When it comes to children solders, you hear stories about it on the news or in classrooms or in articles, but it never really effects you because you rarely see the faces of the children or hear their stories. The two movies that we have watched have really opened my eyes to this world that few know or even really care about. You see these children who every night seek refuge because they are afraid of being taken and forced into this world that they should have no part in. With a quick background to the movie are three men who are interested in making movies and documentaries. While on the hunt to make a documentary they come across the battles and civil wars or Uganda and decide to risk their lives to tell a story. They proceed to Uganda to find thousands of children who seek refuage in areas to hide from the rebel forces.
What I first would like to talk about is how these kids are treated and brought up in this town. Their living conditions are horrible and how these children are constantly afraid. First I want to bring up their living conditions. They are jam-packed into tiny rooms that are full to the brimb and barly have enough room for these children to stretch out. In some areas there are bugs that infest the area and is soaking wet from the constant rain storms. With that these children are valuable to being raped, sickness and malnutrition. Second thing is how these kids live in fear. Fear that one day this horrible man will come into this refuage and take them to the brush. Once in the brush they will be tortured and live in constant fear from being beaten and other horrible things. It surprised me in the video that one of the main kids they interviewed, named Jacob, escaped from this rebel camp and would rather die than live in fear and go back. This boy had been thru so much constantly looking over his shoulder thinging the rebels were going to find him. Having to hide all day and sleep in a refuage camp just so he would feel safe, and lastly watching his brother die for them trying to escape. It saddens me that he is not the only young kid in Uganda that will experience this.
I have expressed this before and every video we watch has some mention of play in it or loosly associated with it. These children have grown up around violence so much that it effects their way of life. The rebel children who are kidnapped are withheld from play and as a result they are brainwashed and don’t have a childhood. In the movie they showed a clip of when they reclaimed a child who had been in the rebel army and had been brainwashed, when he was asked to draw or play, all he knew was killing. He would draw pictures of guns, death etc. When him and other chirlden who escaped would attempt to play they would play violent tag games or tend to be more aggressive towards the other children who they were playing with. These kids had their rights as a child stripped away from them causing them difficulties in rejoining their lives as children. They lived in fear and most the times live in hidings from these people. These kids will have a difficult time rejoining society because of the horrors they have seen and not being able to interact with other children. I feel that with the help of the community and through play this children will slowly be able to regain their childhood and go on to live a healthy life.
These stories and movies we have seen is a real eye opener on how these monsters are using children for their own personal gain. These selfish people are using these kids and stripping them of their constructional rights that they are given as children for what? So that this guy can be the leader of Uganda? So this guy can feel that he has some power so he uses these kids to express it? Why does he do these sick things to these innocent children. And not only does he do effect the children in his army, but all the kids in the surrounding towns. These children live in fear and are unable to have a normal childhood. And what are we doing to stop this horrible man? From the looks of it not much. Sure the UN has set up peace talks, struck a few deals, but nothing else. This guy is single handily terrorizing a whole country and no one is doing anything about it. Our politicians are to worried about oil and oil prices to step in a possibly save lives of thousands of children and adults. Sure I don’t want to be paying five dollars a gallon at a gas station, especially since I drive a truck, but these children are more important that any gas price. I have a set future with plans that I know I can and will achieve, and I feel that those kids sould have the same benefits as I do. So we need to stand up as a nation and help protect these kids at all cost and find a way to take out this man and others like him all around the world so these kids can have a future other then death, distruction and fear.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Monday, April 18, 2011
week 13 sex trade/slavery
Human and child slavery is still a huge problem not only in the United States, but all around the world. Most people thought that the slave trade was over following the civil war and in following years all nations adopting some sort of non slavery agreement, but they were wrong. There is still a high volume of slavery in the world, even more then when slavery was acceptable in the early colonist days. The number of human slaves as stated in the video was estimated at 27 million people. That almost doubles then the amount of slaves back in the civil war time. What I found to be horrible but a possible reason it is higher in today’s world is the amount that they cost. The movie states that an average cost for a human slave in the colonial days was about 40,000 dollars in today’s money. The movie also describes that an average slave today is sold at 100 dollars. So because the price is so much cheaper these people don’t care how they are being used. They will use this child or person to its breaking point and when they are all used up just throw them away. With the colonist days the movie described that “they used the slaves as an investment.” Sure they did beat the slaves and do horrible things to them, but because they were so expensive they wanted to get more out of them then what slave owners today would get. It just sickens me that people today can have a price when every human life is priceless.
