2,340,000 people walk in Vienna (Fußgänger-Konferenz Walk 21). That’s over 90 percent of the population. Yet nobody realizes the truth behind what they are walking on; cobblestones. Cobblestones are beautiful rectangular stones that are mainly used for the base of pedestrian streets and walls. But do these 2,340,000 people know how the cobblestones they walk on are made? For cities, tons and tons of cobblestones are used every year and these are mainly produced by illegal child labor in India.

Most cities don’t realize how their huge demand for cobblestones arrives so quickly and why it was so cheap. When a huge amount is ordered, the families in India get their children to work so they make more income. These children range from ages 5-14 and they work over 14 hours a day to make a pitiful one dollar (Indien: Die Pflastersteinklopfer Aus Rajasthan). All this work is also illegal so the sellers have to hide it from the buyers.
No machines are used in cobblestone work because they wouldn’t cut exact enough. That’s when the little hands of children come in very handy. Their eyes function, their backs are strong, and they would do anything for a penny. To support their families, they have to start very early, usually between ages 6-8. Using a small hammer and a mold, they hammer marble like slaves.

But why do children have to work so young? Can’t their parents work instead? That’s exactly the problem. Thirty-five percent of all Indians can’t read or write so when signing a contract, they often get tricked into making horrible deals. Businessmen often add two zeros to 100 dollars, and since most poor Indians can’t read, they get ripped of for 10,000 dollars (Kinderarbeit in Indien-Steinbruch). This means they are in debt their whole life, and when they die, their children will be as well. This is why they have to work all day leaving no time to go to school.

Child labor is not only horrible but is also unfair. Since they work all day, children can’t go to school. They can never pursue a job they want because they are forced to work. Experts estimate that around 150,000 children work in the cobblestone production (Rundschau: Kinderarbeit Fuer Schweizer Dorfplaetze). All these children do not have a future due to their work.

But is there a possibility of change? Anti-child-labor activists says that there is. Therefore, many countries have introduced labels to prove that their products are child labor free. This has slightly improved the production of products but the majority of producers still use child labor.

Child labor has become a huge problem, employing over 60 million children in India (Kinderarbeit Im Steinbruch). Although many organizations are trying to stop it, the need for money is huge and so the families need everyone to help earn it.