Globalisation and Women’s Work in the Beedi Industry

What is it about?

The present paper looks at human rights in the context of labour exploitation and views children’s work and exploitation in the beedi industry. We take a specific micro enterprise in India with in the beedi industry with a case study. Beedi is an indigenous cigarette, in which tobacco is rolled in a tendu leaf and tied with a cotton thread. This industry is mostly dominated by the dalits which are caste groups below the poverty line. Women from the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward castes, mostly make this sitting at home. Putting out system through the middlemen is very widespread here, as most of the workers are home based piece rate workers. Being a home based industry children in general and girls in particular seem to be an easy prey as workers. This is a much gendered industry, for only women and girls make beedis. Beedi rolling is an extremely labor intensive, backbreaking and strenuous occupation but women and children continue to do it in the absence of other source of livelihood. This work is very important for the survival of this group, for they do not have land or any other means of livelihood. We had conducted a Study in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India and use data from this study for the present paper. Our study shows that many of these children suffer from various health hazards not because they are smoking these beedis but because they are making them. These children work for long hours combining house work or school with beedi making. They have no access to education and entertainment, sports and recreation. They are exposed to health hazards like cold, chronic bronchitis, back ache, headache, stomach troubles etc. We conclude by showing that human rights have to be understood in the context of the total scenario, which is very exploitative in the case of the beedi workers. The structural violence here is rooted in class, caste and sexist nature of society whereby girls are undervalued and discriminated against at every turn.

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