In terms of child labor, it is hard to figure out how it works without knowing the customs and language.
It seems that many Tibetan and Indian families hire a child, usually 8-15 years old to be a servant, which is a 24/7 kind of duty. These children do everything around the house: from cooking and cleaning to babysitting and chasing monkeys away, to looking after the renters. It is prestigous to have a servant and status of the family may be descerned by the number of servants they have. Children come from the poorest states, such as Bihar and Orissa, where 50 percent or more live in poverty by Indian standards, so in a way they are fortunate to earn something. They usually work on 2-3 years contract for one employer. Is is hard to tell what their treatment is, so far we have not seen anyone of these children looking terrible or fatigued, but that may be the surface...
apparently government has passed the law last year forbidding to hire children younger then 14, but it appears to be just a gesture..if there is no money in the family, how can this children not work or go to school?
in general it is hard to say who is who-you see small kids minding small tea, grocery stalls etc-they could be hired help, or they could be helping their parents in their buseness. We were told that it happens often that an unpayed financial loan can be repayed in years of child's labor, so some families send thier children to work early.
It is also common for Indian children to learn family trade very early in life-6-7-year old become barbers, drivers, etc. The barber who shaved me last time was 24 and he already has 18 years of experience!
we have also seen many poor families from Nepal, that come to work in road and building construction sites in India. They come as a family unit, so children are around as they shovel, carry etc, but they are not seem to be asked to produce like adults, it seems they play around adults...
In Ladakhi villages, it is common for everyone, old and young to be on the fields and not in school during the harvest, but the children get easy duties, like fetching things, serving tea etc.
so hear are a few thoughts and observations -I am sure we will find out more as we travel along..
