In the past (sometimes even now), I complained incessantly that I am over-stressed – too much homework, too little time. I thought that life was tough and unfair.
But the moment I knew about a thing called Child Labour, I started to reflect upon my life and realized that hey, my life ain’t too bad after all. Compared to little kids who have to work to get minimal wages in order to survive and thus miss out on the privilege to go to school, my woes are so small, almost negligible.
On top of slogging long hours at workplaces where safety conditions are inadequate, these little ones may also have to live in unhygienic living quarters.
Some may even be victims of crime or turn to crime as a resort to break out of poverty, because no matter how hard they labour, they will always be trapped in poverty. Hence they may seek other ways of getting income.
According to Baker and Jaffe (1999), while poverty is not a direct cause of crime among youths, it brings along with it problems that are associated with delinquency. To save children from becoming victims or perpetrators of crime, “freedom from poverty and violence” is necessary (Baker & Jaffe, 1999).
In Uganda, exploitation of child labourers is also very common, because it is cheap. Many young girls left their villages to work as house maids, but were given “little pay and heavy workload” (Africa News, 2007).
Many experts believe that providing poor children with education is the best way to put an end to child labour. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO) in an article in Africa News dated June 2008, education is essential to “breaking the cycle of child labour and poverty as well as eradicating child labour in its worst forms by 2016″.
Yes, I believe that education for children is crucial to getting rid of child labour. When they spend their time studying, that means they are spending less time working. Plus, equipped with knowledge, they might have a better chance of breaking out of the poverty cycle.
However, I also think that this is not enough. There needs to be education of a different kind – educating the rest of the world, especially the more affluent countries, on the conditions of these children and what we can do to help them.
I’m sure many people know or at least heard of popular multi-national brands which have been said to use child labour to make their products. While the items sold by these companies are expensive, child labourers are paid pittance. According to Senau (2006), soccer balls sold by Nike and Adidas are sewn by Pakistani children for only six cents an hour. Imagine the profits these companies make!
And we, as consumers, are indirectly contributing to this phenomenon.
Hence, as we learn about the circumstances of these children, we should do something about it. It’s as easy as writing to the management of these companies to state your stand against child labour, or just stop buying their products.
To achieve this, the consumers need to know what goes on during the manufacturing process. This would require transparency on the part of the companies involved. Perhaps the government may also step in to ensure that the companies are open about this issue.
I am far from being a saint, but I want to do whatever little I can to help these children, be it donating to causes which help them or even writing about this now, to spread my ideas to other like-minded people.
References:
Baker, L & Jaffe, P. (1999). Why changing the YOA does not impact youth Crime: Developing effective prevention programs for children and adolescents. Canadian Psychology, 40(1). Retrieved August 26, 2008, from EBSCOHost databse http://web.ebscohost.com.ezlibproxy1.ntu.edu.sg/ehost/detail?vid=6&hid=7&sid=29463e93-1c04-405e-9e4c-a78cd21d7526%40sessionmgr107&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=pdh&AN=cap-40-1-22
International Labour Organization. (2008, June 12). Africa; ILO Says Education Is The ‘Right Response’ to Child Labour. Africa News. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from LexisNexis database.
The Monitor. (2007, May 11). Uganda; Let the Children Work, Not Labour. Africa News. Retrieved August 25, 2008, from LexisNexis database.
Sernau, S. (2006). Global Problems: The Search for Equity, Peace and Sustainability. USA:Pearson.
