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Indian team meets US officials on child labour dispute

A delegation of the Indian Carpet Export Promotion Council has met United States customs and treasury officials in Washington to oppose the demand for banning the import into the United States of carpets made in India, Pakistan and Nepal on the grounds of the employment of child labour in the industry.

Later, Council Vice-Chairman V R Sharma told newsmen on the night of December 10 that the demand, made by the International Labour Rights Federation through a petition to the US customs department, if accepted, would harm India's carpet industry whose annual exports were of the order of $600 million, including $174 million to the US.

He said the council and the government of India were both committed to the abolition of child labour and they had taken steps to do away with this practice. Moreover, the incidence of child labour in the carpet industry was barely to the extent of two per cent.

Additional Secretary in the Commerce Ministry D P Bagchi, who led the delegation, said the government would submit in writing to the customs department opposing the demand for an import ban. The council would present its case separately.

Sharma said if the US resorted to such an extreme step, European countries would follow its example harming the Indian industry.

He listed steps that the council had taken for the welfare of children in the region where carpet-weavers lived. It had established about a dozen schools for their children and its members regularly contributed funds from their export income for the welfare of children.

The delegation, which met congressmen Sherrod Brow, will be visiting Washington again next month to meet other lawmakers, including Senator Tom Harkins who was instrumental in bringing about a legislation banning child labour.

All-India Carpet Manufacturers Association Secretary Arshad Waziri said the US officials appreciated their efforts to eliminate child labour.

He said the industry had taken a historic decision to introduce ''Kaleen, the Hallmark of Commitment'' label for all handmade carpets. ''The user of Kaleen label is abiding by the code of conduct adopted by the council for the eradication of child labour,'' he added.

Earlier, Sharma said that the ''Rugmark'' label, introduced by some voluntary agencies, was not the best guarantee against child labour.

The Federation, an US-based non-government organisation, had filed the petition under a new American law, banning the import of goods, made from child labour.

The law signed by President Clinton in October last applies to goods made by children in slavery who do not have freedom to leave the place of work. It also bans the import of goods produced by convicts and indentured labour.

The law authorises non-governmental organisations and child labour groups to investigate where children are being exploited.

The measure, having the backing of the Clinton administration, would not ban the importing of apparel or footwear made in factories that employ 14-year-olds who are not indentured workers.

UNI