Manoj, 7, pulls a buffalo at a farm in the village of Dadari in the...

Manoj, 7, pulls a buffalo at a farm in the village of Dadari in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Severe poverty has thrust millions of children into India's workforce, many in hazardous industries with dangerous machinery. Many have never attended school or have been forced to drop out to work long hours in often deplorable conditions. Although most forms of child labour are now illegal in India, children are allowed to work in family-run farms and businesses. Industries prey on this loophole by replacing factories with cottage industries where they can cash in on the cheap labour children provide. Although poverty drives children to find work, child labour activists claim working children exacerbate the problem by raising adult unemployment levels and insuring a future generation of unskilled, uneducated kids. Picture taken 26AUG97.