The document discusses the negative impacts of tobacco farming and production. It notes that tobacco farming exposes children in countries like Nigeria, Mexico, and India to harsh working conditions, poverty, and health risks from direct exposure and contact with tobacco at young ages. It also discusses how tobacco farming leads to environmental issues like deforestation, soil depletion, water consumption and pollution from the use of pesticides and fertilizers.
The document provides an overview of life in rural communities in Manafa District. It describes the harsh conditions people face with lack of access to clean water, healthcare, education, and basic necessities. People survive primarily through subsistence farming but face challenges from the environment and poor infrastructure. Social life still values community and traditions, but widows and orphans face discrimination. Sanitation is very poor, with people living in close quarters with animals. Education is also greatly impacted by lack of resources like materials, uniforms, and well-paid teachers, as well as long distances to schools.
The document discusses several negative environmental and social impacts of tobacco farming, including deforestation, soil depletion, chemical pollution, child labor, and public health issues. Tobacco cultivation requires large amounts of wood and chemical usage, leading to deforestation, desertification, and water/soil contamination. Child labor is widespread on tobacco farms, and tobacco exposure causes green tobacco sickness in workers and addiction in local communities.
This document discusses child labor, including its definition, causes, statistics, prevalence in India, and relevant regulations. It notes that 246 million children aged 5-17 are involved in child labor, with 171 million engaged in hazardous work. In India specifically, there are an estimated 10 million bonded child laborers in domestic work and 55 million in other industries. The key regulation is the 1986 Prohibition of Child Labor Act, which bans employment of children in hazardous occupations. The conclusion calls for individual and government action to curb this social issue.
Child labor occurs worldwide and takes many forms. Over 200 million children engaged in child labor globally five years ago, many in dangerous conditions. Common forms of child labor include agriculture, domestic work, factories, and bonded labor where families borrow money and children must work to pay it off. Rates and types of child labor vary significantly in different countries such as India, Madagascar, Brazil, Haiti, Sri Lanka, and formerly the US and UK before laws banned it. Poverty is a major driver of child labor as families may have no choice but to send their children to work instead of school.
Child labour is a significant social and economic problem in India, where an estimated 20-50 million children work. Children as young as 6 years old work long hours in difficult conditions in various industries like carpet factories, brick kilns, quarries and shops. Poverty is a major driving factor, as many families rely on children's wages for survival. Laws prohibit child labour in hazardous occupations but enforcement remains a challenge. To fully address the issue, greater efforts are needed to reduce poverty, increase access to education and enforce child labour laws.
There are many disparities between men and women in Tanzania. Traditionally, boys are valued more in society and perceived as able to earn income, while girls are expected to take on domestic duties and care for the family. As a result, boys are more likely to receive an education, with male secondary school attendance at 8% compared to 3% for females. Fewer women also attend university. While the situation is improving with more girls attending primary school, significant disparities remain in many areas of Tanzanian society such as health, employment opportunities, marriage practices, and land ownership.
This document summarizes issues facing India such as hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, gender discrimination, child labor, lack of awareness, and environmental issues. It also discusses the high levels of corruption in India and how the money lost to corruption could otherwise be used to improve many social issues like education, healthcare, housing, and more. Finally, it promotes collective action and volunteering with non-profits to address these social problems in India.
The document provides details about the Children's Eco Village project in Tanzania run by Islamic Help. The village aims to provide care for 160 orphaned children in a sustainable, eco-friendly environment. It describes the facilities and projects at the village including homes for the children, farming using permaculture techniques, livestock, ponds, a mosque, and conservation efforts like tree planting. It also introduces some of the people involved like the manager of the permaculture farm and the imam at the eco mosque. The village aims to nurture the children while also being self-sustaining and training the surrounding community in sustainable practices.
The document provides an overview of life in rural communities in Manafa District. It describes the harsh conditions people face with lack of access to clean water, healthcare, education, and basic necessities. People survive primarily through subsistence farming but face challenges from the environment and poor infrastructure. Social life still values community and traditions, but widows and orphans face discrimination. Sanitation is very poor, with people living in close quarters with animals. Education is also greatly impacted by lack of resources like materials, uniforms, and well-paid teachers, as well as long distances to schools.
