Poverty is Man Made

A child, Whose childhood has been snatched away, Now works hard, day and night, To earn a meager pay. His eyes,   Full of tears, beg “help me out!” Though he is quiet, His heart silently shouts. His tears go unseen, His voice passes unheard, He begs and he pleads, But all ignore his words. The hands, which were meant to study and play, Are working now, Laboring all day. Out his eyes look, With a dream to be free and fly, His hands, though bruised, But his hopes are still high. Every underprivileged child should be rescued, The laws relating to their rights need consideration, To build mightier countries, And make them stronger nations.

As India celebrates Kailash Satyarthi's Nobel, a look at the child labour crisis that has condemned millions of children to toil ceaselessly. Children continue to labour as families, too poor to feed their young, send them out to work. As the traffic signal near Masjid Moth in Delhi changes to red and cars start pulling up, ten-year-old Raina (name changed) stops playing with the other children waiting at the lights, and arranges her face in her trademark expression of distress. Slowly, she begins weaving her way between the cars, peering into the rolled-up windows, coaxing commuters to buy an angry bird or chhota bheem balloon. Behind her, other children peddle their various wares of toys, flowers and pens. When one glass window lowers, Raina begins to hand out a ballon. But out comes a hand holding a large box of pizza and a bottle of coke. The mysterious benefactor wins a whoop of delight and a face-splitting grin from Raina. As India and the world celebrates Kailash Sa...

Once, there was a child named Ram who lived in a village called Nigmakar. The child worked in a dhaba (a small restaurant) near his village. Ram’s family was not very well off. His father used to drink a lot and his mother begged in the streets. He had a sister who wanted to study in school but she couldn’t as they had no money. All the burdens of his family were put on Ram but he never lost hope and worked hard every day. He always believed that one day he will make his family proud. He worked hard every day until he got enough money to feed his family. But his job was not good enough. Many years passed this way and he was only able to provide food to his family but any other need could not be fulfilled. One day he was going to work as usual and while he was returning from work, he saw an old man coughing and he was lying on the floor and not able to walk. As he was very caring he went to the old man to help him walk. The old man was very happy and he suddenly changed into a Go...

 A child should not be subjected to work at the expense of his or her education and dreams. Child labour robs minors of the opportunity to enjoy their childhood, go to school, and have a decent shot at success.It condemns them to a life of limited opportunities. It is, therefore, necessary to ensure that every child is protected and not exploited for cheap labour.It is not just the responsibility of the parents to eliminate child labour but also that of the government and the society. Child labour  refers to the use of children as a source of labour while depriving them of their fundamental rights in the process. Such rights include the opportunity to enjoy their childhood, attend school regularly, have peace of mind, and live a dignified life.Child labour can also refer to the practice of exploiting children for financial gain. Some industries employ children in order to cut down on labour costs since their wage demand is low.Work that places children in a situation that ...

Papa ,papa I want to go to school,  Papa said Shut up your mouth you little fool,  Now go to work with your lunch and tool,  Before the sun melts the dawns cool.  So I start my lonely walk,  Keeping my thoughts private with no one to talk  I can hear the song of the skylark,  As I gaze longingly at the childrens Park  After my long stroll, I reach the mine,  Where I have to work till nine,  I pretend everything is fine,  Znd start to work, Otherwise I wont have anything to dine.  My heart is broken, because my friend Ted is dead,  Some say it was because he inhaled poisonous lead  Whatever it is, his face was red,  And he fell sick and died in bed.  This job in mine is worst I hate,  My mother says Dear Tom, this is our fate  My Father says go to work, if you want a full plate.  I'm sure Ill fall sick and die, if I work at this rate.  My greatest dream is to learn,  And to get a ...

Loss of Quality childhood:  It is important for human beings to enjoy every stage of their development. A child should play with friends and make memories for a lifetime. Youths should explore life and form strong foundations that would define their adult lives.  Health issues:  Child labour can also lead to health complications due to undernourishment and poor working conditions. It is highly unlikely that people who employ children also have the moral capacity to ensure that they have good working conditions. Mental trauma:  It is not a pleasant experience to be kept working as a child while your age-mates are out playing and going to school. Children also lack the ability to shield themselves from most of the challenges that occur in the workplace. Issues such as bullying, sexual exploitation, and unfavorable working hours may result in mental trauma in these children. Illiteracy:  Children that are employed do not have the time to go to s...

Poor people are the most affected by child labour. The poor living standards and financial constraints sometimes make them unwilling participants in this vice. Empowering poor people through knowledge and income generating projects would go a long way in reducing cases of child labour. Parental literacy also plays an important role in ensuring that the rights of children are upheld, and minors are not used as a source of labour. Empowering parents with this kind of knowledge can create a positive change in the society and encourage the shunning of child labour practices in communities. Child slavery is a crime against humanity, Humanity itself is at  stake here. A lot of work will remain but a single step can make us see the end of child labour in our life time. Are you all with me?

