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YO!
YO! is a collection of short pieces by the writers at Youth Outlook!
The International Olympic Committee may have just discovered a great new tag line for the Olympic games in 2008. Uniting the World Through Child Labor. Has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say? Beijing, China, which is slated to hold the games next year, has come under fire by the global trade union and labor group PlayFair 2008. According to PlayFair, factory employees who are producing the official Olympic merchandise for the 2008 games in China are worked over 12 hour shifts and are paid for less than the minimum wage. To make matters worse the report goes on to say children as young as twelve-years-old are also working in these sweat shops. The hypocrisy speaks for itself. But of course this isn’t a total surprise either. How many treasured aspects of society have been created by sweatshop labor? Shirts, coats, pants, hats—you name it. The list is probably as long as the wing of a 747. As sad as it sounds, the one thing that can unite the world is some big over hyped extravaganza, that is internally making money off the brow of people who really have no choice but to work in these conditions to survive. The Olympics is founded on the idea: ...to contribute to the building of a peaceful and better world by educating youth through sport practiced without discrimination of any kind and in the Olympic spirit, which requires mutual understanding with the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play. Sounds convincing enough. But that’s the risk in giving different countries the privilege to host these international games. Whether or not they adhere to those same building blocks or if they play by their own rule book. Either way the image of the infamous Olympic logo of the 5 rings may not longer show the ideals of a united world, but the sewing work of a twelve-year- old stitching the rings together at 2 a.m. in the morning. Editor’s Note: Here’s an update on the developing story. comments |
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Child labor is a consequence of poverty as hunger, homeless and others so is not as easy as we think. Even NGO’s and prominent individuals can not help eradication this issue until and unless they influence appropriate Governments to reevaluate the economic policies and rural economic growth. Till now rural economy is only known as agricultural economy and never emphasized on add-on value products. Governments have to consider growing and generating rural employment. Target set for 2015 to eradicate poverty may not be achieved until we understand roots and real causes of poverty.
http://www.sadashivan.com/quotpovertyquotasubject/
90% of child laborers are rural children who migrate to cities and end up begging, prostitution, domestic helpers, or other odd jobs. It is easy to say “give them education and not work”, but the question is who will give? How many will benefit? Individuals and organizations have been helping these children for several decades. Have they achieved any result? Each day numbers and methods of child labor is growing.
http://www.sadashivan.com/
Why child goes to work? This situation is most urgent to be taken care!!! Child goes to work only when parents allow. And why parents seek own child’s support to sustain home economy? This is what in my opinion Governments need to understand and bring policies in accordance.
So my plea is, simply raiding factories with child labor does not solve as parents need their child to work to run home or child without parents to survive. In this circumstance child would enter new areas opened and are in boom such as; sex tourism, rag picking, pick pocketing, begging and more. Law and enforcement to control child labor is one way good discouraging factories, parents and child too, but is short term solution. Child labor, trafficking and prostitution are growing not only in India rather Eastern Europe, Africa, and other Asian countries day by day despite all efforts of governments and International bodies. Number involved in these activities may be much-much more than workers in factories, presently. Similar cases can see with rural poor women who end up in prostitution. Why this situation is arises? And why each day number of prostitutes growing in this world? And all these are in spite of all law and enforcements.
In books or written records the number of child labor may have reduced but physically, it is different, and areas of child labors have added like begging, domestic help, prostitution, pickpockets, street entertainment, which was never there 2-3 decades back.
I herewith enclosed the video clips and my sites to know more about relationship between poverty and child labor issue.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVPk9Jns28k
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4744275778188781484
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QlnKpAQ1aA
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8849854166464553063
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZCMAwYigzk
Not buying child labor made items is not the solution to wash out child labor from the world. You think by not buying child labor made items would save children from informal labor. Are you sure they are rehabilitated after they are unemployed? If so! How many? In many cases it is no!! Rather is an eye wash as they do not have resources to accommodate. This practice only lets child laborer enter in further dirty and odd jobs like sex tourism, street begging, street entertainers, rag pickers, thieves, and more open odd areas. So you should not be happy by saying that you have not bought what made by child labor.
Illegalizing child labor is an invitation to corruption in bureaucracy. Despite child labor laws, child labor numbers are on the increase. Arresting child labor in factories have opened many sectors for them to get involved specially in flesh trade, begging, street entertainment, pick pocketing and robbery etc. Law is effective as long as resources are open to children for education and for parents earn at least minimum to run a home. Law can only make this situation illegal but help is less towards reform to eliminate child labor.
Purpose of education fails when!!!
By sadashivan · Posted on Sep 10, 09:04 AMhttp://www.sadashivan.com/freephotos4ursocialstudy/
I have visited many rural villages in India and found intense poverty. My site explains the distressing facts:
http://www.sadashivan.com/distressingfacts/id4.html
great post! thanks very much for sharing
By poor African · Posted on May 16, 03:09 PM