The document discusses several negative environmental and social impacts of tobacco farming, including deforestation, soil depletion, chemical pollution, child labor, and public health issues. Tobacco cultivation requires large amounts of wood and chemical usage, leading to deforestation, desertification, and water/soil contamination. Child labor is widespread on tobacco farms, and tobacco exposure causes green tobacco sickness in workers and addiction in local communities.
This document discusses child labor, including its definition, causes, statistics, prevalence in India, and relevant regulations. It notes that 246 million children aged 5-17 are involved in child labor, with 171 million engaged in hazardous work. In India specifically, there are an estimated 10 million bonded child laborers in domestic work and 55 million in other industries. The key regulation is the 1986 Prohibition of Child Labor Act, which bans employment of children in hazardous occupations. The conclusion calls for individual and government action to curb this social issue.
Child labor occurs worldwide and takes many forms. Over 200 million children engaged in child labor globally five years ago, many in dangerous conditions. Common forms of child labor include agriculture, domestic work, factories, and bonded labor where families borrow money and children must work to pay it off. Rates and types of child labor vary significantly in different countries such as India, Madagascar, Brazil, Haiti, Sri Lanka, and formerly the US and UK before laws banned it. Poverty is a major driver of child labor as families may have no choice but to send their children to work instead of school.
Child labour is a significant social and economic problem in India, where an estimated 20-50 million children work. Children as young as 6 years old work long hours in difficult conditions in various industries like carpet factories, brick kilns, quarries and shops. Poverty is a major driving factor, as many families rely on children's wages for survival. Laws prohibit child labour in hazardous occupations but enforcement remains a challenge. To fully address the issue, greater efforts are needed to reduce poverty, increase access to education and enforce child labour laws.
There are many disparities between men and women in Tanzania. Traditionally, boys are valued more in society and perceived as able to earn income, while girls are expected to take on domestic duties and care for the family. As a result, boys are more likely to receive an education, with male secondary school attendance at 8% compared to 3% for females. Fewer women also attend university. While the situation is improving with more girls attending primary school, significant disparities remain in many areas of Tanzanian society such as health, employment opportunities, marriage practices, and land ownership.
This document summarizes issues facing India such as hunger, malnutrition, illiteracy, gender discrimination, child labor, lack of awareness, and environmental issues. It also discusses the high levels of corruption in India and how the money lost to corruption could otherwise be used to improve many social issues like education, healthcare, housing, and more. Finally, it promotes collective action and volunteering with non-profits to address these social problems in India.
The document provides details about the Children's Eco Village project in Tanzania run by Islamic Help. The village aims to provide care for 160 orphaned children in a sustainable, eco-friendly environment. It describes the facilities and projects at the village including homes for the children, farming using permaculture techniques, livestock, ponds, a mosque, and conservation efforts like tree planting. It also introduces some of the people involved like the manager of the permaculture farm and the imam at the eco mosque. The village aims to nurture the children while also being self-sustaining and training the surrounding community in sustainable practices.
Despite economic growth, India struggles to provide basic services to its vast poor population. Key issues include:
- Over 40% of rural Indians lack access to safe drinking water. Waterborne diseases like diarrhea are widespread.
- Literacy and education levels remain low, with half of children unable to perform basic literacy and math skills. Rural school infrastructure is often inadequate.
- Agriculture remains the main occupation but is held back by issues like unpredictable monsoons, lack of irrigation, debt, and crop failures which have led to many farmer suicides.
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Presentation from international meeting on children's work and child labour hosted by the Africa Child Policy Forum, Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, and Young Lives in Addis Ababa, 20-21 March 2014
This document discusses biodiversity loss and its impacts. It does so through a conversation on a train between Susie, her grandmother, Peter, and an old man. They discuss how intensive agriculture leads to biodiversity loss through chemical use and loss of natural ecosystems. This in turn undermines the services nature provides. They also discuss how much land is used to grow feed for livestock, and how this and use of crops for biofuels contributes to food insecurity and hunger for some. Protected areas and ecological networks help limit biodiversity loss but are not enough on their own.
A Brief article and research on the way child labor exists in this century and a scan at the brutal scams in which the employers get benefitted by injuring their poor little children by forcing them to work, resoning their poor working conditions.
