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.
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