Even though child labour is prohibited by law in many Asian countries, many families depend on any income their children can bring home.
This is why many children do not go to school, because they have to work. However, if the children do not learn how to read and write, it will be very difficult for them to get a properly paid job.
When they themselves get children, they also cannot afford to provide schooling for their children. In this way, it is very difficult for poor families to change their entire life situation.
All children don't work
However, it is far from all children who work instead of going to school. In Asia, there is a big difference between people who own little or much and, on the other hand, people who own nothing at all. For the poor-most people, daily survival is a harsh struggle, even to get hold on one piece of bread. In contrast, rich people drive about in expensive cars, live in huge houses and have a lot of servants and maids.
Asia has no social "safety net"
One of the reasons why there is such a big difference between rich and poor in Asia is that the societies they live in do not have any "safety net" like in Denmark. If a person gets unemployed in Denmark, he or she can get money from the social security office or from an unemployment fund.
In most areas in Asia, there are not even trade unions which can help the workers to get a decent salary. If a man there looses his job, he has not a "safety net" outside the family and is fully responsible for getting food for his family all by himself.
In the article "Eight Rupees" you can read about how a wise Indian shoeblack gets money. Even if one is poor, one needs not at all be unwise…