Women and work-_the_beedi_makers_of_indiRekha Pande
The present paper examines the reality of gender in the context of human rights, women’s work and exploitation.
We take a specific women’s occupation in a micro enterprise in India, with in the beedi industry, with a case study.
We have taken Nizamabad, in Andhra Pradesh as a case study, but the reality is same all over India, be it Karnataka, Maharashtra, kerala or Tamil Nadu.
This document discusses poverty in India through examples of urban and rural cases. It describes the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, which includes lack of food, shelter, education, healthcare and a sense of helplessness. Poverty is measured using poverty lines that consider income/consumption levels. India has a large population living below the poverty line, with vulnerable groups like Scheduled Castes and Tribes or casual laborers most at risk. Causes include colonial policies, population growth outpacing economic development, and income inequality. States have had varying success in reducing poverty rates.
Poverty is a major problem affecting the vast majority of the world's people and nations. Over 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 per day. Despite the large amounts of money spent on industries like movies and weapons, less than 1% of what is spent on weapons each year would be needed to put every child in school. Nearly 1 billion children live in poverty, lacking adequate shelter, access to water, health services, and nutrition. Alleviating poverty and hunger could significantly improve conditions for the world's most vulnerable people.
Where are the bees going? (Maddy Cheney)Jeff Cheney
Over the last few decades, we’ve started to see the bees’ population begin to dwindle. What is happening to the bees? Will it continue? What would happen if they died off? These are all questions scientists are asking, and we need to figure out the answers quickly.
The document describes a journey to West Bengal, India where significant poverty and illiteracy exist. The travelers discovered an orphanage home to 35 boys and girls from difficult circumstances. They learned the children had little to entertain themselves with and rarely ate hearty meals. In response, the travelers provided grains to feed the children for a month, a chicken biryani meal, and low-cost play items like balls and jump ropes. This greatly improved the children's lives and break times. The document calls for donations to expand and improve the orphanage's capacity, education quality, and living conditions to help more vulnerable children in the trafficking-prone region.
MOUNT ABU PUBLIC SCHOOL PROJECT Save sparrow projectPriya Saluja
The document discusses the declining population of house sparrows in India and efforts to save them. It notes that sparrow populations have sharply declined in recent decades due to factors like deforestation, pollution, and pesticide use. Mohammed Dilawar, a conservationist, started the Save Our Sparrow project to address this issue by distributing over 52,000 bird feeders across India to help restore the urban sparrow population. The project aims to raise awareness about the importance of sparrows and encourage individuals and organizations to take small actions to provide food and safe habitats for these birds.
The painting depicts the author's experience starting an organic garden at his school and home to deal with personal hardship and inspire others. It represents his vision of promoting integrated, diversified backyard gardening through family participation and community support. The summary aims to highlight the key points about using organic gardening for therapy, education, community building, and sustainability.
New Life Trust is a registered Charitable Organization in Agra-North India working for the orphans and poor children through providing the Care & Education and conducting religious activities to impart the moral education and build the Character and a dignified citizen of the Nation India
Munni is a 9-year old rag picker who scavenges through garbage daily to find recyclable materials to sell in order to earn a meager living. Her work is dangerous and exposes her to health risks like cuts, infections and tuberculosis. She lives in extreme poverty with no family or education and contemplates suicide regularly. India generates a huge amount of garbage annually but only a small portion is collected, with scavengers like Munni risking their lives and health to recycle what is left in the dumps. Segregating garbage into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste would help scavengers earn more and potentially improve their lives.
In the Philippines, about 2.06 million children under age 18 are forced to work in dangerous conditions due to poverty. One of the most common forms of child labor is in deep-sea fishing, where children as young as 9 years old dive to dangerous depths to drive fish into nets, often resulting in injury or death. Other common industries exploiting child labor are mining, farming, and domestic work. The government of the Philippines has signed an agreement with the US to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through education initiatives and economic alternatives for families.
This presentation includes basic of PCOS their pathology and treatment and also Ayurveda correlation of PCOS and Ayurvedic line of treatment mentioned in classics.
Strategies for Effective Upskilling is a presentation by Chinwendu Peace in a Your Skill Boost Masterclass organisation by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan on 08th and 09th June 2024 from 1 PM to 3 PM on each day.
