Africa child labor Essay

Submitted By aolabisi27
Words: 844
Pages: 4
Open Document
ENGL121-121
Prof k
April 20th, 2015
Child Labor in Africa Child labor is the use of young children for industries or business which is considered inhumane. Child labor in many parts of world seizes to exist, but in some parts of Africa there are still many children between the ages of 5-14 that still undergo child labor. Most of these children experience this due to poverty, and unemployment. This work does not only deprive these kids of their childhood but can be potentially harmful to their physical and mental development. According to ILO (International Labor Organization) 168 million children are engaged in child labor as of 2013, and out of these 168 million, 85 million of them are involved in harzdous work. In West Africa there is an organization called ECOWAS which stands for Economic community of West African states. Its main goal is the promotion of economic integration among its members. This is a regional organization of 15 West African countries but with your help by donating money we can spread this organization to other parts of Africa. Every child has a right to education and child labor deprives them of that privilege. They should have a fundamental right to education and labor also them to exploitation. If these children do not have any educational background then there would not be future leaders. No doctors, lawyers, bankers or even presidents to lead us. The United Nations states that there is an estimated 215 million children in Africa who starts their days at work in a mine or field rather than in a classroom. And the ILO states that more than half of all child laborers are in the most hazardous form of work, some 60% are in agriculture domestic or street vending at even greater are children in commercial sexual exploitation. Working in a hazardous condition may not be safe for the children, and also puts their health at risk because of their physical distinction. The children are only between the ages of 5-14 and are not strongly built at the moment so it is easier for them to get injured or hurt themselves. This work also has psychological effects on the children, and long hours on a regular basis can harm children’s social development. But most of all child labor leaves a traumatic effect. Adam K who started mining at age 12 describes the hardship of his work, the accident that almost killed him. He was working when a tunnel collapsed right in front of him “I thought I was dead” he said. Adam is now 16 years old and is still working and since then has always been afraid to working. The main cause of child labor is poverty and families with very little income cannot afford to send their children to school so they send them to work. Children then receive little or no education and grow up without acquiring any basic skills or knowledge, and remain in a low paying job. In Africa parents are used to sending their daughters off to marry at a young age and have children, and now those daughters who have been sent off have low income to provide for their own children. As a result they lose their jobs to younger employees and there are fewer opportunities for adult employment just because of
Show More

Related Documents: Africa child labor Essay

Chocolate: The Worst Forms Of Child Labor In Western Africa

climates of Western Africa, Asia, and Latin America. The cacao bean is more commonly referred to as cocoa, so that is the term that will be used throughout this article. Western African countries, mostly Ghana and the Ivory Coast, supply more than 70% of the world’s cocoa. The cocoa they grow and harvest is sold to a majority of chocolate companies, including the largest in the world. In recent years, a handful of organizations and journalists have exposed the widespread use of child labor, and in some…

Words 920 - Pages 4

Child Labor Essay

This is a review of research on child labor in Sub-Saharan Africa. It focuses on child labor taking place in the household and controlled by relatives of the children since this is the most extensive form of child labor in African countries. It is also the form of child labor that is the most difficult one to appraise from a normative point of view. Subtle trade-offs between schooling, leisure and poverty across generations may be involved. Hence, the paper emphasises welfare economics…

Words 342 - Pages 2

Child Labor specifically in Hersheys CompanyThe Essay

Child Labor specifically in Hershey’s Company. The world is object of the deployment of American and European multinational corporations that takes the region as a natural market and supplier of raw material of their expansive economies. The methods they use to achieve their goals are often above the law, corrupt officials, intimidate trade unionists, politicians and entire governments co-opt and violate human rights. In this case, it is about the violations of human rights in West Africa by the…

Words 1305 - Pages 6

Modern Day Slavery Research Paper

still being forced into labor, as they are treated like property, characteristics similar to the way slaves were treated back in the day. Despite being similar in some ways, there are multiple differences between modern-day slavery and traditional slavery. One difference is that traditional slavery was legal, meaning it was practiced openly compared to how modern slavery is usually hidden. Today, slavery exists in the shadows, as most slaves are illegal immigrants forced into labor as they are brought…

Words 638 - Pages 3

Child Labor

Child labor is a current problem that still occurs since the 20th century and affects millions of minors around the world. Youths under eighteen years old are being affected both physically and mentally from their jobs. Today, in the Eastern hemisphere especially in Africa, millions of kids are forced to work for their family because they do not have the enough money to provide for the things they need. The rise of child labor started in the late 1700s and the early 1800s when the Industrial Revolution…

Words 1468 - Pages 6

Child Mining Essay

The purpose of this report is to determine whether or not child mining is an ethical issue that deserves our attention. There are two contradicting views of child mining. One side that supports children working in mines by saying that it is an essential part of their survival and that all parties benefit from the process. The other side argues that it is a harmful and dangerous practice that takes away the child’s right to a safe life. To understand each sides argument we researched the subject…

Words 3369 - Pages 14

Essay On Child Labour

CHILD LABOR Every work that is done by children is not classified as child labor. Their participation in the works that do not affect their health, interfere their school and damage their personal development is generally regarded positive work such as helping parents in home, part time job for earning pocket money or handling their business that can be done outside school hours and during holidays. These kinds of work not only help them in their grooming, developing confidence and welfare to their…

Words 1068 - Pages 5

Industrial Revolution and Labor Child Labor Essay

Child Labor Child labor is the gainful employment from workers below an age determined by law or custom. Over 200 million children are child laborers. This is not outlawed in many of the many developing (poor) countries. Of these hundreds of labor enforcing countries, some of the worst in this category are in Africa. The International Labor Organization estimates that about 25 percent of the West African country of Nigeria’s 80 million children under the age of 14 is now working. One of the…

Words 338 - Pages 2

Slavery Essay

slave traders: Arab Muslims and Europeans. From the 7th to the 20th century, Arab Muslims raided and traded for black African slaves in West, Central, and East Africa, sending thousands of slaves each year to North Africa and parts of Asia. From the 15th to the 19th century, Europeans bought millions of slaves in West, Central, and East Africa and sent them to Europe; the Caribbean; and North, Central, and South America. These two overlapping waves of transcontinental slave trading made the slave trade…

Words 747 - Pages 3

Essay on child labor

Child Labor The next time when you are out on your shopping trip, chances you may have support a business which exploits children. It is very disturbing and heartbreaking to learn many children are chained to looms for 12 hours a day because families need to have their child bringing home a small amount of money. Child labor has always been a difficult subject to address, the topic have become much more complicated and prolific. Child labor around the world exists and many children are being underpaid…

Words 1876 - Pages 8