(ANS - Sivakasi) - As per tradition, the entry of 2014 was celebrated around the world with extensive use of fireworks and pyrotechnics. But what is usually associated with celebration and euphoria can hide behind exploitation and human rights violations. For this reason, the Salesians reaffirm their commitment to the authentic and integral development of the child.

In southern India, in an arid region of the state of Tamil Nadu, lies the town of Sivakasi, known throughout the country for the manufacture of matches, fireworks and firecrackers. Sivakasi makes up to 90 % of national production. Not so well known, however, is the fact that a very high percentage of these products is made by hand by thousands of boys and girls, about 6,000 of them according to some estimates.

Many of these children are there without parents. They come from poor families, from the most depressed castes of society, often from rural areas, perhaps affected by the drought. The children work around the clock. They sleep in huts, have a poor and monotonous diet ​​of rice and lentils, and receive a payment that rarely exceeds 50 Euro cents per day.

They are deprived of family care, education and games. They are vulnerable to poisoning from the substances they handle, and exposed to sexual abuse from bosses and to many other risks.

Their work is very dangerous. The NGO Jugend Eine Welt, based in Austria, recently pointed out that in 2013 there were many serious accidents in industries that produce fireworks.  Last May in Sivakasi an eleven year old boy lost his life, and many other children engaged in the fireworks industry suffer serious injuries leading to permanent mutilation.

The Salesians have several works in Sivakasi and run many activities to support the poor and marginalized, and particularly to help poor child-workers who are outside the educational system. They have schools, courses for non-formal education, a home for homeless boys, evening study centres, self-help groups for women and a centre to prevent children from dropping out of education. They are also planning to open a centre that will offer work training to children from poor families to help them to find less dangerous work.

Published 10/01/2014