by B. R. GOWANI
in the past, child labor was common in the United States
many laws were introduced to stop this practice
Quaker-pacifist, social reformer Sarah Cleghorn (1876-1959) wrote:
The golf links lie so near the mill
That almost every day
The laboring children can look out
And see the men at play.
the laboring children never disappeared in the United States
or indeed, around the world, more children are working now
of course, many of the things children make end up in the US
more adults are working to survive & support families
in 1908, Lewis Hine summed this up:
“There is work that profits children, and there is work that brings profit only to employers. The object of employing children is not to train them, but to get high profits from their work.”
now exploiting children for high profits, has become the norm
an old Native American chieftain was a given a tour of the New York City
Brooklyn Bridge, circus, skyscrapers, etc. were shown to the chieftain
many Christian men asked him:
“What is the most surprising thing you have seen?”
the Native American chieftain took his time and replied:
United Nation’s Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC)
a document that protects children’s rights worldwide
was adopted in 1989 & ratified by all countries, except the United States
people – single and those with children – are struggling to exist
inflation has run rampant outpacing wages at a much higher rate
gone are the days when father was the sole supporter of the family
a “good” provider or breadwinner was the standard
now even two parents, despite hard work, fail to cover expenses
the day is not far off, when most children too will need to work for survival
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com