- Eleven-year-old Chottu* works 12 hours daily at a roadside tea joint near New Delhi’s bustling interstate bus terminus.
The moment fume-spewing buses halt here to disgorge groups of tired and hungry passengers, the frail boy has to push his way through the crowd to sell his wares – packets of potato crisps, biscuits and hot tea, which he pours into tiny plastic cups from a metallic tea pot.
“Child slavery is a crime against humanity. Humanity itself is at stake here." -- Indian Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi
As competition is fierce from other vendors, Chottu has to work swiftly to catch his customer’s eye. “I often burn my hands while pouring tea due to the rush. But I’ve no choice. Meagre sales mean no food for me that day,” says the boy who has been working since his mother died and his alcoholic father abandoned him two years ago.CONTINUE HERE
India Still Struggling to Combat Child Labour | Inter Press Service:
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