The next thing that sickens me is how these children are sold or tricked into slavery. The first girl in the film stated that her father turned her over to this female, because she promised him that she would give her a better life and education. So in efforts to get his daughter a better life she is given to her, but as a result he was tricked. Because he was tricked his daughter was now being used as an unpaid slave and forced to clean multiple houses. Another story was a Vietnamese girl who was told about a better life in Cambodia and that this lady will take her on a trip there but couldn’t tell anyone. Once she got to Cambodia the ladies mood changed and became violent. She was then sold into the sex trade against her will and couldn’t return home. The final story was a young 13 year old female who was sold by her aunt for money into the sex trade. She was in it for a while, but escaped and now is living at a safe home. These people both family and these people who take advantage of these kids are sick. You are taking an innocent child and forcing them to do things they are not meant to do at that young age. You are robbing them of not only their innocents but their childhood. These people need to be stopped and receive the worst types of punishment imaginable.
Another thing that stuck as a reason for all this sex trade is poverty. These people who live in a poverty stricken area or unable to barely feed themselves and others feel like they have no choice. Others are sold into this life by the family because they are tricked into thinking they are helping their child. They are told that they will get an education, or they will be doing other work such as waitressing or other types of work. Poverty is the reason a lot of these kids are put in the places they are today. If it wasn’t because of poverty these parents wouldn’t need or feel the need to sell their kids for their own personal gain or being tricked that they will be receiving a better life. I don’t think poverty is the only factor in the sex trade, but I do feel it is a major part.
These people who do these horrible things to children deserve no consideration when it comes to punishment and they need to have the book thrown at them. And the people who actually engage in sexual acts with these children need to thrown in jail for the remainder of their lives. They are manipulating and robbing these poor children of their childhood. To conclude I really think that we need to take a step back and look at the worlds poverty. Parents wouldn’t be selling their kids if the were able to support themselves and their family. They wouldn’t try to be seeking better lives for their children and in return be lied to if they were able to provide that life for them. One of the things in the video stated that it would cost around 30 billion dollars to end or almost eliminate slavery, but yet no one wants to pay it. These kids are being tortured and used for horrible acts and according to exports there is a solution it just cost money. Yet no government wants to fork the money over to end this rain or terror for these kids. Instead they would rather fund a war that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, or fund a health care system that is flawed and wont work. People are robbing these kids of their childhood and everyone is just sitting back and letting it happen. We need to stand up and be the voices for the children who cant speak in the first place.
Sources:
Modern Slavery: Captive Servants and Child Prostitution. Films Media Group, 2008. Films On Demand. Web. 11 April 2011. < http://digital.films.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=1850&xtid=41369 >.
The next thing that sickens me is how these children are sold or tricked into slavery. The first girl in the film stated that her father turned her over to this female, because she promised him that she would give her a better life and education. So in efforts to get his daughter a better life she is given to her, but as a result he was tricked. Because he was tricked his daughter was now being used as an unpaid slave and forced to clean multiple houses. Another story was a Vietnamese girl who was told about a better life in Cambodia and that this lady will take her on a trip there but couldn’t tell anyone. Once she got to Cambodia the ladies mood changed and became violent. She was then sold into the sex trade against her will and couldn’t return home. The final story was a young 13 year old female who was sold by her aunt for money into the sex trade. She was in it for a while, but escaped and now is living at a safe home. These people both family and these people who take advantage of these kids are sick. You are taking an innocent child and forcing them to do things they are not meant to do at that young age. You are robbing them of not only their innocents but their childhood. These people need to be stopped and receive the worst types of punishment imaginable.
Another thing that stuck as a reason for all this sex trade is poverty. These people who live in a poverty stricken area or unable to barely feed themselves and others feel like they have no choice. Others are sold into this life by the family because they are tricked into thinking they are helping their child. They are told that they will get an education, or they will be doing other work such as waitressing or other types of work. Poverty is the reason a lot of these kids are put in the places they are today. If it wasn’t because of poverty these parents wouldn’t need or feel the need to sell their kids for their own personal gain or being tricked that they will be receiving a better life. I don’t think poverty is the only factor in the sex trade, but I do feel it is a major part.
