VS.
What comes to mind when asked to think about the word "child"? Laughing? Innocence? Love? Slavery? Whether we'd like to believe it or not, child labor continues to plague the world as we know it. Spanning the globe, from Latin America to the Soviet Union, children continue being forced into brothels, mines, and even to the streets to beg. The human slave trade today is the largest global trade behind drugs and guns. Is the global community doing enough to provide aid, or is it going to take just short of a miracle to eliminate the child labor and trafficking industry?
"In many countries children are devalued in the family and in society at large. Children do not occupy the center of the life of the family. They do not represent a precious hope for the future. In some countries children are considered less than human, expendable, invisible, especially in the midst of an overwhelming cult of death and martyrdom that developed during the Iran-Iraq War and continues today in many parts of the world." (Teifenbrun) In this quote, Susan Teifenbrun explains just how burdensome it is to be a child in today's global society. It has became an overwhelming responsibility for children in underdeveloped countries to become main providers for their families, and they still seem to get no respect.
Although child slavery is a sheer violation of human right issues and child labor laws, alternative perspectives suggest that this type of exploitation is necessary in our globalized society. Child slavery and trafficking is currently one of the world's worst dehumanizing issues. Mothers are selling their own children for a cash advance, sometimes given only enough money to pay for three months worth of food for a small family. It is devastating to discover that family values and morals are being corrupted due to the extreme poverty in which many world societies live. The meaning of family is no longer relevant when the need to survive is stronger than the will to love.
First of all, no controversy should be aroused when I say that slavery of any kind is both evil and inhumane, especially when children are involved. When forcing children into slavery, we are taking the very thing that makes children children: their innocence. We are taking their lives from them, corrupting their souls and leaving them tarnished both inside and out. It is a cruel life to live and no one should ever have to experience what today's youth are undergoing.
While watching the British Broadcasting Documentary entitled, "Child Slavery", i was shocked when i heard a young girl, sold into brothels and recently freed, said she knew where her owners were coming from. She understood that they were simply trying to make a living and do well for their families, even if that meant the exploitation of children. Due to the extreme poverty of these countries, its citizens are taking extreme measures to obtain the basic necessities of life, often involving the trafficking, enslavement, and exploitation of children of all ages.
From an economic standpoint, many would consider child labor to be extremely beneficial especially to the lesser developed countries. The child slavery industry largely contributes to a national income. Children, being paid little to nothing, contribute to the household and are able to provide food and shelter to their families when their parents cannot. As far as how the US outsources, I found one statement that really got my nerves going, coming from the CEO and President of the US Chamber of Commerce, Tom Donohue. He says, "We outsource jobs to get skills and people at a price we can afford. The country benefits from this." So how does it look, being one of the most powerful nations on the globe, and utilizing practices such as outsourcing for child labor? It will only urge other countries to do the same and the fight against child slavery will take a dramatic 180degree turn back into failure.
Causes:
The millions of enslaved people worldwide are virtually invisible to the public eye, with their existence being shown only through the clothes we wear, the food we eat, and our latest pair of Nike shoes. The child labor industry has almost taken over the global economy with its cheap labor. Although wars have been fought and documents signed, how does child trafficking continue to exist? Many, including Stephen Aguilar-Millan, Director of Research at The European Futures Observatory, believe that due to globalization, the human traffick market is able to flourish. Aguilar-Millan argues that "deregulation, open borders, entwined economies, and the ease of international banking have all facilitated
the ability to market and traffic human beings." (pp.5)
His theory is credible, for the open-door policy of many countries can often lead to corruption and illegal activities are prone to occur.
According to a recent UNICEF assessment, the causes of child trafficking can be narrowed down to three widely accepted explanations: the immediate causes, the underlying causes, and the structural/root causes.
Immediate Causes: The immediate causes refer to the decisions made either by the child, the parents, and others that ultimately end in the trafficking of a child.
Underlying Causes: The underlying causes refer to any conditions that result in the traffickig of a child, including extreme poverty and lack of education.
Structural/Root Causes: The structural/root causes refers to the crises being experienced by a particular nation, including "economic crises, social exclusion, gender discrimination, and a weak legal and social protection system." (UNICEF, "Determining and Analyzing the Causes of Child Trafficking")
To clarify, there are multiple explanations as to the cause of child trafficking. I personally believe that the causes of child labor can all be linked to money. Money has become an overwhelming evil in our world, for many believe that with money comes great power. This may be true, but more importantly, with money comes horrible consequences. In order to recieve a small monetary gain, parents would sell their own children. Business owners utilize child labor to save the costs of hiring employees. Nations buy and sell products made by children to pocket money in the national economy. No matter what other reason may be introduced, child trafficking can always be linked to money.
Types of Exploitation:
The exploitation of children can be defined in three categories: labor, sex, and military. The kind of work children are forced to do are often labor intensive and the conditions in which they are kept are cruel and inhumane. Children are used to work in factories making rugs, clothes, and other products, in mines digging in the dark to find gold, in fields sheperding for 17 hours a day, in restuarants cleaning dishes and on the streets begging for food and money. They are asked to perform with perfection, and if the fruits of their labor do not satisfy expectations, are often cursed, threatened, or beaten.
Young girls, ages 5-18, are often sold into what are known as brothels or concubines. These girls suffer the most extreme psychological pain and upon release often need thorough psychiatric help. In these brothels, perverted men arrive, look through a child menu, and are serviced sexually. The girls must comply or are starved or beaten. In many sex houses, the girls are held in cage-like conditions where they wait until a customer arrives. While trapped inside of these "cages", they are deprived of social interaction and mental stimulation. They simply wait.
Children are sometimes forced into militant organizations, fighting as soldiers. The worst case of this inhumanity is occurring in Northern Uganda. The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) abducts children and forces them to kill another. They are taught to fight and shoot and are literally brainwashed.
What can YOU do?
~Donate to relief organizations
~Joining Political Interest Groups/ Political Action Committees
~Spreading the word
What is Being Done?
What exaclty is being done to enforce human rights for children? The United States has declared that any organization found to utilize child labor in any way will be subject to immediate closure. However, many of the name-brand companies such as Nike, Adidas, Abercrombie, and Puma still outsource and use children for labor, so why havn't they been shut down yet?
Cambodia, which is the home to one of the largest brothels, has yet to see any sufficient aid from their government to end the child sex slave trade. According to Suvadip Das & Supatra Chowdhury in the Global Politician, the government under Prime Minster Hun Sen, often turns their cheek the other way and "has been loath to interrupt the windfall of a 'tourism' industry worth millions a year."
Sometimes, however, we see the government getting involved, but at very insignificant levels. For instance, in Cambodia, the government may raid businesses and brothels who exploit children. They would give the children some money, send them home, and be on their way, with no check ups or updates. Children who are sent home are often sold back into slavery.
Many private organizations have developed with fighting child exploitation as their main cause. One such organization, the Save the Children Foundation, works to relieve hunger and provide health care, education, and protection to children globally. With funding being provided by private donors, these organizations are able to do what our governments have not.
Because the global economy heavily depends on child labor to help it flourish, I predict that it will take all too long to see any nation move forward and fight the selling and buying children. It is up to the citizens to enforce change. By joining private organizations, spreading the word, and fighting to get the government on our side, there is no doubt that the world will change as we know it. All it takes is the genuine desire to help and a little tenacity to stop this thriving industry. So now ask yourself this question: Are you willing to do what it takes?
