A human rights group in India is calling for an end to police forces employing children as young as 5 years old to replace their dead parent's income.
Part of the Indian system allows for a family member of any age to replace a government employee who dies while in service, the BBC reported.
That's why 5-year-old Saurabh Nagvanshi commutes 68 miles from his village with his mother to work in the police station in Raipur. His job duties include filing and taking tea and water to adult employees. He alternates school days with workdays, and is paid $57 a month. While he cannot write, he knows how to sign his name to cash his paycheck, which supports a family of five.
However, Subhash Mahapatra, president of the human rights organization Forum for Fact-Finding, Documentation and Advocacy, claims the practice violates both Indian and international law.
© Copyright 2005 by United Press International