These people who do these horrible things to children deserve no consideration when it comes to punishment and they need to have the book thrown at them. And the people who actually engage in sexual acts with these children need to thrown in jail for the remainder of their lives. They are manipulating and robbing these poor children of their childhood. To conclude I really think that we need to take a step back and look at the worlds poverty. Parents wouldn’t be selling their kids if the were able to support themselves and their family. They wouldn’t try to be seeking better lives for their children and in return be lied to if they were able to provide that life for them. One of the things in the video stated that it would cost around 30 billion dollars to end or almost eliminate slavery, but yet no one wants to pay it. These kids are being tortured and used for horrible acts and according to exports there is a solution it just cost money. Yet no government wants to fork the money over to end this rain or terror for these kids. Instead they would rather fund a war that shouldn’t have happened in the first place, or fund a health care system that is flawed and wont work. People are robbing these kids of their childhood and everyone is just sitting back and letting it happen. We need to stand up and be the voices for the children who cant speak in the first place.
Sources:
Modern Slavery: Captive Servants and Child Prostitution. Films Media Group, 2008. Films On Demand. Web. 11 April 2011. < http://digital.films.com.ezproxy1.lib.asu.edu/PortalPlaylists.aspx?aid=1850&xtid=41369 >.
Monday, April 11, 2011
week #12 child labor
Can you remember what things you were doing between the ages 6 and 14? I know I can. I was out running around with friends, playing sports and chasing girls. Not having a care in the world because I know my parents were able and in a set place to take care of me. I knew my dad had a good job so I was able to get the latest haircuts, newest cloths, great food and the newest toys. Work never came into my mind because I thought it was my parent’s job to work and mine was to go to school and get an education. Now imagine the complete opposite, that your parent’s barley made enough money to pay the bills. The only way you have a chance to eat that night is you, at the age of ten, have to go out into the work force and work. You work under strict supervision that if you screw up, not only is your pay duct, you risk verbal and physical abuse. You work in dangerous jobs where you could die before your 12th birthday because of the risks of working in dangerous pesticides and just all around dangerous working environments. And it doesn’t matter rain or shine, sick or healthy, if you don’t show up to work the boss will arrive and threaten you or your family till you do. These situations exist even in today’s world, where in other countries school and play are sometimes luxuries to these kids.
One of the key points that I have gathered by both this week and previous weeks, and that is the child’s right to play and have a proper education. From what it seems like to me is both the child labor laws and the child’s bill of rights, were created to help make sure these kids accomplished these things. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I can’t stress how much play is important to a child’s growing and development. Just with the simple act of playing cant not only develop a kids self confidence, but their other skills such as sharing, communication skills etc. One of the females in the video tells us her daily routine, which includes cleaning dishes and sweeping the house, work for almost 12 hours and return home to make food and go to bed. Under no time does she have to play or interact with people her own age. I feel that this could cause major issues in the future in her development.
Another thing that stuck me interesting was the fact many of these kids don’t receive a proper education. One of the boys in the film stated his dad pulled him from school because he felt like he didn’t learn anything so he forced him to work. Later he returned to school, but I feel why a lot of these kids don’t go to college is because of their parents. Their parents force them to work because they themselves didn’t go to school and as a result the cycle of poverty and child labor continues. Without school these kids are not able to help better themselves and maybe try and get a better job with their education.
Just like in the film about India Arizona state laws and U.S. laws prohibit kids from doing hazardous jobs that could cause them physical harm. Unfortunately, in India the difference is that that law doesn’t apply to jobs in agriculture and other jobs. As a result during the filming of the movie the mediator stated around three kids died due to the pesticides they were using in the crop fields. I don’t feel things like these should be tolerated. Just because a family is hard up for money and because of the demand of child labor, no child should have died for the crops they were spraying. Those kids were young and had their full lives ahead of them. Also who in their right mind would give a twelve year old a pesticide sprayer and let them spray their field? It’s just not right. Also in Arizona and in the United States, kids can not work more than a certain number of hours, plus can’t work past 9:30 p.m. on a school day and 11 p.m. on a non school day. This gives the children the chance to have time to play and not interfere with their school schedules. While in India kids under the age of 16 were saying that they work 10 to 14 hours a day.
