Syrian Refugee Children

Child labor is a serious problem that affects children from third-world countries all over the world. These children are exploited by multinational corporations ,for their cheap labor all over the world. People, then buy products that come at a cheaper price, from these multinational corporations.These children are often overworked and treated unfairly. People need to stop buying items from countries that endorse child labor.

Poverty is general scarcity, dearth, or the state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. The main cause of child labor is poverty. According to Nadira Faulmuller, “The main cause for children doing work is poverty-their survival and that of their families depend on it.” Another reason for child labor is the concept that money is a necessity. Nadira Faulmuller states that, “Earning money is an unavoidable necessity for them.” This shows that child labor is needed for the survival of the children and that of their families.

According to the UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, as of June 2016 there are “33,972 people a day forced to flee their homes because of conflict and persecution” (UNHCR). A lot of these refugees who must resettle also have to try and fit into a new society. How the receiving community welcomes them plays a big part in how well children can adapt (Fantino and Colak). Ha has to deal with her peers bullying her for her differences (Lai 146) and racist acts towards her family (Lai 164). This negative welcome causes Ha to feel very neglected and hated. Refugees like Ha have to handle things like discrimination from peers which makes it difficult to fit into a new environment until they can find confidence and themselves.

Moreover, whilst refugees manage [attempt] to persevere through their previous hardships, they will continue to face greater complications in their lives such as struggling to merge into their new culture. As suggested in the article "Refugee and Immigrant Children: A Comparison," (71) stated "They share with adolescents the desire to be accepted by their peers. Both groups may experience a role and dependency reversal in which they may function as interpreters and cultural brokers for their parents... Perhaps the greatest threat is not the stress of belonging to two cultures, but belonging to none." In other words, the author implies that like immigrants, refugees can face the dilemma of not being considered a part of their new culture. The

“The 2010 ILO Global Report Accelerating action against child labor notes that child labor continues to decline, but that the rate of reduction has slowed. There was a decline of 3% between 2004 and 2008, compared with a 10% decrease between 2000 and 2004.” (UN). Some countries haven’t even developed laws and regulations that are crucial to the process of eliminating child labor. “India, Norfolk Island, Pakistan, and Tonga have not established a minimum age for work. India and Pakistan, as well as six Oceanic countries and territories, have not established a minimum age for hazardous labor. Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, and Papua New Guinea have not prohibited hazardous occupations and activities for children.” (DOL). Families who are in poverty make it harder to stop child labor and get children education. “Prohibitive costs associated with education—such as books, uniforms, and teacher fees—prevent children from attending school in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Kyrgyz Republic, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands.” (DOL). Because families are poor, they are unable to buy school supplies needed for school, therefore, they cannot attend. In addition, starving families do not see school and education as their number one priority. “Physical access to education is a problem for children living in remote, rural areas, particularly in Bhutan, Cambodia, India,

In a gripping photographic article, Peter Jørgensen depicts the lives of Syrian refugee children. However, these are not ordinary photos. The pictures first shown depict the children without a background. As the reader clicks on the image, the background fades in clearly painting a picture of the lives these children live. The apparent purpose of the article is to demonstrate the reality these children are faced to live with and to effectively bring this information to those who may be unaware of the conditions of which refugees must endure.

Depending upon many variables, from economic development, to political structure, corruption, and other external factors, some families need to have their child bringing home a small amount of moneys. Therefore, the child labor phenomenon is reasonable. One important which caused child labor is the poverty. The birthrate is so high that create overpopulation and cause poverty and lack of primary education. One way that many families in traditional societies attempt to cope with the pressure of overpopulation and the resulting unemployment is to send children to urban areas to find cash employment. Sending their child out on the labor force is a way to exchange for small loans or to repay the debts of the parents or grandparents. In most Asia countries, they don’t have social security for the elder, so parents often rely on their children for financial support. There were some disturbing cases that children are bought and sold for cash or for the settlement of a debt. Some

“American companies pay workers in China and Vietnam less than $2 a day and workers in Indonesia less than $1 a day.” Stated in “Nike Pledges to End Child Labor and Apply U.S. Rules Abroad.” Children have been put to work in large factories at very young ages with dangerous and toxic working conditions, and a decreased amount of money in their pay. Working at large factories with heavy equipment and debris filling the air, children that have jobs in those factories may have a very high risk of injury or sickness. Although putting children to work provides them money and gets them ready for adulthood, it can deprive them from having the childhood they’re longing to have in the future. With that said, individuals should not buy items manufactured

