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About The Asian reporter. (Portland, Or.) 1991-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 19, 2016)
Page 16 n THE ASIAN REPORTER ASIA / PACIFIC Bangladeshi kids work 64 hours per week By Julhas Alam The Associated Press HAKA, Bangladesh — Thousands of Bangladeshi children who live in the capital’s slums are working illegally for an average of 64 hours per week, with many employed by the garment industry making clothing for top global brands, according to a recent report. The report by the London-based Over- seas Development Institute found that 15 percent of children between six and 14 years old were not attending school so they could work full time. At the age of 10, about eight percent of slum-dwelling children had jobs, the report said. By the time they reached 14, almost half were already working. The report was based on a survey of 2,700 slum households in Dhaka, the capital. In Bangladesh, it is illegal for children under 14 to work. It is also illegal to ask anyone to do “hazardous work” for more than 42 hours per week. But child labor persists, as some factories do not require ID cards from their workers or do not understand that employing children is against the law. Children would like to go to school, the report’s co-author, Maria Quattri, said in a statement, “but poverty was driving parents to find jobs for their children, even D POVERTY PROBLEM. Bangladeshi boy Ridoy, age seven, works at a factory that makes metal utensils in Dhaka, Bangladesh, where he earns less than $5 per day. Thousands of Bangladeshi children who live in the capital’s slums are working illegally for an average of 64 hours per week, with many employed by the garment industry making clothing for top global brands, according to a recent report. (AP Photo/A.M. Ahad) though they could see that it would jeopardize their long-term future.” Bangladesh’s garment industry, the world’s second largest after China, provides an economic lifeline for the impoverished country, accounting for some $25 billion in annual exports. It also employs around 4 million workers, most of them women. Industry insiders say factories struggle to keep employees from moving to jobs elsewhere. But child labor is not confined to Dhaka’s slums. Crushing poverty leads children across Bangladesh to take jobs to help their families. Out of an estimated 4.7 million child laborers nationwide, the vast majority live in rural areas, working on farms or in homes as domestic servants, according to government statistics and UNICEF. December 19, 2016 India arrests 12 for not standing during national anthem NEW DELHI (AP) — Police in southern India have arrested 12 people for not standing while the national anthem was played at an international film festival. The arrests follow a ruling by India’s Supreme Court that said the anthem must be played before every film screening in the country and that audiences must stand. The court said the rule was aimed at instilling a sense of patriotism. Anil Kumar, inspector of police in Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala state, said the 12 were arrested in two separate incidents in the city. They were released on bail. In addition, eight other people were beaten by right-wing activists for not standing while the national anthem was played at a cinema in the southern city of Chennai, according to police. My Turn: Van Gogh & the Courtesan Continued from page 6 I’ve written and staged in 14 years. It only took four years of imagining van Gogh talking to a painting to motivate my return to playwriting. But that’s the journey of art and inspiration. It travels through time and locations, and in that way, it endures, just as the original Japanese prints and van Gogh’s paintings live on. Michael Jordan wins China court ruling after years-long case Continued from page 4 respect the court’s decision. In a twist in the legal saga, Qiaodan Sports suc- cessfully countersued Jor- dan in 2013 for preventing it from pursuing a stock market listing because of the trademark lawsuit. The case reflects the difficulties faced by foreign individuals and companies in protecting their copy- rights in China, where do- mestic firms have long tak- en a cavalier attitude to- ward intellectual property. Numerous Chinese com- panies sell products with names that sound similar to well-known foreign brands, often with only one or two letters changed. Chinese law protects foreign companies in cases where their brand was already famous in China before being registered by a Chinese firm seeking to capitalize on its notoriety. However, Apple Inc. lost a legal battle earlier this year when a Beijing court ruled the company had failed to prove the iPhone was a famous brand in China before a Chinese company applied for the “iPhone” trademark in 2007. The Chinese com- pany uses “iPhone” on its handbags and mobile phone cases. Associated Press writer Christopher Bodeen and researcher Yu Bing con- tributed to this report. Go where you want, when you want. Open a Banner Bank Connected Checking account and use any ATM in the country, with no fees. Think of it as your freedom to explore. Let’s create tomorrow, together. Un l im it ed su r c h ar ge r eb at es f r o m n o n - Ban n er o w n ed ATMs. Member FDIC
