It is disappointing to hear about child labor in this fast-paced world as this issue has been around since those ancient days and is still happening now. It’s like an endless problem. When we talk about child labour, we can relate it to child exploitation, child slavery and also child trafficking. Child labor can be defined as the exploitation of children under the age of 18 who are forced to work illegally, which can physically harm them and psychologically abuse them. In this issue, we will discover the causes that contribute to child labor and also the solutions.
The first article in the New York Times Online titled “Children in Bondage, Haiti’s Poorest of the Poor” is about the child labor that occurred in Conaives, Haiti. Haiti, which had been hit by hurricanes and tropical storms, has turned its Haitian society from rich to poor and poor to poor due to the devastating economic impacts of the natural disaster. As a result, many poorer families found it difficult to meet their daily needs, especially food. The poorest parents had to work and send their children to rich families or poor families who could feed their children at least once a day. Unfortunately, the children who were sent away did not receive free food. They had to be servants and clean the host’s house while the other children went to school. Meanwhile, their parents had to work somewhere and were promised to return once they could support their children.
In response to this article, I can see that natural disasters not only lead to the destruction of buildings or other facilities, but also affect the economic situation of the affected country. Eventually, the unfortunate citizens have to face poverty and those who cannot pay to send their children to school will force them to work. Therefore, in my opinion, the poor economic situation leads to poverty and ultimately contributes to the child labor problem. People facing poverty cannot afford to send their children to school and these unfortunate children cannot afford to lead a life like other children. The need for food, shelter, and clothing lures their children into the trap of preterm birth. However, poverty is not the only cause of child labour. Other common causes are parental illiteracy, low social status, lack of education and exposure among parents, exploitation of cheap labor.
The second article in The Star (April 6, 2010) titled “Begging Runs in the Family” features the Myanmar community begging for a living. A mother of five admitted that she used to beg with her mother when she was a child and now it seems that her children are following in her footsteps. In Klang, the sight of children wandering around and begging for money has been a normal sight for a few decades. Beggar children, when asked about their parents, say that their parents are dead. Meanwhile, some of the begging women deliberately got pregnant so they could have babies to carry and when the babies grew up, they are asked to beg like their mothers.
In response to the second article, I found that it is indeed irresponsible for parents to inherit the culture of begging from their children. In my opinion, the main cause in the above case is the lack of education and exposure among parents about the importance of education. Children, regardless of community or race, should be educated and sent to school. As for me, parents who ask their children to beg and work have a negative mindset. These types of parents only think about taking advantage of their own flesh and blood. If they are wise enough, they should know that education is the most important component of life that can help provide a better life for their children. Illiterate and ignorant parents do not understand the need for proper and healthy physical, cognitive and emotional development for their children. They themselves have no education or exposure, so they do not realize the importance of education for their children.
The third article in the online magazine Health and Style offers several solutions to child labour. It is mentioned that there are no magic solutions to this problem, but if collective efforts are made, the problems can be slowly resolved. One of the solutions proposed in this article is to provide financial assistance to parents. In addition to that, free school admission should also be implemented to reduce the financial constraint of parents with poor financial background. The acceptance of abandoned child laborers into the Society’s homes could also help provide education for these unfortunate children. Apart from that, law enforcement agencies must be activated to protect child laborers by law. Finally, it is also proposed to improve economic conditions so that child labor does not continue.
I totally agree with all the solutions proposed in the previous article. It is true that parents with poor financial records should receive financial help from interested parties such as the government. If financial help is not provided, job opportunities can probably be offered to lighten your load. Parents should also be educated about the importance of education in life so that they realize that asking their children to work will never help them get out of poverty. Meanwhile, free admission to school is a good idea to prevent poor children from engaging in childbirth. These children are mostly not sent to school due to financial problems. Therefore, by providing free admission to school, parents would have no more excuses not to provide their children with a proper education. However, this idea would have been better if the government provided not only free admission to school, but also free education. This means that textbooks and other things are given away for free. In my opinion, another alternative measure, such as placing children in boarding schools, is also an effective way of providing them with education. This will help children focus on their studies, while parents can also focus on their work. Apart from that, law enforcement is also needed to protect child laborers by law. In fact, sending children to school should be compulsory. Finally, I fully agree that economic conditions must be improved so that child labor does not continue. This is because poor economic conditions can lead adults, especially parents, to engage in child labor as it is considered one of the sources of funding.
In conclusion, poverty, lack of education, poor economic conditions and poor financial background are the causes of child labor that have been identified. There is no doubt that child labor is inhuman as children are exploited and forced to work for the benefit of others. Therefore, I strongly oppose this topic, because no matter what the reasons are, children have the right to lead a good life and enjoy their childhood like other lucky children. Earning a living by working or begging is never the responsibility of the child but of the parents. Children are the future generation that will lead our nation. Therefore, we must provide them with education so that they can be a healthy person. Remember, your faults are our faults.