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28 year old Basanta (left) is a mother of 2 boys. Her husband suffers from liver diseases and is unable to go to work. She is a sole earner in the family. She dreams of making 10,000 rupees (200$) a month but makes a mere 2000 rupees (40$) a month instead. She is a fast worker and peels about 8-10 kg of cashews a day. She has been working in the cashew industry for the past 15 years, she started working as a child labour when she was 13. nothing much has changed for her since then. Here she is seen shelling raw cashews in cashew processing factory in Prassala, Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, India.. .An estimated number of 500,000 women process cashews for a living in Tamil Nadu and Kerela. 2 million people are employed by cashew industry across India making it the world's biggest exporter of shelled cashews. .The working conditions in these processing units are way below industry standards and violates the basic rights. Wages are as low as Rs. 50 (US $1) per day. The problems for these women is not restricted to low wages. Many women are being injured by their jobs as the factory owners cut corners with health and safety. Oil released during the cashew shelling process is highly caustic, leading to common cases of dermatitis, blistering and discolouration of workers' skin. Women working in these units suffer from pains in their leg muscles, backs and knee joints after squatting positions on mud or concrete floors. It is very rare to find tables and chairs provided on shelling duty..Cashew workers' main concern is to increase their earnings and provide better working conditions. .Photo: Sanjit Das
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Sanjit Das
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Cashew Production
28 year old Basanta (left) is a mother of 2 boys. Her husband suffers from liver diseases and is unable to go to work. She is a sole earner in the family. She dreams of making 10,000 rupees (200$) a month but makes a mere 2000 rupees (40$) a month instead. She is a fast worker and peels about 8-10 kg of cashews a day. She has been working in the cashew industry for the past 15 years, she started working as a child labour when she was 13. nothing much has changed for her since then. Here she is seen shelling raw cashews in cashew processing factory in Prassala, Kanyakumari district in Tamil Nadu, India.. .An estimated number of 500,000 women process cashews for a living in Tamil Nadu and Kerela. 2 million people are employed by cashew industry across India making it the world's biggest exporter of shelled cashews. .The working conditions in these processing units are way below industry standards and violates the basic rights. Wages are as low as Rs. 50 (US $1) per day. The problems for these women is not restricted to low wages. Many women are being injured by their jobs as the factory owners cut corners with health and safety. Oil released during the cashew shelling process is highly caustic, leading to common cases of dermatitis, blistering and discolouration of workers' skin. Women working in these units suffer from pains in their leg muscles, backs and knee joints after squatting positions on mud or concrete floors. It is very rare to find tables and chairs provided on shelling duty..Cashew workers' main concern is to increase their earnings and provide better working conditions. .Photo: Sanjit Das