Everyone wants child labor to end. No one wants children to work instead of going to school. These innocent children are like angles gifted from god, they need care and love. Children has right to get education and being loved because they are our future and we all want our future to be safe. We should give them love as much as we can because they don’t know what is right or wrong. We have to be their guidance for their better future.
There are many groups, who are working against child labor and want to stop it. Unions and grassroots are getting to know the connection between workers rights and fighting against child labor. Groups are recognizing that children are being violated; trade union is joining with families and community organizations to fight child labor, to move children out of work and put them into school, and to support core labor standards. These children deserve to be in school and this cannot be possible if family does not support them. Family is the biggest support any child could ever have. Family supports give children courage and confidence in them. Many workers and unions in the U.S. and other countries are supporting efforts to end child labor by forging alliances with unions in other countries. These alliances work to achieve enforceable global labor standards, such as ILO Convention 182, and hold transnational companies accountable for labor practices. (Child Labor Public Education Project, 2000)
People want to fight against child labor and they are fighting for it but everyone have different way to deal with child labor. In 2001 factory monitors confirmed illegal union busting and other violations including employment of 13-15 year-old children at a Mexican factory sewing clothing with university logos for Nike and other U.S. companies. Thousands of American students, workers, and consumers wrote letters to corporate CEO's protesting worker treatment. The international solidarity campaign helped factory workers overcome violence, intimidation, and mass firings when they tried to organize, and after months of struggle, workers won an independent union. (Child Labor Public Education Project, 2000) In U.S. factories has age limit for workers but in other countries it is different. It should change because it is not good for children future.
There are organizations in other countries, helping children to get their rights back. The International Labor Rights Fund and other groups have begun pursuing legal action against companies for alleged labor abuses in other countries. In 1996, for example, ILRF filed a suit against Unocal for using slave labor to build pipelines in Burma; and with the support of U.S. labor unions, ILRF recently filed a suit against Coca-Cola for using paramilitary forces to suppress organizing and assassinate union leaders in Colombia. If effective, this strategy could be used in the future to hold transnational corporations accountable for child labor abuses. (Child Labor Public Education Project, 2000) These organizations need to take strong action against people who are making children work in their factories. These children are not their slaves and they have no right to take advantage of their poverty.
To get children out of child labor they need to be pushed towards education. I think education is a good way to make these children better human being and education can help reduce child labor. In small countries families cannot afford education and because of that they make their children work. Education should be free in every country so children would be more attractive towards education than work. Union in Bangladesh called “Bangladesh Building and Woodworkers’ Federation and the Metal Workers’ Union”, this organization helps promotes education to children and stop them from working. This organization helps children to enroll in schools. There should be more organization like this in other countries as well to end child labor. (Child Labor Public Education Project, 2000)
University of Iowa Labor Center, (2000), “Child Labor Public Education Project”, retrieved April 27th, 2011. http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/ending.html
I think your blog topic is very interesting. Child labor is something that I think everyone knows about, yet no one really thinks about very much these days. As you mentioned, children are our future therefore, we need to guide them and educate them in order to better prepare them for the future. Although child labor is not a common occurrence here in the United States, it does occur quite frequently in what we call third world countries. Moreover, I think that major corporation such as Coca cola and Nike as your mentioned should use their immense resources to discourage the use of child labor. However, I think that is up to us as consumers to pressure these corporations into to taking action. The reality is, without us buying their products, these corporation would be unable to make the billions of dollars they make today.
ReplyDeleteIt is very sad and disheartening to hear that many children all over the world are being exploited for the sole purpose of money. We should hold those corporations with facilities overseas to higher standers and demand that they supply jobs to individuals trying to make a living or trying to support their family. The reality is that these major corporations only care about cutting costs and will go to any length in order to do so. I think your blog was very insightful as well as informative in addressing one the most over looked issue in our world today.