Within developing countries, it’s estimated that over 250 million children aged 5-14 are forced to work in sweatshop working conditions (Gaille, 2017). Sweatshops are working environments that are characterized by three major negative flaws: long hours, low pay, and most importantly, unsafe or unhealthy working conditions. Additionally, sweatshops have strict policies in place that restrict workers’ rights, such as limitations on conversation between employees and shortened break times that are usually enforced through violence. According to Gaille (2017), the Department of Labor indicates that 50% of garment factories in the U.S. violate two or more basic labor laws, establishing themselves as sweatshops. This type of labor condition is not limited to the United States, as many Multinational Companies (MNCs) have globalized their supply chain to take advantage of lower labor costs abroad. The existence of sweatshop working conditions has received increased attention from the media, as well as the United States government, with specific emphasis on the apparel industry. Companies such as Nike, Apple, and recently, Forever 21, have come under fire from consumers when the press revealed poor working conditions present in their suppliers’ warehouses overseas. The Apparel Industry Partnership, Fair Labor Association (FLA), and Social Accountability International Advisory Board (SAI) were efforts created by governments in order to mitigate the negative effects of MCN globalizing and utilizing sweatshop type labor. Companies interested in globalization are increasingly pressured to to extend their quality control to not only their company, but also the companies that they do business with, in order to remain strong in the public eye. That being said, research has been done to understand the positive impact of sweatshops on developing country populations. Studies have shown that sweatshops, although looked down upon in developed countries, are the best option for individuals in developing nations. Although poor working conditions are present, it’s been shown that sweatshops help to increase gender equality and unemployment rates. As unfavorable press has surrounded companies that source from low-quality

There are innumerable propositions projected to improve the conditions that children have to tolerate while working in sweatshops. Ethically it can be said that society is thoughtless, because it tolerates child labor (Enderle 274). Child labor is not wrong from every direction; child labor is understandable in moderation. Hartman states, “The recommendation is not to ban all workers under the age of 18 from the workplace, but instead to investigate ways in which child workers can meet their family’s needs, while also endeavoring to better themselves through a complete education” (Hartman). The proposal is to balance the schedule for a child under the

The economy is steadily changing and is an essential part of every person’s basic needs. Families in lower economic brackets are finding it harder and harder to make ends meet, whereas, families in higher income brackets enjoy vacations and the luxuries money can offer. Today’s children in this world are ever more exposed to these diversities and are exploited for labor in today’s child labor black market. You may have imagined children in third world countries working in the fields or in the factories, but what about American born children living within the borders of the United States. Well, if you thought that was impossible, that children can’t possibly be working in United States Factories, or fields, you were wrong. Well according to the article Child Labor of America, over two million children ages four thru sixteen worked in the United States labor force during the 19th century.

As of 2013, 168 million children worldwide are engaged in child labor. The Sub-Saharan Africa region has the second highest number of child laborers in the world; about 59 million as of 2012 (borenproject.org). Child labor refers to the employment of children in any work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend school, and is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful (ilo.org). Children work in dangerous conditions, harming their mental and physical state. More than half of these children are exposed to the worst forms of child labor. More should be done to end child labor. These children experience unfair treatment, hazardous living conditions, and

The year to year increase in consumer demand for cheaper products have led major corporations to outsource labor in foreign countries with little to no laws preventing child labor and the building of sweatshops. Many parents here in America would be disgusted by the idea of forcing their young children to work long hard hours in factory but the truth is because of our desire for cheap products, “As many as a million children ranging in age from 5 to 15 work as debt-bonded laborers in the loom sheds of India, Nepal and Pakistan, according to the U.S. Department of Labor and the ILO” (Razzi 46). Many of the products we enjoy today such as soccer balls are made by child labor, “Eighty percent of the soccer balls sold in the U.S. are produced in a small region of eastern Pakistan, where about 20% of the work force is between 5 and 14 years old, according to the International Labor Rights Fund (ILRF)” (Razzi 46). Child labor does not just exist in third world countries, “The International Labour Organization (ILO), an agency of the United Nations that is based in Geneva, estimates that about 13% of the world's children between the ages of 10 and 14 work, along with untold numbers of younger children” (Razzi 46). Even more surprising is the that sweatshops also exists here in America, “More than a quarter of a million people work in U.S. sweatshops, according to the Labor Department” (Razzi

Working children are not getting any education that is beneficial and important. Education is fundamental to success. Through education, many life skills are learned to help each become a better individual, by learning to their own opinions and becoming knowledgeable about the world around them. In addition, education is a way to put forward a change in varying economic topics. Globalization has really affected education in developing countries that it became a lose-lose situation. In the article “Globalization and the Economics of Child labor” by Eric Edmonds, states that, “If governments could somehow prevent children from working, we might see less schooling rather than more, because the loss of income from working children would make schooling even more unaffordable” (Edmonds, 9). Due to both of the options having a negative side, it causes a conundrum and leaves the family of the laboring child with very limited options: Sending the child to work to assist in bringing in some income or send their child to school bringing the family to a brink of or total bankruptcy and

In the United States, child labor and sweatshops are illegal, and society frowns upon any business that exploits children in the production of goods. Though most would say that they would not support a company that uses child labor to produce its goods, almost everyone has, in fact, knowingly or unknowingly, supported these businesses in one way or another. Children are involved in the production of many of the everyday goods we import from overseas, including the manufacturing of clothes, shoes, toys, and sporting equipment, the farming of cocoa, cotton, sugarcane, and bananas, and the mining of coal, diamonds, and gold (The U.S. Dept. of Labor). Often, we are blinded to this fact.