This just shows how important child labor laws are. Without child labor laws children risk not becoming educated, having time to play and help prevent hazards in their lives. I saw how these families live in places without strict labor laws and how these kids are treated. They are getting their lives stripped away from them because of the fact their childhood rights are being taken away. I feel if these kids attended classes and gain an education that they will help turn their country around by bringing better jobs and better pay to their land.
APA Reference:
Meehan, Ruth (director). "India: Working to End Child Labor" 2004. Online video clip. Arizona Universities Library Consortium. FMG Video On Demand. Peadar King (Executive Producer)Accessed on 20 July 2010. http://digital.films.com/play/VBRGKP
Roggero, P., Mangiaterra, V., Bustreo, F., & Rosati, F. (2007). The health impact of child labor in developing countries: Evidence from cross-country data. American Journal of Public Health, 97(2), 271-5.
One of the key points that I have gathered by both this week and previous weeks, and that is the child’s right to play and have a proper education. From what it seems like to me is both the child labor laws and the child’s bill of rights, were created to help make sure these kids accomplished these things. I hate to beat a dead horse, but I can’t stress how much play is important to a child’s growing and development. Just with the simple act of playing cant not only develop a kids self confidence, but their other skills such as sharing, communication skills etc. One of the females in the video tells us her daily routine, which includes cleaning dishes and sweeping the house, work for almost 12 hours and return home to make food and go to bed. Under no time does she have to play or interact with people her own age. I feel that this could cause major issues in the future in her development.
Another thing that stuck me interesting was the fact many of these kids don’t receive a proper education. One of the boys in the film stated his dad pulled him from school because he felt like he didn’t learn anything so he forced him to work. Later he returned to school, but I feel why a lot of these kids don’t go to college is because of their parents. Their parents force them to work because they themselves didn’t go to school and as a result the cycle of poverty and child labor continues. Without school these kids are not able to help better themselves and maybe try and get a better job with their education.
Just like in the film about India Arizona state laws and U.S. laws prohibit kids from doing hazardous jobs that could cause them physical harm. Unfortunately, in India the difference is that that law doesn’t apply to jobs in agriculture and other jobs. As a result during the filming of the movie the mediator stated around three kids died due to the pesticides they were using in the crop fields. I don’t feel things like these should be tolerated. Just because a family is hard up for money and because of the demand of child labor, no child should have died for the crops they were spraying. Those kids were young and had their full lives ahead of them. Also who in their right mind would give a twelve year old a pesticide sprayer and let them spray their field? It’s just not right. Also in Arizona and in the United States, kids can not work more than a certain number of hours, plus can’t work past 9:30 p.m. on a school day and 11 p.m. on a non school day. This gives the children the chance to have time to play and not interfere with their school schedules. While in India kids under the age of 16 were saying that they work 10 to 14 hours a day.
This just shows how important child labor laws are. Without child labor laws children risk not becoming educated, having time to play and help prevent hazards in their lives. I saw how these families live in places without strict labor laws and how these kids are treated. They are getting their lives stripped away from them because of the fact their childhood rights are being taken away. I feel if these kids attended classes and gain an education that they will help turn their country around by bringing better jobs and better pay to their land.
APA Reference:
Meehan, Ruth (director). "India: Working to End Child Labor" 2004. Online video clip. Arizona Universities Library Consortium. FMG Video On Demand. Peadar King (Executive Producer)Accessed on 20 July 2010. http://digital.films.com/play/VBRGKP
Roggero, P., Mangiaterra, V., Bustreo, F., & Rosati, F. (2007). The health impact of child labor in developing countries: Evidence from cross-country data. American Journal of Public Health, 97(2), 271-5.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Week #11 Child Rights
Children whether you believe so or not, are greatly important to the success of any country in the world. Before the start of this class I have always knew that children in other parts of the world don’t live with the luxuries I do, but I never realized in certain situations how bad it is and was. Luckily with this chapter I see that many efforts since World War II has changed kid’s lives today. In the video it described how children were used and sold as sex slaves and how they were also used as solders in the armed forces. They were also used in to work alongside their parents in hazardous jobs that even adults wouldn’t do in United States. But when they passed the Human bill of rights they had a section that was based sully on kid’s rights. Another thing I found interesting in the video is how the bill gave the kids the right to play. From what I remember in the first weeks of this class is the importance of play in a kid’s life. With play it helps develop the kids self esteem and make them more sociable. I just found that interesting that they made that a right, meaning that they know the importance of play to kids and how they recognize how its important to their development.
