Alma August Of 2022 Essay

Child labor pertains to the exploitation of minors where their childhood is forfeited due to the tasks and responsibilities hindering their attendance in school or imposing physical, mental, and school determinants. Child labor is a form of abuse and it hinders their human rights and freedoms. “During kids' initial phases of development, children are susceptible to injuries despite a potential lack of immediate signs of physical and psychological health issues” (Ried). Some forms of child labor consist of “slavery or similar practices, child trafficking, forced armed conflict, prostitution, pornography, drug production, and hazardous work that can cause injury or moral corruption.”(Ried) The History of Child labor has shown that the effects

Alma Hernandez shared an important life lesson her mother taught her due to the fact that Alma didn’t want to wake up for school. Her mother asked Alma if she wanted to go to work with her parents, but Alma did not know what was in store for her. Hernandez states “Arriving at the fields around 7:30 am, I first saw endless rows of strawberry fields. I felt enthusiastic. My task: collect as many bright red strawberries as I could and place them in my pink Halloween bucket. After filling my bucket, I would give the strawberries to one of my parents. Around 12, I felt the heat. It was around 90 degrees. The humidity made it feel worse. I felt like I was in 100-degree weather; I did not like that at all and wanted to go home. I was already tired and asked if we could leave. My mom said no – I had to stay till they finished and so I kept working.” Eventually her parents realized her lesson was learned and let Alma stay away from the fields for the time being and take care of the other children at home when they couldn't find child care.

Child work is generally viewed as the easiest alternative for taking advantage of children's time in regions where schools are not easily accessible. In countries where child labor is more normalized, children who try and fit work and education have more of a disadvantage than the other kids. Working at a young age significantly disables their chance to have a healthy relationship with school. Oftentimes working children perform worse academically, participate less, and repeat grades more frequently. Studies have confirmed that child labor is contrarily connected with school enrollment and delays schools entry. For example, In “Cambodia a child is 17% less likely to enter school at the enrollment age. Child labor continues drop-out rates as poverty powers over children and makes them want to drop out of schools and go into paying jobs.” (Five Reasons why Eradicating Child Labor is Crucial for