EEaauu ddee VViiee CCllaannddeessttiinnee A Punjabi boy exploited by adults

Photo Report

Zubair TAHIR July 2005

ii

At Paris, illegal immigrants of Indian origin particularly of Punjab earn their lives by working in the black market, like illegal immigrants of other origins. Lucky ones find work on monthly basis while others work on daily wages. Many of them sell items to street walkers and tourists, for instance, souvenirs, grilled maize and water bottles. We can see them on main crossings, places from where they can easily runaway in case of police control. We observed some of such sellers in the proximity of Louvre Museum, the place frequented by tourists. Among them, an adolescent of around 15 years of age…………………………………

iii

A plastic bucket filled with ice cubes and water bottles is used to sell these bottles. The price of bottle is 1 Euro.

Adults sell on the footpaths along the bank of river Seine. They can see the police from far and have many alternatives for running away.

A young boy sells bottles in the entrance of Louvre situated in front of ‘pont des Arts’. He is less visible for police personnel, there.

This passage has many potential customers. The boy sells these bottles from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm with very rare break times.

His « boss » (an adult) remains always in the proximity and furnish him more bottles when required.

The boy sells on one side of the entrance while his « boss » does the surveillance on the other side. In case of police control, he alerts the boy.

iv

Boy hides the buckets between the pillars and escapes. Adults do not themselves sell bottles at this place as in case of police control, they will be arrested and expelled from the country. Minors (less than 18 years) can not be expelled by force.

Asked by security guards of the museum to go away, the boy walks towards the bridge ‘pont des Arts’, however he won’t sell there due to few potential customers …….

Furthermore, the owner of a kiosk (legal) would not permit him to sell bottles in the proximity. The kiosk sells bottles at the price of 1.5 Euro, 50 cents higher than the boys.

He joins other adults selling bottles at the main crossing and will try to regain his old place in 15 minutes.

The young Punjabi boy sells around 40 bottles a day, on average – his bucket can contain 5 to 6 bottles. Indeed, he refills the bucket many times.

Manholes (access chambers for underground cables etc) provide a good place to keep the stock in the proximity and at rather cool place.

v

The boy with his boss fills these chambers with dozens of bottles every morning.

This hidden reserve is very close to the entrance of museum though very much visible to street walkers.

Today the « boss » is absent. The boy was not alerted for the arrival of 3 policemen on bicycles. He is taken to the central courtyard of the museum. The “hearing” takes place at the spot.

Bottles are analyzed and the judgment is given at the spot.

Conviction: Empty your bottles in the bucket.

Bottles are completely emptied. Control, hearing, judgment and sentence executed: The policemen depart.

vi

The boy regains his « selling point » with his empty bottles.

He does not through empty bottles away. He keeps them with him to show to his boss as ‘a piece of evidence’.

Next morning, Sunday at 9:00 am, the boy comes to the Museum accompanied by his « boss » to start a new day.

© Z. Tahir Many thanks to Didier Dheurle and Soizic Veillard.