Holier-Than-Thou

Hmmm...I heard FD happily announcing that India has banned children from being used as labour in homes...Or something to that effect. He even said that "that's good news for the children in India." Ok. Erm, I get it. I love kids and I hate seeing how they're and have been mistreated. It's sad and the thing is most troubled adults become so because of troubled childhood periods. However, I can't help thinking, is it really good news?

I mean, I know that the kids need to be protected by law against such practices but ever considered the fact that by not allowing them to do so, it would mean that the family would be cut off from a source of their income. I'm pretty certain the kids are not domestic helpers by choice. That would mean that they kinda need the income, don't they? Now, when we deprive them of that income, what will they do? Seriously, I hope that besides simply putting the ban in place, the authorities would find a way to help these children and their family find alternative forms of income. Otherwise, the situation will simply worsen whereby kids do it on the sly, which makes them even more prone to being abused by those who "hired" them. What may be worse is that these kids might find themselves pushed into the criminal world(God forbid!). So, are we really helping them?

I can't help thinking that we, in our "developed" countries think of situations from our own perspectives without taking into consideration the needs of others. It's the White Man's Burden all over again. It's just that it's no longer just the ang-moh.

It kinda hurts to know kids are being abused as such but I think it's more than just a problem of the kids. It's a societal problem. It's the poverty cycle that needs to be broken. Honestly, I don't know what to do either. I hope the ban's not just a way of shutting detractors up but a genuine attempt to help and I honestly hope it would really, really help.

I really do.