Despite economic growth, India struggles to provide basic services to its vast poor population. Key issues include:
- Over 40% of rural Indians lack access to safe drinking water. Waterborne diseases like diarrhea are widespread.
- Literacy and education levels remain low, with half of children unable to perform basic literacy and math skills. Rural school infrastructure is often inadequate.
- Agriculture remains the main occupation but is held back by issues like unpredictable monsoons, lack of irrigation, debt, and crop failures which have led to many farmer suicides.
inShare
0 views
Presentation from international meeting on children's work and child labour hosted by the Africa Child Policy Forum, Organisation for Social Science Research in Eastern and Southern Africa, and Young Lives in Addis Ababa, 20-21 March 2014
This document discusses biodiversity loss and its impacts. It does so through a conversation on a train between Susie, her grandmother, Peter, and an old man. They discuss how intensive agriculture leads to biodiversity loss through chemical use and loss of natural ecosystems. This in turn undermines the services nature provides. They also discuss how much land is used to grow feed for livestock, and how this and use of crops for biofuels contributes to food insecurity and hunger for some. Protected areas and ecological networks help limit biodiversity loss but are not enough on their own.
A Brief article and research on the way child labor exists in this century and a scan at the brutal scams in which the employers get benefitted by injuring their poor little children by forcing them to work, resoning their poor working conditions.
Women and work-_the_beedi_makers_of_indiRekha Pande
The present paper examines the reality of gender in the context of human rights, women’s work and exploitation.
We take a specific women’s occupation in a micro enterprise in India, with in the beedi industry, with a case study.
We have taken Nizamabad, in Andhra Pradesh as a case study, but the reality is same all over India, be it Karnataka, Maharashtra, kerala or Tamil Nadu.
This document discusses poverty in India through examples of urban and rural cases. It describes the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, which includes lack of food, shelter, education, healthcare and a sense of helplessness. Poverty is measured using poverty lines that consider income/consumption levels. India has a large population living below the poverty line, with vulnerable groups like Scheduled Castes and Tribes or casual laborers most at risk. Causes include colonial policies, population growth outpacing economic development, and income inequality. States have had varying success in reducing poverty rates.
Poverty is a major problem affecting the vast majority of the world's people and nations. Over 80% of humanity lives on less than $10 per day. Despite the large amounts of money spent on industries like movies and weapons, less than 1% of what is spent on weapons each year would be needed to put every child in school. Nearly 1 billion children live in poverty, lacking adequate shelter, access to water, health services, and nutrition. Alleviating poverty and hunger could significantly improve conditions for the world's most vulnerable people.
Where are the bees going? (Maddy Cheney)Jeff Cheney
Over the last few decades, we’ve started to see the bees’ population begin to dwindle. What is happening to the bees? Will it continue? What would happen if they died off? These are all questions scientists are asking, and we need to figure out the answers quickly.
The document describes a journey to West Bengal, India where significant poverty and illiteracy exist. The travelers discovered an orphanage home to 35 boys and girls from difficult circumstances. They learned the children had little to entertain themselves with and rarely ate hearty meals. In response, the travelers provided grains to feed the children for a month, a chicken biryani meal, and low-cost play items like balls and jump ropes. This greatly improved the children's lives and break times. The document calls for donations to expand and improve the orphanage's capacity, education quality, and living conditions to help more vulnerable children in the trafficking-prone region.
MOUNT ABU PUBLIC SCHOOL PROJECT Save sparrow projectPriya Saluja
The document discusses the declining population of house sparrows in India and efforts to save them. It notes that sparrow populations have sharply declined in recent decades due to factors like deforestation, pollution, and pesticide use. Mohammed Dilawar, a conservationist, started the Save Our Sparrow project to address this issue by distributing over 52,000 bird feeders across India to help restore the urban sparrow population. The project aims to raise awareness about the importance of sparrows and encourage individuals and organizations to take small actions to provide food and safe habitats for these birds.
The painting depicts the author's experience starting an organic garden at his school and home to deal with personal hardship and inspire others. It represents his vision of promoting integrated, diversified backyard gardening through family participation and community support. The summary aims to highlight the key points about using organic gardening for therapy, education, community building, and sustainability.
