"No children work": it is today’s appeal by the Indian bishops, in view of the World Day against children labour, taking place on June 12. Bishop Joshua Mar Ignathios, president of the Work Commission of the Indian Bishops’ Conference, explains the reasons inducing over 100 million Indian children to work in hotels, shops, factories, and small trade, in very bad health conditions and with low wages. "Ignoring this social disease is part of our interests says the Bishop, – even though the country committed itself to fighting this plague". In fact, in India, there are numerous laws, programmes and agreements forbidding children work, but in spite of them, "poverty is the first reason" encouraging children to work instead of studying, above all, to maintain their families. Moreover, "lots of well-to-do families employ children as baby sitters or for house works adds the Bishop, while they send their children to school to make up a career". Msgr. Mar Ignathios suggests a few concrete proposals to the Catholics, such as "taking the firm decision not to rely on children work and to denounce any accidents to competent authorities"; "if some relatives, parishes, priests or ecclesial institutions use children, try to persuade them not to do that"; "refuse tea or snacks in hotels if served by children". The children can also be included in "special classes", evening classes, organized by lots of Catholic institutions, to let them study.