Creating awareness about the illegality of child labour can also help in stemming the  practice. Parents should be made aware that sending their children to work has legal ramifications and the law would take its course if they are found to be aiding and abetting this vice. It is the ignorance among many parents and members of the society that makes them participate in child labour practices. Conducting a campaign to create awareness about its harmful effects would eliminate the practice. The government, together with non-governmental organizations and the civil society, can create a strategy to make such an initiative a success. One out of six children in the world is involve in child labour...STOP IT!  EMPOWER CHILDREN TO SECURE THEIR RIGHTS

By creating the demand for skilled and trained workers, child labour cases will reduce since almost all child labourers fall under the unskilled worker category. It will lead to adult employment as the demand for skilled labour rises. Establishing skill-based learning centers, vocational training centers, and technical training institutions improves literacy and contributes to the availability of skilled and trained workers in the job market. Creation of job opportunities by the government is also another way that cases of unemployment can be reduced and household income for the population increased. Such government policies improve living standards and eliminate the need for children to seek work in order to support their families. If we want to develop our country we should first develop a bright future for these children!

Child labour should not be entertained at all. It is legally and morally wrong. Children should not be allowed to provide labour at the expense of getting an education and enjoying their childhood. Factory owners, shopkeepers, and industries among others should not employ children. The society should be educated on the negative impacts of child labour so that it becomes an issue that is frowned upon whenever it occurs. This type of moral polishing would act as a deterrent to people who intend to employ children and use them as a source of cheap labour.  Many of the ills that go on in the society do so because people turn a blind eye or fail to consider their moral impacts.  With this kind of approach, cases of child labour will greatly fall among our communities. We only have 2 choices: Nothing or Do something

How can child labour be reduced or completely eradicated?  Every child born has the right to have dreams and pursue those dreams. Even though the realization of some of these aspirations may be limited by several challenges, it is still possible to overcome them and achieve the highest levels of success. There is need to involve various stakeholders to realize this objective. These are some of the ways in which the problem of child labour can be addressed.                                                                        CHILD EDUCATION Free education holds the key to eliminating child labour. Parents that do not have money for school fees can use this as an opportunity to provide their children with education. It has already proved to be a success in many places around the globe and with ...

This the most comprehensive Act which elaborates where and how children can work and where they cannot. It’s an Act which sets the scope of the prohibition of the engagement of children in certain employments and goes on to regulate the conditions of working of children in certain other employment and extends to the whole of India. Part II of the Child Labour Act act prohibits children from working in any occupation listed in Part A of the Schedule of the Act. These occupations include (but are not limited to): Catering at railway establishments, construction work on the railway or anywhere nears the tracks, plastics factories, automobile garages and others. The Act also makes the provisions to prevent children working at places where certain processes are being undertaken such as beedi making, tanning, soap manufacture, brick kilns and roof tile making. The part III of The Child Labour Act of 1986 declares regulations of conditions of work of Children as follows:  Hours ...

Children are not only led to labour due to poor school infrastructure but also find themselves 'caught in the crossfire' of India's poverty problem. In many cases, it is parents and relatives who force children into labour. Child labour also becomes a means of survival for children who find themselves homeless or abandoned as a result of adverse circumstances. Poverty has and will always remain one of the primary reasons behind child labour. In a developing economy like ours, the poor people always consider the children of the family as an extra source of income. And thus, they are often forced to work in order to financially support their family. 1. Poverty:  Children who come from poor families may be forced to work to support their siblings and parents or supplement the household income when expenses are more than the parents’ earnings. It is a huge problem especially in developing countries where parents are unable to generate income due to the lack of employme...

Child prostitution “involves offering the sexual services of a child or inducing a child to perform sexual acts for a form of compensation, financial or otherwise.” Worldwide, approximately 1 million children are forced into prostitution every year, and it is estimated that the total number of child prostitutes is as high as 10 million. “Generally children do not commit child prostitution but the adults who engage in prostitution or offer a child’s sexual services to others force them. It is estimated that at least 1 million girls worldwide are lured or forced into this scandalous form of child exploitation. Child prostitution is more frequent in developing countries such as Brazil and Thailand where more than 200,000 children are exploited.” Child prostitution is not only a cause of death and high morbidity for millions of children, but also a gross violation of their rights. Prostitution negatively affects children’s sexual health, causes psychological harm, and puts them a...

Physical Abuse  Studies from countries around the world suggest that up to 80 to 98 % of children suffer physical punishment in their homes, and it is estimated that 57,000 children under the age of 15 die as a result of physical abuse per year. Physical abuse can range from minor bruises to severe fractures or death as a result of punching, beating, hitting, shaking, or otherwise harming a child. One of the most common types of physical abuse in infants includes Shaken Baby Syndrome. Emotional Abuse and Neglect Emotional abuse is behavior that impairs a child’s emotional development or sense of self-esteem. It may include threats, constant criticism, as well as withholding love, support, or guidance.  Neglect is a pattern of failing to provide for a child’s basic physical and emotional needs. Neglect is a very common type of child abuse, and according to Child Welfare Information Gateway, more children suffer from neglect than from physical and se...