CHENNAI: Around 2,000 children in villages in and around Sivakasi have lost one of their parents to fire accidents in the last decade (1999-2011). A fact-finding study done by a collective, Campaign Against Child Labour-Tamil Nadu and Union Territory of Pondicherry, has found that at least 800 adults lost their lives in fire accidents. The study found that 500 of the deaths were documented as the deceased worked with established fireworks companies. Details pertaining to 300 other deaths were collected from the community. These victims were employed with the fireworks factories through sub-contractors and hence had no documents. The study was carried out in February with the objective of studying the impact of fire accidents on children and the continuation of child labour in the match and fireworks industry in Sivakasi and 40 villages around it.Major fireworks units still continue to employ child labour through a system of contracting and subcontracting whereby the fireworks are manufactured in village households, which are far away from the companies. “In some villages such as Vijayakarisilkulam, Kothai Nachiyapuram, Muthandipuram and Ammaiyarpatti, about 30 per cent of the children have dropped out of schools and are engaged full-time in fireworks making,” said S Then Pandian, deputy director, Centre for Child Rights and Development, who was part of the team that conducted the study.Almost 80 per cent of the children in 40 villages surveyed in and around Sivakasi are engaged in making fireworks and matches before and after their sch- ool hours and also during their holidays. About 90 per cent of the children contribute to the labour full time on Saturdays and Sundays. During the study, many parents had admitted that they engaged their children knowing it was hazardous because wages were paid on the basis of number of pieces made and more hands meant more output. Besides, 90 per cent of them were in unorganised set up and were underpaid. They were heavily exploited making their daily sustenance a tall order. Children were involved in paper tube rolling and paper cutting.
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