there is nothing much to debate in this issue. parents normally don't resort to sending their kids to work for others. it's a compulsion brought about by their weak financial status. 1) personally, i don't see anything wrong with it, as long as the work that these kids are engaged into is not very hard/toilsome for their physicality and if their basic needs: shelter, food and most importantly education are met. of course, one cannot force these kids to work if they are incapable, mentally and physically. 2) often times, the work that these kids have to do at their villages is harder and toilsome than those they need to do at cities. household chores are relatively easier than ploughing field or going to jungle to get woods. it's not really a slavery, is it? even if media say so, who cares? the only concern is the underage thing, which is illegal in most countries, whereas in nepal anyone above 14 is not a kid in legal terms. the problem arises if the kids are forcefully sold or employed against their wills, or if they are continuously torchered by their masters. what's the solution? just like maiti nepal, which is working to rescue sexually/physically abused women, governmental/non-governmental organizations can come up for the rescue of abused children. promotion of such institutions is of utmost importance, especially in a country like ours. if CNN is concerned, so will be BBC, FOX or other news channels for that matter. hence organizations like WHO or UNICEF can be called upon to peek into these issues. if they can fund, numbers of rescue organizations can be established. who is going taking the initiative? that's the question for the time being. LooTe