Child Exploitation: Student Reflection on the Topic “Child Labour” for PYP Exhibition

The plight of certain underdeveloped countries like Bangladesh, India as well as many in Africa is something that we all are aware of. The children have barely enough food to eat, let alone the fancy clothes, toys and other things that people in developed countries are lucky to have. Instead of going to school to gain good education, children in underdeveloped countries set out to work from as young as four or five years of age. By the age of twelve, most of them are given the responsibilities of looking after and supporting their parents who are often weak due to hunger and ill health.

Deprived from any form of education from such a young age, these children are forced to work and take up illegal jobs which often have hazardous and unsuitable working conditions. As it is illegal for young children to work, factories and other co-operations that do hire children hide them away from main working areas. The children are hence trapped in dark and dirty rooms. The children working in India who work in factories that manufacture matches work for long hours tediously. The most important thing to be noted is that such factories are potential fire hazards. These children not only risk their lives but they are also exploited as they are paid minimal wages.

Children in the third world countries have also been found to be working in garment factories which supply jeans and other modern wear to the rest of the world. They do sell it at a price that can be ten times the wage paid to each child monthly. In 1990, the United Nations encouraged countries to prohibit the import of garments made by children under the age of fifteen. This made Bangladesh panic and all the garment industries dismissed child workers. However, once the attention disappeared after sometime, it was back to business for some companies, but more discreetly this time.

We may think such measures will stop the problem of child exploitation, but the truth is they may lead to other problems. Even though the garment factories may be exploiting the children by paying them low salaries, they do nevertheless provide them with a more or less safe working environment and proper jobs. Dismissing children from work does not necessarily mean that children will no longer work. In fact, they may end up in hands of drug sellers or other criminals and lead a life of vice by selling drugs or stealing for a living.

The problem of child exploitation is one which is difficult to resolve, but it can be done by a sincere government willing to help the poor and members of the public playing their part to help the children.

Esha Tibrewala (11 years)

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