New Life Trust is a registered Charitable Organization in Agra-North India working for the orphans and poor children through providing the Care & Education and conducting religious activities to impart the moral education and build the Character and a dignified citizen of the Nation India
Munni is a 9-year old rag picker who scavenges through garbage daily to find recyclable materials to sell in order to earn a meager living. Her work is dangerous and exposes her to health risks like cuts, infections and tuberculosis. She lives in extreme poverty with no family or education and contemplates suicide regularly. India generates a huge amount of garbage annually but only a small portion is collected, with scavengers like Munni risking their lives and health to recycle what is left in the dumps. Segregating garbage into biodegradable and non-biodegradable waste would help scavengers earn more and potentially improve their lives.
In the Philippines, about 2.06 million children under age 18 are forced to work in dangerous conditions due to poverty. One of the most common forms of child labor is in deep-sea fishing, where children as young as 9 years old dive to dangerous depths to drive fish into nets, often resulting in injury or death. Other common industries exploiting child labor are mining, farming, and domestic work. The government of the Philippines has signed an agreement with the US to eliminate the worst forms of child labor through education initiatives and economic alternatives for families.
This presentation includes basic of PCOS their pathology and treatment and also Ayurveda correlation of PCOS and Ayurvedic line of treatment mentioned in classics.
Strategies for Effective Upskilling is a presentation by Chinwendu Peace in a Your Skill Boost Masterclass organisation by the Excellence Foundation for South Sudan on 08th and 09th June 2024 from 1 PM to 3 PM on each day.
How to Setup Warehouse & Location in Odoo 17 InventoryCeline George
In this slide, we'll explore how to set up warehouses and locations in Odoo 17 Inventory. This will help us manage our stock effectively, track inventory levels, and streamline warehouse operations.
A review of the growth of the Israel Genealogy Research Association Database Collection for the last 12 months. Our collection is now passed the 3 million mark and still growing. See which archives have contributed the most. See the different types of records we have, and which years have had records added. You can also see what we have for the future.
ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, and GDPR: Best Practices for Implementation and...PECB
Denis is a dynamic and results-driven Chief Information Officer (CIO) with a distinguished career spanning information systems analysis and technical project management. With a proven track record of spearheading the design and delivery of cutting-edge Information Management solutions, he has consistently elevated business operations, streamlined reporting functions, and maximized process efficiency.
Certified as an ISO/IEC 27001: Information Security Management Systems (ISMS) Lead Implementer, Data Protection Officer, and Cyber Risks Analyst, Denis brings a heightened focus on data security, privacy, and cyber resilience to every endeavor.
His expertise extends across a diverse spectrum of reporting, database, and web development applications, underpinned by an exceptional grasp of data storage and virtualization technologies. His proficiency in application testing, database administration, and data cleansing ensures seamless execution of complex projects.
What sets Denis apart is his comprehensive understanding of Business and Systems Analysis technologies, honed through involvement in all phases of the Software Development Lifecycle (SDLC). From meticulous requirements gathering to precise analysis, innovative design, rigorous development, thorough testing, and successful implementation, he has consistently delivered exceptional results.
Throughout his career, he has taken on multifaceted roles, from leading technical project management teams to owning solutions that drive operational excellence. His conscientious and proactive approach is unwavering, whether he is working independently or collaboratively within a team. His ability to connect with colleagues on a personal level underscores his commitment to fostering a harmonious and productive workplace environment.
Date: May 29, 2024
Tags: Information Security, ISO/IEC 27001, ISO/IEC 42001, Artificial Intelligence, GDPR
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Main Java[All of the Base Concepts}.docxadhitya5119
This is part 1 of my Java Learning Journey. This Contains Custom methods, classes, constructors, packages, multithreading , try- catch block, finally block and more.
How to Add Chatter in the odoo 17 ERP ModuleCeline George
In Odoo, the chatter is like a chat tool that helps you work together on records. You can leave notes and track things, making it easier to talk with your team and partners. Inside chatter, all communication history, activity, and changes will be displayed.
