Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor in the Philippines
Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor
Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor
Growing up in a developing country -- The Philippines - the stark reality of child labor is evident in all sectors of economy -- fishing, agriculture -- farming, mining and manufacturing industries. In fact there was a movie shown that document and shows children working in the fishing industry entitled Muro - Ami in the Philippines and you can see this here in the video. Child labor is a problem as old as the earliest civilizations, it has some cultural -- specifically familial factor and economic conditions related to it.
This is also true in other developing countries of the world -- in Africa and Asia. There is a relationship between population growth -- and child labor to my mind. The culture also exacerbates the conditions of child labor. In fact even in the more developed and industrialized countries there are also child labor, only the mechanisms are different.
Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor -- CHILD Labor in the Philippines
Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor
In celebration of the International Children's Day on on June 1 and with International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression on June 4, please join me in celebrating the sector of our society which need most our love, guidance and care, our children. In view of this, I am sharing this hub to you -- discussion on child labor -- Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor -- I hope you find it useful and let us work towards a society in which a child is not obliged to work.
-- You can donate to children's causes by reading this hub of mine -- Where to donate for children's causes, but before donating you may want to read this -- How to Avoid Schemers When Giving to Charities.
Other HUBS ABOUT PROTECTION OF CHILDREN
The Family As A Protective Shield For Children
Protecting Children From the War Torn and Conflict Areas
The Benefits of Getting College Insurance Plan for Your Children
How to Financially Secure Your Child's Future
The Gerber Grow Up Life Insurance Plan for Children and Its Advantage
College Insurance Plan :: The Gerber Start Smart College Plan
Child Labor
Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor
The Relationship of High Fertility Rates and Child Labor
Wealth Flows Theory in Fertility -- A noted sociologists John Caldwell stated that in agricultural economy people have many children because they see them as wealth -- meaning children are seen as source of help in the ricefield and in farming areas, so they tend to have more children. On the other hand, in industrialized economy like the US, UK etc, children are seen not as source of wealth but more of a responsibility because women are more employed and they don't have time to take care of children, at the same time women in more developed countries are more empowered and they have more careers outside homes.
If this situation is reversed or there is what we call reversal of flow of wealth that of parents to children, not children to parents couples or people limit family size. It make sense to me. When children are seen as an additional costs, then people limit their number of children, but when children are seen as source of wealth in this case child labor, people don't limit family size.
The Data on Child Labor
According to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in their latest report on the State of Worlds Children 2010, Africa and Asia ranked the top two in child labor, although it exists in even the more developed countries.
Some Cultural Issues
In some developing countries for example the Philippines, children are a source of wealth to parents in terms of helping them with younger siblings -- the values inculcated in them is such that they need to help their parents in terms of finances etc. so they work if they can. I see this in farming villages and some fishing villages. Most of families in agricultural economy are into this values. It is difficult for the government and some cause oriented groups to even explain to the parents that children which are expected to work is exploitative. Both the children and parent see it as positive aspect.
Protecting the Rights of Children Against Child Labor :: Population Growth and Child Labor
What Can Be Done : How do you protect children against child labor?
- In an effort to protect children against child labor, the government should enforce laws strictly, the neighbors and community should act as police and report any incidence of it. Laws in more developed countries are more in placed as opposed to the laws in developing countries, yes there are laws but they are not strictly implemented as it conflicts with other cultural concerns like -- the children want to help their parents because it is their obligations to help.
- Parents should be put in jail if they allow their children to be working instead of going to school. In these situations, community monitoring is important. There is a difference between a newspaper boy who is just doing the work to learn the value of money than a forced child labor where the parents forced their children to work -- as in the case in developing countries
- The conscious effort and information dissemination factor -- in which the government should be able to educate families before they marry -- their children should not be considered a source of wealth rather they need to be in school and enjoy childhood
- In view of the relationship of high population growth to child labor --- the government should help to educate women and empower them so that they can see that an additional child means lesser time for them to have their own careers -- for self improvement. The more children the woman has, the lesser time is allotted for personal improvement and relaxation.
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Conclusion :
Child labor is an important issue and it is related to the number of children the couple have -- fertility rate and poverty incidence -- this is more evident in developing countries. Child labor is robbing the child of his/her childhood and instead of enjoying they childhood, they work instead, some even skip school. Culture is a factor in child labor as well. We can do something with regards to this problem by helping organizations which protect the child against the exploitative nature of child labor and be vigilant and active member of community -- reporting perpetrators. Let us love the children -- they are the source of our future.