Child Labor

I have this principle of not hiring under-age kids for domestic chores, 10th std is my benchmark. I have tried to stick to it but it is proving to be very difficult.

It all started with my watchman taking offence, his complaint: "Everyone in this apt hires my kids for some work or the other, except you. Why don't you like my kids?" Now how does one tell an uneducated man the pitfalls in hiring under-age help and my principles against it? 

Then my maid servant announced that she has stopped sending her daughter to school, would I be interested in hiring her for some extra house-hold help? I tried my best to persuade her to send the girl back to school. I volunteered to meet the expenses, she countered it's govt school so fee was not an issue. Then why deny her education, what was the problem? My maid's husband did a disappearing act and left her with three kids. Elder one was married and the younger one was too young to work. So the burden of sharing her responsibility fell on the second child. Her argument was simple, the time the girl spends at school can be converted into cash. All the girl needs is one or two decent homes and she will be earning at the minimum 5K per month, which is a lot of money. How can one argue with that logic? I went to the extent of offering to pay the 5K so the girl can continue her studies. But why came the question. She has enough education to read and do simple arithmetic, what good will come out of completing school? Families will think twice before considering her hand in marriage. No one in their community wants an educated girl for their sons. She promised she will educate her third child.

Another case, the son of our watchman. He showed some potential and we, the entire apt complex, nurtured him. We paid for his education and he became an engineer. He did a decent job and passed with average scores but nothing exceptional. Unfortunately, he didn't get through in campus placements. Companies look for smart and impressive candidates, which this guy was not. So he was stuck. He feels doing menial work, like his father, below his station and he was not getting any corporate jobs. It took us a couple of months to convince him that no job was too small. So what good did his education?

Coming back to my maid servant. When the daughter came of age, she got her married, took some heavy amount of loan from me towards dowry and expenses. She feels obligated and works very loyally, never asks for a raise nor does she refuse any work. Is that bonded labor? Her third child decided he wasn't interested in studies and quit after 7th std. He took up driving lessons and works as a driver making more than the above-mentioned engineer. She is very happy. All her children are obedient, they take good care of her and are happy in their respective lives. What more can she expect? Compared to the watchman, who is stuck with a surly engineer son, her choice seems very sane and practical.