006, on the eve of Children’s Day.

Universally, Children’s Day is celebrated on 20 November, every year. This date was chosen as it marks the anniversary of the day in 1959, when the Declaration of the Rights of the Child was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly. However, in India this day has been preponed to 14 November, the date which marks the birth anniversary of independent India’s first Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru. Despite a ban on children’s labour imposed under the 1986 Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act