Child Labour grows at Afghan Kilns as girls replace women

Aljazeera report of Sept 2022 with many photos, describing sharply increasing child labour in Afghanistan’s brick kilns since the Taliban took over and most international aid stopped flowing. Children are working so that their families will not die of starvation.

As you know the Taliban regime has broken its word and banned women from most work outside the home. To compensate for this more children are working, and especially girls are doing the heavy work at the kilns that their mothers used to do.

In case anyone should think that Afghanistan is an especially backward and benighted place, take note that in the World’s largest parliamentary democracy India (which sends rockets to Mars and exports IT technicians to the West by the thousand) probably a million child labourers work at the brick kilns every year and do not attend any school. This child labour continues within 10 or 20 kilometres of the residences of chief ministers in the full light of day.

https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/2022/9/26/photos-poverty-pushes-afghan-children-to-work-at-brick-kilns

Brickworker Trade Union formed in Rajasthan

brickkilnnewssasia
Aug 31
1 min read

Rajasthan It Bhatta Mazdoor Union (Rajasthan Brick Kiln Workers Union) is active in Ajmer, Jaipur and Bilwara districts of Rajasthan State in western India. Facing many difficulties including banning from kilns and threats of violence against its staff the Union is recruiting workers and intervening with kiln owners and associations to secure better deals for workers. In Ajmer and Jaipur areas the Union is now accepted by owners and its staff can enter kilns and meet openly with workers. In Bilwara district the Union still faces exclusion and threats. The above picture shows a Union meeting at a kiln in Ajmer. More information will follow.