Textile units in Tamil Nadu have grabbed headlines several times in the past for the wrong reasons. Non-governmental organisations, including international organisations, have alleged that child workers are employed in many textile mills and that some units that employ young women do not provide adequate facilities for those who stay in hostels within the mill premises. Though employment of children has reduced drastically in the last few years and there are only “rare instances” now, the problem seems to persist in an industry that employs about 50 lakh workers directly in the State.