Child Labour: Prosperity by the Sweat of Children.

 

     Most children in all societies work in one way or the other. The type of work they do vary within society and over time. Some parents sent their children for errands which is acceptable and done everywhere, work are an integral part of children and can be an essential part of their education and act or transmit vital skills from parent to offspring. In some countries, children are involved in apprenticeship in workshops and small scale services and or vocational skills with a view to becoming a full fledged workers with this skills later in life
.

     According to the International Labor Organization (ILO) the number of working children between 5 and 14 years of age in developing countries is more than expected. It is believed that they spread over the world. Industrialized and developed countries are not left out of this.

     In some countries, large number of children work and earn pocket money or sometimes engaged in paid employment under seasonal activities. The united Nations Children Fund maintained that such work is beneficial, promoting or enhancing a child physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development without interfering with schooling, recreation and rest. The big question now is " what is child labor?

     Child Labor is about children who work long hours for low wages, often under condition harmful to their health. This type of work is palpable, destructive or exploitative. It is unacceptable and is harmful to the future of these children. Sometimes girls are used as prostitutes, while their employers made huge sums of financial gains on their behalf. This is exploitative and unacceptable. No one would argue that exploiting children as prostitutes is acceptable in any circumstances, Some of these work are hazardous and does not focus on the safety of the child rather their employers are chasing their selfish ambition of prosperity.


                                                  CAUSES OF CHILD LABOR




     Exploitation Of Poverty: Poverty has been one of the major indices of child labor, it is a powerful force driving children into hazardous, debilitating labor. Some parents finds it hard to meet up with their children's welfare and basic need of life such as food, clothing, shelter and many more, therefore the little contribution from their children goes a long way to assisting the family forged ahead. some of these children does not really care on the negative side of this activities to them and their future, all what they know is on how to help their parents meet up with the family need,

     Unemployment or Underemployment: This is also associated with the urge from parents to assigned their children for this harmful and hazardous labor. But the big question here is " why is it that their children are offered the job instead"? The answer is because children can be paid less, and because children are more docile and malleable, that means they will adhere to instruction, seldom questioning authorities. Equally because children are less likely to organized resistance against oppression and because they do not strike back when they are physically abused.

     Lack Of Education: Education is the creation of awareness, enlightenment, knowledge, skills etc.If a child is educated it will be difficult for such a child to be used and abused. In developing countries,cuts in social spending have hit education particularly hard. For instance some of these countries, their schools are badly managed, no classrooms, talk less of seats, or learning materials like books, good library, and even blackboards are not issues to write home about. Little wonders why children from such schools end up working outside each day they claimed they went to school.

     Traditional Expectation: The more hazardous and harder the job is the more likely it is to be left for ethnic minorities, the lower classes, the disadvantaged and the poor. According to one adage which says " some children are born with silver spoon in the mouth ." This points to the fact that some people are born to rule and to work with their minds, while others, the vast majority, are born to work with their hands and bodies respectively. This means that in respective families it is a taboo for their children to undergo hard labor because of their traditional status in life.

                             
                                                          
                                                           FORMS OF CHILD LABOR


 

     What are the shapes child labor takes: Most child labor or workers are in domestic service, such laborers have been dubbed " the world's most forgotten children." Domestic service need not be hazardous, but it often is, children in domestic servitude tends to be poorly paid or not paid at all. Their masters set the terms and conditions of their work entirely at whim. They are deprived of affection, schooling, play and social activities. They are also vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse. Other children finds themselves as forced and bonded laborers, parents pledged their children to factory owners or agents in exchange for small loans and sometimes the children life long servitude never succeed in reducing the debts.

     Another form have to do with the exploitation of children as commercial sex workers, over one million girls world wide are lured into sex trade, some boys too are often sexually exploited This form of labor cause series of infliction and damage both physical and emotional to the life of these innocent children. Hiv and Aids infection is deadly and dangerous, thus making it hazardous as a form of child labor

     Industrial and plantation labor is another form of child labor that has taken a high percentage of children, such children toil and labor in mining operation that would be considered too risky for adults. Such operations has a negative impact on the health of the child, such as, asthma, tuberculosis, bronchitis and many more, they are equally expose to other physical attack such as snakebites, pesticides and insect sting. Some have been mutilated while cutting cane with machetes; Others have made the street their work place; Fleeing from home in search of freedom, but rather met with more abuse and exploitation in the street.

     The effect of child abuse and labor on the psychological, emotional and intellectual growth of the victims are also grave. Such children are deprived of affection, beating, insults, punishment by being deprived of food and sexual abuse are very common. They are also deprived of education. Majority of these children are condemned to lifelong poverty, misery, sickness, illiteracy and social dysfunction. In all of these, What is the way out of this misery?

     Child labor is often a complex issue, powerful forces sustain it, including many employers,vested interest groups and economists proposing that the market must be free at all costs, and traditionalist believing the caste of class of certain children denudes them of rights.

     Since the condition are so complex, it is the humble appeal of concerned parents that international bodies like the ( international labor organization) should make an attempt to prods respective governments to pass legislation banning labor by children under the age of 15, and also to promotes new conventions to ban child worker under the age of 12 and to outlaw the most dangerous form of exploitation on children.

     Children are precious gifts from God and should be nurtured with care, as they are our treasure and we parents ought to bring them up discipline.....to attract God's blessing that accompanied this task. Read more here