The International Labor Organization (ILO) has an estimate of 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 working in poor and developing countries. They work without living wage benefits, inside poor working facilities often verbally and physically abused.
They receive the pay which is not enough for their necessities, no way to save some money for their future. Instead of rising up from poverty they are getting down deeper into it.
Child labor is when a child under the age of 15 is working to earn for self support or to contribute to the family income compromising the child’s education and social growth.
Children Pay the High Price
We love bargain stuffs, candies and chocolates and wearing gears from a nice deal. Some people are not aware that these things and thousands more are products of child labor who are paid so little or nothing at all.
Recently, investigators found out that cocoa plantations in the Ivory Coast of Africa (a major source of the world’s chocolate products) are using child labor. They harvest cocoa beans using their tiny hands when they must be holding pencils to learn their ABCs. The sad part is not getting paid and ending up slaves without the power to get out of the situation.
It may sound something like; people encourage child labor and slavery (unconsciously) in order to have good bargains. Sweatshops are also major users of child labor. All sorts of products are made in sweatshops where children are abused. They are deprived of the normal life of children. They are short of all their basic needs and better future. They are not aware of their rights. They pay the high price of giving the world a good bargain…products of their labor.
Child Exploitation
Child labor and slavery is equated with child exploitation. When a child’s labor is used for one’s benefit the child is exploited. The very common forms of child exploitation are:
- Sexual abuse
- Kidnapping
- Prostitution of children
- Pornography
- Trafficking of children
- Or simply convincing an innocent child to submit willfully
There are rampant cases of commercial sexual exploitation of children where there is force and violence to do labor; they become sex slaves. They are sexually abused by adults and paid through a managing middleman and treated as a sex object for use to anyone who can pay.
A child is an easy subject of this crime because of the needs to have clothes, buy food, home and education where parents are incapable to provide. Family members (also parents) allow to those kinds of arrangements in behalf of the material benefits earned.
Causes of Exploitation of Children Causes differ depending on the environment, social and economic conditions in different countries.
- The World Wide Web – the growth of the internet has contributed to child exploitation through pornography.
- Violence in the family- alcohol or any kind of violence at home cause children to run away and become victims of exploitation.
- Poverty- children grow with the sense to help support the family or the need to earn for self support.
- Previous experience of sexual abuse- children who are physically and sexually abused in the past are in the danger of becoming exploited.
Will there be an end to child exploitation?
The youth are being exploited in a pace faster than legislations and rules are made and implemented. As long as poverty exists child labor and exploitation will be like an epidemic in a very sick society. The least we can do as simple citizen is helping avoid exploitation.
You can help by simply donating to “Children of the Planet Trust” so that these children can be saved.