A new study conducted by Dr Davuluri Venkateswarlu, director of Global Research and Consultancy Services, has slammed several multinational companies for utilising armies of female child labour in Andhra Pradesh.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Girls between the age of seven and fourteen are alleged to represent between 85% and 90% of the entire labour force behind hybrid cottonseed production, and are often contracted to work on a long term basis by local seed producers, who supply multinational firms. The report claims that up to 48,000 girls have been employed in hybrid cottonseed farms controlled by multinationals that include Novartis, Hindustan Lever and Mahyco-Monsanto. These firms alone currently employ 8,000, 20,000 and 15,000 girls respectively.
In the report, Venkateswarlu identifies two forms of child labour, both of which exist to keep high profit margins and a tightly controlled, poorly paid labour force. Local children generally work for more than nine hours a day. During winter this can stretch to 11 or 12 hours. Migrant children meanwhile are kept in camps by employers, who commonly insist on 12 to 13 hour workdays.
Aside from the long working days, Venkateswarlu points out that many of the children are suffering health problems caused by prolonged exposure to the poisonous pesticides used on the cotton crop. Large-scale child labour has also had a dramatic impact on literacy levels within the state, as going to work generally means the end to education.
Many local companies, and some multinationals according to Venkateswarlu, insist that girls are essential for business because of their particular skills and physical dexterity.
US Tariffs are shifting - will you react or anticipate?
Don’t let policy changes catch you off guard. Stay proactive with real-time data and expert analysis.
By GlobalData
