What it's all about: India

2008-07-17T22:24:00.002+10:00

"I've signed up to do the 40 Hour Famine. Now what's all this about.. child labour, trafficking and slavery?!"

India fact file

7th largest country in area in the world
1.1 billion people
Sub-continental country sitting between the Middle East and Asia
300 million people live on less than US$1 per day
4 out of 10 people can't read or write
Almost half of all kids under five are malnourished

Poverty in India

India is going through an economic boom. But even with all this money, India still has more poverty than any country on earth. Confused? Here are some reasons why there's poverty in India:

India is BIG. With so many people, it's hard to get resources spread out evenly.
A high level of illiteracy. There are A LOT of people who can't read or write. For these people it's really hard to earn money, so they have to work in the fields, in sweat shops or picking up rubbish, just so they can buy enough food to eat.
The caste system. India has a traditional cultural system called the 'caste system'. Although it has been outlawed, in practice it's still very influential. For the huge number of people at the bottom of ladder it's really hard to get an education or a better job.

In India, you see child labour everywhere

Caption...

Question: How do families get money if they can't read or write, or get a decent job?
Answer: They all work doing anything they can.

The cold, hard truth about poverty is that for many poor families, child labour can be the only way to survive.

Child labour means:

Hard work, for little or no pay
Kids as young as four or five are forced to work
They work in dangerous places, like garbage dumps, sweatshops and factories
They may work up to 17 hours a day, seven days a week
Kids sometimes eat and sleep in their workplace
They can't go to school.

Child trafficking: Tricked, stolen or sold into slavery

'Child labour' also refers to when kids are tricked, stolen or sold into slavery. When a family is poor, parents or relatives sometimes 'sell' children to borrow money from corrupt moneylenders. The kids often receive no pay, and are forced to work very long hours, in dangerous conditions, very far from home.

There are 45-80 million Indian kids working in child labour right now.

Rural children and families are often ‘tricked' into sending away their children to the city with the promise of a good job, only to find they are forced into child labour. Children can even be ‘stolen' from their families to work in factories, farms or sweatshops.

The crunch

The main reasons kids are forced into child labour, trafficking and slavery are:

Poverty, cultural practices
Lack of education
People want to exploit them as cheap/free labour
Child protection laws are not enforced.

Upcoming Events!

2008-07-17T06:42:00.000+10:00

This term will be full of creative and exciting fundraising and advocacy events, so watch this page for event details and ways to get involved.

Film for Famine

What: Film and rating TBA
Who: All FGSHS students, friends, family and community members
Where: FGSHS Ralph Took Auditorium
Date: Friday, 25th July 2008
Time: 6.30pm – 9.00pm
Cost: Tickets will be available at the FGSHS Office from the 15th July for $5 (all ages). Tickets may also be sold at the door. $5 entry price includes supper.

Slave Auction

What: Seniors and teachers will be up for sale! So get together with your mates and bid for a slave! They will be available to you for a whole day and perform menial tasks such as waiting in the tuckshop line, carrying books and marking drafts. The aim of our Slave Auction is to create awareness of child slavery and raise funds for our famine campaign.
Who: FGSHS students and teachers.
Where: Quadrangle above the canteen.
Date: Auction Day - Tuesday, 5th August and Slave Day – Wednesday, 6th August.
Time: 1.10pm – 1.50pm (lunch)
Cost: The slave reserve will be $10 (a small group of friends may wish to pool their money) but feel free to fight for your slave! Remember all funds are going to a fantastic cause and will help us reach our total!

Change for Chains

What: We will be setting up camp in the middle of Brookside to advocate for child rights and raise funds for our famine campaign. Members of the community will be able to purchase a paper link to add to our paper chain. They may like to write a message or their name on the link and then come back later to check out how much the chain has grown over the day. The chain is a symbol of slavery. Mime for Mohammed (see below) will be occurring at the same time.
Who: FGSHS students, teachers, parents and members of the community.
Where: Brookside Shopping Centre.
Date: Saturday, 16th August (FAMINE WEEKEND)
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Cost: $1 for a paper link, donations may also be made.

Mime for Mohammed:

What: We will be setting up camp in the middle of Brookside to advocate for child rights and raise funds for our famine campaign. Mohammed is a 10-year-old bonded labourer, who Kate met in India. Please take time to read Mohammed’s story (insert link). To remember Mohammed, FGSHS students will be participating in a silent mime. They will be enacting a real life child labour situation based on what Kate witnessed in India. Videos from Kate’s trip will be playing in the background and we will have banners and heaps of information available for the community.
Who: FGSHS students, teachers, parents and members of the community.
Where: Brookside Shopping Centre.
Date: Saturday, 16th August (FAMINE WEEKEND)
Time: 10.00am – 1.00pm
Cost: Donations may be made or people may purchase chains at the Change for Chains stall.

Make Poverty History Armbands

What: White Make Poverty History Armbands will be available for sale and allowed to be worn at school from (dates TBA)
Who: FGSHS students and teachers.
Where: Quadrangle above the canteen.
Date: TBA
Time: 1.10pm – 1.50pm (lunch)
Cost: TBA

Keep posted for more awesome upcoming events!

Ferny Famine '08

What it's all about: India

Upcoming Events!