Counterview: Child labour is only a lesser evil

The "Oh! It's atrocious” reaction by most to any talk of child labour has become a cliche. Be it about the young carpet-makers of Mirzapur, or the recent case of international apparel brand GAP withdrawing all ‘Made in India' clothes because a sting operation showed one of the company's suppliers to be using child labour, the reaction of the so-called educated elite is always immediate and fierce.
Without supporting child labour, it's possible to say that such an exaggerated reaction is nothing but an attempt at being politically correct. Just look at the background of these so-called child labourers. They come from strata where their families couldn't afford even the basics in life.
These are the same kids you see moving around our overcrowded towns and cities begging, indulging in petty crime, and at times even doing drugs. Now imagine yourself as a parent, or even a child in that situation when one can afford nothing. What does one do? Allow the child to earn something for the family, with a semblance of dignity, or starve and fall prey to nefarious activities?
Child labour is bad, period. But can our system ensure that every child rendered jobless due to a blanket ban gets education and other basic necessities? In the system we live in, that thought is utopian.
The system therefore has no right to deny the child even the little chance he has of giving a modicum of dignity to his life. Summarily banning child labour is as silly as the courts mandating that a child must study within five km of his home without first ensuring that there is a decent school within that radius. The solution is not a ban, but to ensure that wherever these kids work, the employers don't exploit them.
If child labour is evil, then allowing the child to get into undesirable activities is an even bigger evil. It is time the shouting brigade and the international community accept this ground reality. It may be less than ideal, but till we set right the situation it's better to live with a lesser evil.
View: Employing children is inhuman