Child labor is, to me, one of those silent problems. They're obviously there, but it's so quiet and you never hear about them, that you never think about it. So, I'm gonna tell you about them.
A few months ago, I was AGAINST AGAINST AGAINST child labor. But then I had to go to a M.U.N. (Model United Nations, small scale version of the United Nations) conference. I was representing Chile's stance on child labor. Chile does endorse child labor. So basically, I had to write a speech and debate with other people on why child labor is ABSOLUTELY wonderful. I was like "WTF, I'm screwed."
After a few months of researching for hours on the internet, my view on child labor started to change JUST A LITTLE BIT. Chile is a poor country. More than half of the population falls on or beneath the poverty line. These kids HAVE to work to survive. This is the only way then can meet ends. Their families don't make enough money for them to live on, so the kids have to lend a hand. If I was in the same situation, I would rather quit school than let my family starve to death. Wouldn't you? Farming a few vegetables and working in a factory seems like no big deal to these kids. They've seen much worse jobs. Unfortunately, Chile is not the only country where many kids have to work to live. Third world countries sadly do not have enough funds to focus on a public welfare system.
There is a line where child labor goes to the dark side. One very controversial issue is child prostitution. Girls are mainly the victim here, but some guys have to suffer too. Sadly, nothing is being done about child prostitution. Some people just refuse to acknowledge that an eight year old girl could be selling her virginity; it's not pretty to them, so they block it from their minds. The signs are there. A little girl out on the streets late at night, hoping for a "pimp" to walk by. Tears streaming down her face as she bites back the urge to run back to the safety of her home. The truth is ugly and disgustingly...TRUE.
Some factories in which the children work in are clean and professional...but not all. Most are dark, musty, and disease infested. Who made your shirt? Who made your shoes? Probably kids ranging from the age of 5-10. Maybe even younger. The truth is, kids are becoming blind, getting sick, and dying to make clothes for you. It's sad. But true.
Unfortunately, a few hundred protestors aren't going to do anything to dent this problem. We need an EPIDEMIC. So tell everybody. Inform EVERYONE. Email this article to people. DO something. Save the CHILDREN.
