Have you ever seen children as young as 3, 4 or 5 years old walking barefoot on roads, knocking on car windows, begging for alms? Or perhaps young school age children waiting for patrons on a parking lot, offering the drivers and car owners to clean or look after their car for a small change? How about teenage boys and girls working in a factory as hired hands? Or worse, young boys and girls being peddled for prostitution.
These are just some of the extreme cases of child labor that I have grown to see living in a third world country. There may be other forms of child labor like young kids skipping school to work as actors and actresses in movies and on TV. Their work environment may not be as bad as those begging for alms or working in factories, and because they have a "permit" to work they are not considered half as bad as those low-paying jobs. Nevertheless, it is still child labor.
Child labor is brought about by several factors. It is like a disease whose cure would depend on how effectively the causes would be pin-pointed and treated. This issue is a worldwide concern. Even progressive countries suffer from this society plague.
To eliminate child labor, the reasons why child labor is ignited should be the first one to focus on.
CURE POVERTY
This is one of the most worn-out excuse to child labor. Sad to say, but this excuse is certainly one of the main reason why children work. Poor families whose parents are working on low-paying and sometimes irregular jobs have a tendency to allow their children to work instead of (or sometimes in addition to) attending school. There are times that the children themselves would have the initiative to either work instead of going to school or work after school hours for a simple reason that they want to help their parents earn money. A very good deed, don't you think? However, is it reasonable?
If the government would provide enough descent and regular job for parents to give them the capacity to earn reasonable amount of money to provide for their families, perhaps that would be a big step to putting a stop to children who are working instead of going to school and enjoying their childhood.
STOP ILLITERACY
For poor families, even sending their children to school is burden enough because they couldn't afford it. In turn, illiterate parents are most likely to have illiterate children and the cycle wouldn't stop unless there is one person to stand among the rest and strive to make life better than it was before.
More often than not child labourers are school drop outs, kids who cannot afford to get some schooling, children who would rather work early than study to ease off their parent's burden, or children who have no idea that it is their right as children and as a person to get some education.
Free and compulsory education is the least the government could do to help ease out both the problems of illiteracy and child labor. Not only would they make something out of a kid's life, but they would be giving more hope to having a progressive nation with literate citizens. More budget allocation for educational programs should be the government's priority if they care enough to provide children with a better life.
SANCTION INDUSTRIES AND COMPANIES WHO ACCEPT CHILD LABORERS
One reality that hurts is that people, especially companies, are tolerant to accepting child laborers. Why would they not? It's cheaper than hiring an adult who has an idea of his rights when it comes to wages. Child labourers are in the work force because there are companies who are taking them in.
Try to imagine, regardless of whether there are gazillions of child labourers looking for a paying job if there would be no factory, no company, no industry to hire them they would eventually give up.
There should be solid laws and punishments for establishments who patronize and hire child laborers. Company owners who are found to have violated the law against hiring minor workers should be sentenced to a certain jail term, be fined and their company be subject to closure until they have suffered enough to remember to obey the law the next time around. Name and shame these soulless culprits who think that they are doing these children a big favor by hiring them and paying them way below what they are supposed to while doing a Herculean task.
CAMPAIGN FOR RIGHTS AWARENESS
Children have the right to proper education which they can use in time to look for a better job to have a better life. However, not every single child is aware of this right and would worry less about fighting for this right to be given to them.
Enough efforts from the government and perhaps from non-profit organizations who care enough for these children's future should lobby for children's rights awareness. Proper information dissemination and education would increase awareness among parents and children alike.
PUT A STOP TO IRRESPONSIBLE PARENTING
It is a sad truth that some children are forced to work by their own parents because they (the parents) are too lazy to work for the family or the parents don't have the capacity to find a job. I have seen this reality first hand having seen so many children who act as their family's bread winner. Reality hurts and reality sucks. Some parents are not responsible enough to look after their kids and make sure that they raise their child and not the other way around.
Though morally wrong, parents who cannot take care and provide (and have no plans or efforts of doings so) for their children shouldn't be given the chance to be parents. There are other people out there who have more emotional capacity and maturity to stand up for a family but are not blessed enough to have their own kids.
CREATE ANTI-CHILD LABOR LAWS THAT HAVE TEETH
There are laws. Everybody knows the law. But seems like nobody is following the law. Nobody fears the penalty. Nobody recognizes authority. Legislators should ensure that the law is followed to the "T" with no excuses. Law-breakers should be jailed and punished. Child laborers should be protected and be given a chance to have better futures. No more of those "exemption to the rule" cases. Laws should be as they as created and be implemented right to every word there is.