CHILD LABOUR

The moment you switch on the TV, the first thing that beams on the blue screen are the advertisements. In fact most of the channels, if not all channels, take up most of the prime air time with advertisements. Gone are the days when ladies ruled the roost in modeling, even for products as masculine as a motor bike. For one, motorbike is no longer construed as masculine and next children have become better models of late.

            You see kids selling baby products, cars, and above all, hold your breath even insurance policies. Previously motorbike sellers used women models as they felt they could get the attention of the male population by beaming a sexy lady . Now we all know that children are most attracted to kid movies, cartoons and kid pictures. So obviously if the seller wishes to get the attention of his target population -the children, it was best to use kids. But now, mobile phones advocate the strength of their signal with a boy and his pet dog, children sell jewels, bridal costumes and more the insurance companies employ kids to sell their policy packages ! Certainly, no normal child would be interested in policies. If that be the case, why use them. That is because, children with their innocent façade have the capacity to attract the attention of the grown ups. In fact all the babies both animal and human are created sweet and cute, as they are utterly helpless and they require “looking after” to survive. Their cute chubby, baby fat looks are not accidental; in fact they are in fact created by evolution for a selfish purpose.

            Well I’m straying, my topic here is not “Beauty of Babies”, it is instead “Prevention of Child labor”. At the international level, each nation has evolved Juvenile protection laws and Child labor prevention acts. Stringent mechanisms have been developed to ensure that the children are not exploited. Free Primary education for all children, has been vigorously campaigned by various NGO especially in villages and poverty alleviation programmes have been announced and implemented by governments in earnest. With so much of monitoring and attention, it really amazes me as to how making children model for advertisement escape the watchful eye of the law. It makes me wonder:   

Is  exploitation of well fed children not a crime ?

Is child model not child laborer ?

Are those tender kids not put to health hazards by over exposure to those bright lights?

Will not their character and attitude be damaged by this celebrity status that they get at such early age?

Will their education not be hampered by their shooting call sheets?

The one consolation is, they are paid hefty amounts and at least they do not starve.