Another factor that I saw was how the infant mortality rate is down One of the articles described how in 1990 over 12.5 million infiants have died and now since 2009 that number has dropped to less than 9 million. Even though that number is still high, it is great to see a steady decline in the amount of deaths. A lot of this was because on the convention on child rights was placed into effect since 1990. Today all but 2 countries have accepted this Convention and have abided by the rules set place. This provided kids with proper shots and immunizations to help prevent sickness. Giving proper prenatal vitamins to mothers, proper vaccines and so on. This has helped make sure our children are not only born healthy but remain healthy so they can go on to live a good life.
What I had talked about previous is the child’s right not to work in a hazardous conditions and the fact that they are not to be sexually abused or prostituted. These two things fall under Article 32 and 34 in the Convection. According to this video in the past it wasn’t uncommon for the parents of kids to sell their kids into the sex trade or send their kids to work in dangerous fields just so the family can make money. Under these laws the children who are sold for prostitution are sent home and reunited with their families and the children cannot work in these hazardous conditions anymore. Personally I find it quite upsetting that these laws had to be made in the first place. I feel that way because they are children and don’t know any better. I understand that the parents are in a tough situation trying to make ends meet but why you would risk your child, your own flesh and blood is beyond me.
I felt this section to be very moving and uplifting. I’m happy that there are steps to help enrich the children’s minds and body to help them succeed in life. With the movement of free schools and healthcare for these children is a great start. To help make sure these children will not be forced into situations they don’t want to be in and are able to play and live in a hazard free environment is a good feeling. Don’t get me wrong there is still a ton of work to be done, but I feel we are moving in the right step to help make sure every kid has the childhood they deserve.
Works Citied
United Nations Children's Fund. (Producer). (2009, April 4, 2011). The state of the world's children: special edition. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/sowc/
United Nations Children's Fund. (2009). State of the World's Children: Celebrating 20 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York: UNICEF
Timeline of young people's rights in the United States. (2009, May 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:57, May 19, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_young_people%27s_rights_in_the_United_States&oldid=290549375
Another factor that I saw was how the infant mortality rate is down One of the articles described how in 1990 over 12.5 million infiants have died and now since 2009 that number has dropped to less than 9 million. Even though that number is still high, it is great to see a steady decline in the amount of deaths. A lot of this was because on the convention on child rights was placed into effect since 1990. Today all but 2 countries have accepted this Convention and have abided by the rules set place. This provided kids with proper shots and immunizations to help prevent sickness. Giving proper prenatal vitamins to mothers, proper vaccines and so on. This has helped make sure our children are not only born healthy but remain healthy so they can go on to live a good life.
What I had talked about previous is the child’s right not to work in a hazardous conditions and the fact that they are not to be sexually abused or prostituted. These two things fall under Article 32 and 34 in the Convection. According to this video in the past it wasn’t uncommon for the parents of kids to sell their kids into the sex trade or send their kids to work in dangerous fields just so the family can make money. Under these laws the children who are sold for prostitution are sent home and reunited with their families and the children cannot work in these hazardous conditions anymore. Personally I find it quite upsetting that these laws had to be made in the first place. I feel that way because they are children and don’t know any better. I understand that the parents are in a tough situation trying to make ends meet but why you would risk your child, your own flesh and blood is beyond me.
I felt this section to be very moving and uplifting. I’m happy that there are steps to help enrich the children’s minds and body to help them succeed in life. With the movement of free schools and healthcare for these children is a great start. To help make sure these children will not be forced into situations they don’t want to be in and are able to play and live in a hazard free environment is a good feeling. Don’t get me wrong there is still a ton of work to be done, but I feel we are moving in the right step to help make sure every kid has the childhood they deserve.
Works Citied
United Nations Children's Fund. (Producer). (2009, April 4, 2011). The state of the world's children: special edition. Retrieved from http://www.unicef.org/rightsite/sowc/
United Nations Children's Fund. (2009). State of the World's Children: Celebrating 20 Years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. New York: UNICEF
Timeline of young people's rights in the United States. (2009, May 17). In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17:57, May 19, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Timeline_of_young_people%27s_rights_in_the_United_States&oldid=290549375
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