Human
rights have always been an issue throughout history, ranging from slavery and
human trafficking to equal rights for particular groups of people, such as
women or the LGBT communities. One particular issue causing some people to
cringe is child labor. According to McKenna, Afghanistan is country with the
seventh worst child labor problems. Although
the violence in Afghanistan was the spark that caused of Afghan child labor,
the rising prices of essential goods and poor educational system of the
resulting government drenched fuel on the flame.
Today, the Taliban no longer controls Afghanistan due to US
involvement. However, the Taliban is still actively fighting to regain control
of the country. This fighting results in casualties among the civilian
population. These casualties can no longer work, so they do not bring money in
for their families. Some may require medicine and food in order to regain their
strength. However, the price of medicine and food is rising and many families
cannot afford it without getting some type of loan. So they loan the money from
local businesses and in return, must pay them back with labor. If the head man of the house is
incapacitated, the eldest son would generally take the job. (Kantor) Yet this causes a vicious cycle of
poverty since the family would still need to borrow money to buy food and fuel, so the
children still have to work. Afghanistan has been the target of much financial
aid to help families pay for essentials. But since the war is winding to a
close, the aid will soon stop. “All service
sectors will be affected as aid dries up. Lower profit margins mean more
children will be working,"(Rotman)
In addition, even if a
family did not lose someone to the violence, many adults believe that their
children would be better off getting a job rather than getting an education. Two
reasons for the contempt of education are the possible parental experiences
with education and the poor educational system (Kantor) “Only one quarter
of all school buildings are classified as ‘useable’. Some schools are too
distant for children to attend and most schools are overcrowded, often serving two
to three shifts of students per day” (UNHCR) These parents’ way of thinking is
similar to the following. Since their children will not go to school, the most
useful thing for them to do is help the family by working. Also, by working
they gain a valuable skill to use in life and gain character. (Kantor)
With the USA’s pledge to
recall forces from Afghanistan, the potential danger from the Taliban for
Afghanis rises. As the Taliban rises, so too do the social issues in
Afghanistan. Also, as foreign aid trickles down to nothing, people will sink
into extreme levels of poverty and continue the inhuman cycle of child labor.
Additional Source:
McKenna, Luke. "Child Labor Is Making A Disturbing Resurgence Around The World."Business Insider. 6 Jan. 2012. Web. 06 May 2012. <http://www.businessinsider.com/countries-worst-child-labor-risks-2012-1>.
Response to Kevin by Cathlynne:
ReplyDeleteThe cycle that Kevin mentions is certainly the truths of what is going on in Afghanistan. Because of the steep poverty that Afghanistan is in, it places the people in a state of disorder. With this comes the cycle that Kevin discussed. Families are struggling more than ever now because there is not much more money that they could borrow. Being that they some families do not have a father figure, children of the house are forced to work at such a young age. In addition to doing atrocious manual labor, most children only make pennies and dimes a day. Nichols states that the responsibility of the parents and the government in Afghanistan is to allow their children to get an education rather than work to better the future of Afghanistan. Because this is not the case, the cycle seems as though it is never ending. The problem with this is that working at a young age has become socially accepted by the children of Afghanistan as they know that they are the breadwinners of their families (Nichols).
Response to Kevin by Christine:
ReplyDeleteI agree with Kevin’s comments on the threat that the Taliban pose to the security of the Afghan people and the republic itself. However, I would also like to add upon the danger related to children going to school instead of working. Although the Taliban are being suppressed by the United States forces, they still attack innocent civilians and recently, they have been bombing areas around schools. This is not only a threat to the lives of the Afghan children, but another reason for parents to send their children to work rather than to school. As mentioned in a BBC news article,” four schools were attacked in the last week of October 2002 in an attempt to stop parents sending their daughters to study. The attackers fired rockets into the schools, and raided them… According to The Guardian, "The attackers left behind an unexploded grenade and several leaflets warning parents to keep their girls at home.” Acts of violence like these even though targeted directly at females are still affecting the lives of the surrounding children. I believe that this along with the continuous cycle of debt is causing the issue of child labor to grow.
"Education in Afghanistan." BBC News. BBC. Web. 08 May 2012. .
Response to Kevin by Aleksandra
ReplyDeleteKevin accurately portrays the cyclical nature of Afghan family situations caused by the ongoing fighting and poverty. Constant violence has drastically altered household demographics, leaving many women and children without a male income. However, he did not mention that societal values, initially installed by the Taliban, forbid women from working outside the home. This situation leaves many families desperate for survival forces to send their children to work. Even with income from child labor, families still need to borrow money for necessities as Kevin stated, which makes the cycle even more difficult to get out of.
The state of education in Afghanistan is indeed extremely poor, so much so that parents decide that labor is a better education for their children. Afghan education is free in terms of tuition, but hidden costs exist. Children must be furnished with uniforms and notebooks, and sometimes must give presents to teachers in exchange for passing grades. (Sims) The last point is only the beginning of characteristics that display the lack of quality in education, including that classrooms are overcrowded and most teachers are unqualified. Thus, the current educational standards in Afghanistan incurs in more burden on the family, with no guarantee of success afterwards. In consequence, some families see more benefit in letting children labor and gain a skill than sit in a mediocre classroom.
Thanks for the input guys. I still stand by my argument that the cycle of poverty perpetuates the cycle of child labor. However, I did indeed forget to mention the women's role in this, as Aleksandra pointed out. Societal norms maintain that women are not allowed to work out of the house, causing the children to work if the men are incapacitated. Her details on the poor state of the educational system add on to my arguement, particularly the fact that students essentially "bribe" teachers for good grades. I again neglected to mention societal norms concerning child labor. As Cathlynne mentioned, Afghans have socially accepted putting children to work for pennies a day, rather than getting an education. In fact, as Christine mentioned, some may even attack people for getting an education. The Taliban in particular would profit from keeping the young uneducated. These reasons that, as you pointed out, I have neglected to mention indeed contribute to the cycle of child labor.
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