When we endeavour to find a way to lift the standards of football in India and Over-enthusiasts find millions of hopes in the latest visit by Joseph Sepp Blater, the FIFA chief ,many thousands of children struggle to make both ends meet in the football manufacturing industry. India being the second largest producer of footballs after Pakistan has a sprawling market, India's production reached almost US$ 18 million (Rs. 7,854. 76 lakhs). United Kingdom imported a total of US$ 6. 86 million for the same period. Other important European importing countries are France, Germany, Spain, Italy and The Netherlands.As regarding the number of child labour employed we have a conflicting situation.According to the Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporter's Association in India, the total number of persons working in the industry is about 30,000. A report by Christian Aid however gives a figure of around 300,000 people working in the industry, "either in the 1,500 factories and smaller manufacturing units or as subcontracted home-workers".

To investigate into the scenario of child labour the V.V.GIRI NATIONAL LABOUR INSTT was roped in by FICCI.The excerpts are as under:-The report estimates that about ten thousand children are working in sports goods production. Of these about 1,350 are only working (and not going to school) while the rest are both working and school going. While 92% of the working children are stitching footballs, 8% of the child laborers in Jalandhar and its surrounding villages make other sports goods such as shin pads, cricket balls, rackets and shuttles.our browser may not support display of this image.

The report makes a distinction between children who are only working (OW) and not going to school, children who are working and school going (WSG), children who are only school going (OSG) - although they might be doing households chores - and not working and not school going children (NWNSG).The survey found that three out of four families reported children who are either only working or combining education with work.Footballs are stitched by children from five years and older. However, 'only' 11% of the OW children are between five and nine, while 26% are between ten and twelve. The rest (63%) are thirteen or fourteen years old. Two-thirds of the WSG children are between five and twelve, indicating that most children start to stitch footballs when they are quite young.

The work participation of boys and girls in stitching balls is almost the same.The work intensity of the stitching children is high. A six-year-old 'only working child' spends on average seven and a half-hours stitching balls, while a thirteen-year-old child spends nine hours of work. Children who go to school and work have to shoulder a bigger work burden: nine hours when they are six and almost eleven hours when they are thirteen. It is also striking that a quarter of the OW children work at night, while 14% of the WSG children do so.Most children leave school from ten years of age onwards. There is a relatively high rate of school attendance of children between five and nine years old. However, with the average number of working hours (besides school work) being more than three hours each day after the age of ten, the pressure builds up to leave school: "The work pressure finally leads to dropping out of school. The data suggests that 90% of drop-outs have turned into full-time workers. The NLI report states that more than half of the respondents say that financial problems or the need to assist in family work forced the children to leave school and start working full-time. More than a quarter of the respondents reported lack of interest in school as the main reason for dropping out. The NLI report sums up the impact of child work on education as follows: "Child work renders school education futile in the perception of both parents and children. Parents do not insist and children lose interest. .

There are many factors to consider in this issue. The quality of schooling combined with the lack of school-going tradition (especially for girls), the pressure of work once started and the fact that most snitchers are socially discriminated 'Dalits' might ultimately be more important than the often, and perhaps more easily voiced, financial reasons to drop out.

Earning money is not the only reason why children are working. Even in the lowest income category children go to school, while at the same time there is a very high incidence (67% or more) of child labor in the households earning more than Rs. 600 per capita per month. The NLI report concludes: "Though income may be an important condition for a household to make the child work, it is not the essential condition. .. on the part of the family to involve children in wage employment. "

The legal help is not also available .The Indian Child Labour Act(1986) does not recognize football stitching as a hazardous occupation and as homework is recognized in all occupations .

FIFA mulled formulating a ‘CODE FOR LABOUR PRACTICE’ for all nations so that the scar of child labour can be wiped out. In reality never the Code originated. Yet World Federation of Sporting Goods Industry has taken initiative and coded some regulations, though they fell short of expectations and most astoundingly the word ‘fare wages’ is missing.

Lets stop this gross injustice to the sunshine lives of India ,all lovers of the great ballgame have to take up the fight.
Reference: Indian Committee in Netherlands