How to Fix the Import Error in the Odoo 17Celine George
An import error occurs when a program fails to import a module or library, disrupting its execution. In languages like Python, this issue arises when the specified module cannot be found or accessed, hindering the program's functionality. Resolving import errors is crucial for maintaining smooth software operation and uninterrupted development processes.
বাংলাদেশের অর্থনৈতিক সমীক্ষা ২০২৪ [Bangladesh Economic Review 2024 Bangla.pdf] কম্পিউটার , ট্যাব ও স্মার্ট ফোন ভার্সন সহ সম্পূর্ণ বাংলা ই-বুক বা pdf বই " সুচিপত্র ...বুকমার্ক মেনু 🔖 ও হাইপার লিংক মেনু 📝👆 যুক্ত ..
আমাদের সবার জন্য খুব খুব গুরুত্বপূর্ণ একটি বই ..বিসিএস, ব্যাংক, ইউনিভার্সিটি ভর্তি ও যে কোন প্রতিযোগিতা মূলক পরীক্ষার জন্য এর খুব ইম্পরট্যান্ট একটি বিষয় ...তাছাড়া বাংলাদেশের সাম্প্রতিক যে কোন ডাটা বা তথ্য এই বইতে পাবেন ...
তাই একজন নাগরিক হিসাবে এই তথ্য গুলো আপনার জানা প্রয়োজন ...।
বিসিএস ও ব্যাংক এর লিখিত পরীক্ষা ...+এছাড়া মাধ্যমিক ও উচ্চমাধ্যমিকের স্টুডেন্টদের জন্য অনেক কাজে আসবে ...
14. In the Sinaloa Valleys of Mexico 200,000 native migrant workers harvest tobacco each year. 50,000 of them are children between the ages of 5-14. The young children are especially useful in cutting and bundling the tobacco leaves. Contact: cap.at@mac.com (07/07 )
15. Working with the plants without protective clothing, the children absorb the poisons through their skin. Some also develop “Green Tobacco Sickness” which is caused by absorbing the nicotine from handling the damp plants
17. Tobacco destroys childhood. Listen to Laksmi, a 9 year old cigarette roller from India as he tells about his family. “ My sister is ten years old. Every morning at seven she goes to the bonded labor man, and every night at nine she comes home. He treats her badly; he hits her if he thinks she is working slowly or if she talks to the other children, he yells at her, he comes looking for her if she is sick and cannot go to work. I feel this is very difficult for her. I don’t care about school or playing. I don’t care about any of that. All I want is to bring my sister home from the bonded labor man. For 600 rupees ($17.20 US) I can bring her home - that is our only chance to get her back. We don’t have 600 rupees….. We will never have 600 rupees.
18. This child in India labor was burned on the leg with a hot knife for running away from the bonded labor man.
23. Young tobacco plants need lots of water to survive. This consumes even more of one of the farmer’s most precious resources.
24.
25. Tobacco is a delicate plant that is prone to many diseases and pests. Some management guides call for as many as 16 applications of pesticides during the three-month growing period before the plants even leave the greenhouse or seed beds.
26. Fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides poison farm workers (usually children in Africa), seep into the soil and pollute waterways and ecological systems, and poison livestock and food crops.
27.
Editor's Notes
Tobacco industry documents and interviews provide a chilling picture of what they are really about - the bottom line $$$$$$$$$$$$. “ The average life expectancy here is about 40 years, infant mortality is high: the health problems which some say are caused by cigarettes just won’t figure as a problem here.” This could translate as – “They die young anyways, so it doesn’t matter if we sell poison to them.”
And in Myanmar among the lowest income families we find these startling statistics. This involved 1/3 of all families at this income level in Myanmar. Family expenditure on food - 60.02% of their income. Family expenditure on all tobacco products - 30.51% of their income. Tobacco consumes 13.4 times more of their income than education. Tobacco consumes 34.6 times more of their income than health care.
In Vietnam a carton of Marlboro could be a third of someone's monthly salary. However, the Marlboro man has become the symbol of luxury in Vietnam. Offer an American cigarette and people will talk to you. An average Vietnamese makes about $300 dollars a year. He spends about $40 dollars yearly on cigarettes. If it doesn't kill him, smoking puts him in the poorhouse. -- “In Vietnam, Smoking, Not Avian Flu Is Biggest Killer” Pacific News Service, Commentary Andrew Lam, Mar 09, 2005
In Algeria, a pack of Marlboros costs the same as 10 litres of milk.
