So Young
In the Hills Near Udomxai, Laos

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More than anywhere else in Southeast Asia, I was amazed by the youth of laborers in Laos. Children in the hill tribes, it seems, often begin working at seven, eight, nine years of age. Given the absence of schools in many villages, however, work seems a plausible activity for the able-bodied. Still, I couldn't help feeling chagrin when I'd come across them. This boy was apparently on his own (no adult in sight), trudging down the road with a basket bearing the fruits of his labor. Note the key dangling from his neck; certain tribes (though not all) do lock their doors despite living in remote mountain locations.

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