May 2017 Report
Children rescued from child labour pass with flying colours - Times of India
India’s National Child Labour Project, CHEERS, have rescued 23 children from labouring in hazardous occupations and supported them on their transition back into education. The CHEERS project has proven that every child, whether poverty stricken or less able, can hold a determination and a dream to do well. Out of the 23 students, 4 scored 80% or above and 10 scored 60% or above in national exams. A stand out pupil was Santhosh, who dropped out of school at the age of 10 as a result of poor eyesight and poverty. His parents could not afford to send him to a special school and so they believed he would be better at home. In his exam, after working with CHEERS, he received 416 marks out of 500.
We should never underestimate a child’s worth or determination to do well. This article also shows us the importance of education for vulnerable children. It’s never too late to educate.
India o legalise mica mining in bid to tackle endemic child labour - The Guardian
Illegal mica mines in India see young children mining the mineral for long hours, under harmful conditions. In just two months, over 7 children died whilst mining the mineral used in cosmetics and car paints. It’s believed that around 20,000 children are working in illegal mica mines that have been connected to household brands like L’Oréal, Estee Lauder, BMW and Vauxhall, who are launching investigations. In response, India has legalised the mining of mica in an attempt to drive children away from the hazardous mines. The government has auctioned off the sites in hope that this will make it harder for child labourers to get back into the business. However, the argument is, what will happen to these children and their families now their livelihood is gone?
From 2013, seven-year-old Karulal works with his father in a mica mine. -- The Guardian, Peter Bengtsen
French artist Christain Boltanski’s ‘No Man’s Land’, was made of 30 tons of discarded clothing. Britain alone is expected to send 235m items of clothing to landfill this spring. -- The Guardian.
Zara and H&M back in-store recycling to tackle throwaway culture - The Guardian
Zara and H&M have introduced new recycling systems into their stores in an attempt to tackle throwaway culture. In doing so, H&M has saved around 40,000 tonnes of unwanted textiles from landfill since it launched its scheme in 2013. However, critics are saying that the scheme only encourages consumers to buy more and therefore counterproductive to the environmental cause, and “encourage a guilt-free consumption attitude where customers think it’s a good idea to buy and wear (or not) in ever increasing amounts without thought for clothing’s inherent precious value in terms of people and resources.” More money and time has to be invested into finding a solution that will have a positive long term affect that changes the way consumers purchase.