Come Deepawali and our hearts are filled with joy and delight. Children and youngsters play with crackers. We distribute sweets to our near and dear ones and so on.

But, in the midst of celebration we tend to forget that there is still a group, for whom celebration is a distant dream. They have been tampered by all but pampered by none. Every day their blood is boiled under thee scorching sun. Their tender fingers play Holi with dust and sand. Can you identify this class?

Yes, you are right! They are the child laborers. You will find them on road sides, restaurants, construction sites, factories and so on. You will also notice them, carrying big school bags of their master’s children. But, there is no one shares their pain.

Government ha enacted a number of laws has been enacted to uproot this social problem. But, no break through has been received yet.

The employers prefer to keep them because they are less articulate than the adult laborers. They fear to protest, if paid less. Even house wives prefer to keep them for the ‘profit’. They believe that their innocence can be exploited for more work and less pay.

These children mostly work in hazardous working conditions in carpet weaving factories and factories producing fireworks

The burning example is Sivakasi fireworks factories. A number of children are employed there. They work under dangerous conditions to make crackers for us. They burn their sweat and blood so that we can make our Deepawali brighter.

Is it not shameful for all of us? Yes, it is.

So this Deepawali, I shall not play with crackers. If all of us join hands we can help those children, isn’t it?
Let’s bring the kids home