Child Labor
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Child labor in Latin America is a big problem. There are an estimated 250 million child workers between the ages of 5 and 14 years old. Eighteen million of those child laborers are between the ages of 10 and 14. Out of all of the children in Latin America, an estimated 26% are forced to work. Children there often work long hours. Many work in agriculture. They often harvest and cultivate coffee. Some harvest bananas, sugar cane, sisal, tobacco, oranges, and other fruits and vegetables. Child labor is problem that continues to grow.In Colombia, an estimated 2.5 million children are forced to work to support their families. Only 60% of all the children in Colombia leave school with a primary school diploma. On average, child laborers work six to seven hours a day. Each day, they work about nine hours. Their wages are pitifully low and most of them receive no health or unemployment benefits.
Five thousand children between the ages of 6 and 14 were found in secret and illegal workshops in the capital region of Guatemala. They were making fireworks and other explosives. Their work was exposing them to toxic, flammable, and explosive materials. The workshop was also lacking hygiene and safety measures. Nine children have died from being injured while working in the industry. Four children survived their injuries. It is suspected that there are hundreds of sweatshops in the capital region of Guatemala.
Types of Child Labor
Non-bonded:
Non-bonded child labor is child labor in which the child working is not working to pay off a debt that they or their family owe to the employer of the child. This does not mean that non-bonded child labor is good, however. Children may not be paying off a debt, but may still be “forced” to work for food and shelter in very poor conditions. Bonded child labor, though, may be considered the “worst” kind of child labor because the child can be physically forced to do the work to pay off their debt.
Bonded:
Bonded child labor is child labor in which, “a child (below 18 years of age as defined in the UNCRC) working against debt taken by himself/ herself or his/her family members… without or with the child's consent, under conditions that restrain his/her freedom and development, making him/her vulnerable to physical and other forms of abuse and deprives him/her of his/her basic rights.” (This is also called debt bondage). Bonded child labor is caused when a poor family needs money (for food, a sickness, etc.) to pay for something. If the family has enough to pay, there is no problem.
When, however, the family does not have enough, they may need a loan. Employers of bonded laborers know how to take advantages of these situations. They will provide the family varying amounts of money (in India, for example, a place where bonded child labor abounds, these amounts are generally in the $15-$220 range) in exchange for the servitude of a child.
This child is then forced to work – whether they agree or not – for the employer until they work off the debt with their wages. Unfortunately, employers generally charge absurdly high interest rates and have low wages, so in many cases, the debt actually goes up instead of down. This can cause the child to work for many, many years – even until adulthood in some cases – before he/she is allowed to stop working. Often, these children transfer this debt to their children later on in life, continuing the cycle.
Agriculture:
Of the 250 million child laborers worldwide, it is estimated that at least half of them work in agriculture alone. There are many different types of agricultural work. One of them is picking fruits and vegetables. The work is physically demanding because the children must bend down, kneel, climb ladders, carry heavy loads of fruit, and other things. Among these chores, child laborers may also weed and cultivate soil, fix irrigation canals, and apply dangerous pesticides. They also are exposed to dangerous tools and have to use unsafe machinery they don't know how to operate. Children working in agriculture may also be forced to harvest tobacco, sugar cane, and other crops where they will be exposed to equally harmful conditions. Children who work in agriculture often experience back pain from bending over so much, and also have blistered and callused hands from operating machinery and using tools such as rakes, hoes, and shovels all day long.
Slave Trafficking:
Large numbers of girls and boys are trafficked yearly to other parts of the world for the sole purpose of being sex slaves (they are slaves, not prostitutes). These children are often killed by AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases, and by their abusers. Many of these children are also used for child pornography.
Domestic Service:
Domestic service is by far the most common line of work for female child laborers, but boys can be domestic servants also. Domestic servants are basically children who work at a family's home and perform their common household tasks, such as caring for small children, cooking, cleaning the house and handling cleaning chemicals, using sharp kitchen utensils, and lifting heavy items. These children undergo immense physical stress, making them subject to accidents while carrying out even the simplest of tasks. Sometimes the child's employer and their family members physically abuse the child. They are thrown into a cycle of violence until they are "sold" to the next family.
Child Soldiers:
The most common cause of child labor is poverty. The family cannot support their children, and so they are forced to work. If the child's home is in a state of war, then sometimes the child will be "sold" to that country's army. The child will then be forced to fight in that nation's battles, which is one of the most emotionally scarring things you can do to someone. The children, ranging from ages 8 to 18, are forced to kill. They have to handle very dangerous objects such as knives, pistols, rifles, grenades, and whatever else the army is able to use. Most of the time, the family is unable to "buy" their child back, so the child is forced to serve in the armed forces for a long, long time. Right now, there are an estimated 200,000 child soldiers in the world, in places like Colombia and Africa, where civil unrest often leads to violent clashes.
Industrial Work:
Sometimes, children are forced to work in industrial situations such as sweatshops, factories, and other mass production buildings. Many times, local business owners will offer positions as "apprentices" and offer some pay to the child. The parent will most likely be less than thrilled, but their decision is greatly overshadowed by their immense poverty. The child would then start their work as apprentice weavers, carpenters, or other things. The local business owners may also force the children to do tedious tasks such as make paper cups for hours on end. For a big business, such as Nike, they will hire a local contracting firm, and the firm will hire the children. The children are forced to make the big business's products, such as soccer balls, shoes, and clothing.
Child Miners:
One of the most dangerous jobs at which exploited child laborers work at is mining. Child miners work in many types of mines, including gold, emeralds, coal, tin, iron, silver, and chrome mines. They work all over the world, from the gold mines of Cote D’Ivoire in Africa to the Madre de Dios region mines in Peru. Miners also work in countries such as Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, and many parts of Africa (such as Zimbabwe).
Child laborers in mining are faced with a number of dangers. Poorly kept mines can sometimes collapse, trapping and possibly injuring children. Disease also spreads very fast in mining areas. Also, may child laborers working in mines miss out on a valuable education. Mines in countries in these countries where child laborers work are generally poorly kept because regulation on mines in these areas are very loose (this is partly why there is child labor in these sectors).
Street Survival:
Many child laborers are forced to do other kinds of work than just those listed above. For example, a girl in Mexico sold cakes on the street. Other children sell goods such as food, drink, and clothing. Some children also perform services for others and beg for change. A common example of this is children getting on a train and sweeping under passenger's feet. They would then get off the train and walk in the opposite direction.
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02/10/2011
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