These are The Real Faces of Tobacco Farming The children of Nigerian tobacco farmers grow up exposed to harsh working conditions, poisons and poverty.
THOSE WHO ARE TOO YOUNG TO WEED ARE GIVEN OTHER WORK TO DO, LIKE FETCHING WATER FROM THE STREAM HALF A MILE AWAY.
THE EARLY SEASON OF TOBACCO FARMING IS THE MOST CRITICAL. THESES CHILDREN MUST CONTINUOUSLY WEED THE YOUNG TOBACCO PLANTS.
While child labor is discouraged or even illegal in many areas - the reality is that the majority of this labor takes place on small family farms that cannot be easily regulated. Tobacco farming in most countries is not very profitable (for the farmers). This requires everyone from the youngest to the oldest to work just to survive. In one area of Malawi in In Malawi in Africa 78% of children between 10-14 years old work either full-time or part-time with their parents on the tobacco farms. When the family doesn’t own a farm they are often employed as tenant farmers and are responsible for fulfilling a quota. The owner doesn’t care how the work gets done as long as the quotas are met. So, the whole family works. Photos by Marty Otanez
In the Sinaloa Valleys of Mexico 200,000 indigenous migrant workers harvest tobacco each year. 50,000 of them are children between the ages of 5-14. The young children are especially useful in cutting and bundling the tobacco leaves. This puts them at greater risk of absorbing the many pesticides present on the tobacco leaves through their skin. Some also develop “green Tobacco Sickness” From the large amounts of nicotine absorbed from the moist leaves.
Children of tobacco farmers in Mexico. Suffering from the effects of toxic pesticides. From the Movie “Stolen Childhoods” by Galen Films 2003 [email_address]
In recent years Bidi’s (hand rolled Indian cigarettes) have been popular with College age youth. The majority of beedie cigarettes produced in India are still produced by hand. All too often this is by children as young as 7 or 8 in bonded labor. Even thought this practice has been illegal since 1976 in India, investigations have shown it is still commonplace. It happens when a family is forced to borrow money for an emergency. To pay of the debt, someone from the family must work it off. This can involve several years of tedious labor. Usually the only one that can be spared to do this work is a child.
Tobacco destroys childhood. Listen to Laksmi, a 9 year old cigarette roller from India as he tells about his family. “ My sister is ten years old. Every morning at seven she goes to the bonded labor man, and every night at nine she comes home. He treats her badly; he hits her if he thinks she is working slowly or if she talks to the other children, he yells at her, he comes looking for her if she is sick and cannot go to work. I feel this is very difficult for her. I don’t care about school or playing. I don’t care about any of that. All I want is to bring my sister home from the bonded labor man. For 600 rupees ($17.20 US) I can bring her home - that is our only chance to get her back. We don’t have 600 rupees….. We will never have 600 rupees.
KOBE worked in bonded labor for several years. When he was younger he would sometimes run away to play. They would always catch him and beat him when they brought him back to work. To stop him from continuing to run away, they heated a large knife in the fire and pressed it against his leg to burn him. He said he never ran away again after that. Information from “60 Minutes” report on tobacco slaves in India 2000
Tobacco growing and mannufacturing also affects our environment. We will discuss a few of the ways such as Deforestation, Desertification, Soil Depletion, and Chemical Poisoning.
References: Geist, HJ. Global Assessment of deforestation related to tobacco farming. Tobacco Control, 1999, 8:18-28 Geist, HJ. How Tobacco Farming contributes to tropical deforestation. In: , Abedian et al eds. The Economics of Tobacco control: Toward an Optimal Policy Mix. Cape Town, Applied Fiscal Research Center, 1998
Young tobacco plants are very fragile. They also need a lot of water to survive. The young boys work to keep them watered. This wastes even more of their precious water resources.
References: Environmental Management in Tropical Agriculture. RJA Goodland, C. Watson, G. Ledec. Westview Press, 1984
Tobacco is a delicate plant that is prone to many diseases and pests. Some management guides call for as many as 16 applications of pesticides during the three month growing period that the plants are in the seedbeds.