Security

"Using the readings, what does a "secure" outcome look like for the policy issue you care about? What would be the best way of achieving "security" on the outcome? The market or the polis?"

By asking what a "secure" outcome looks like, we must first examine what needs must be met. What kind of needs? Biological? Social? Cultural? Self-esteem? Sense of belonging? Emotional? A great way to think of these needs is through Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs.

Think about it! As a person of modern society, what level do you need to be at-- physiological, safety and security, love and belonging, self-esteem OR self-actualization? Like most others, you'd probably want to be at the top of Maslow's pyramid. And-- HEY-- you probably want to see everyone else you care about up there, too! Really, think about it; do you want to see your best friend barely make ends-meet or see your sister struggle with her self-esteem after she was raped? No! Of course not! You would love to see your friend finding supplemental income by creating and selling beautiful jewelry, and you wish to see your sister accept that her misfortune was not her fault and find her inner potential so that she can move on! Ideally, everyone in society should have the opportunity to reach self-actualization. So, I have to ask: what happens after child laborers are freed from bondage? Are we going to provide them with the resources to live a long and prosperous life, or are we going to simply send them on their merry way? How much do they need? What kind of needs should be met?

Looking at the recently freed child laborer, we see a (typically)emaciated little boy or girl with a frightened look onl his or her face. Look closely-- see the pain and loneliness in his or her eyes, catch a glimpse at the bruises and cuts from months or years of abuse, and above all, notice how easily this could have been your child. How would you react if you saw the face of your little boy or girl glaring right back at you? This is why we must act. We need to give these children food, shelter, water, an education, a supportive environment, and a future.

In regards to a secure outcome, we must simultaneously address the crimes of the "employer" (I personally think that we should not address this person as an employer-- that is not what he or she is doing. This person is taking on human capital, not hiring an employee!!! This person doesn't care about the children at all!!!!), rehabilitate the child, educate the child, ensure that the child not return to child labor, and that he or she is prepared for the future. Such a task is hard to accopmlish. The first thing we must do is gather as many people as possible to help. With so many child laborers in the world, we need to spread awareness, and recruit people to report activity which they suspect may be child labor-- the ILO works to investigate businesses worldwide, but they cannot sniff out child domestic labor being conducted within households-- and report it to the proper authorities. Don't be afraid to speak! Just make sure you have all the facts, and if you are uncomfortable, remain anonymous.

Once the child has been removed, rehabilitation and the legal process must begin immediately. As lawyers work to put the "employer" in jail, a rehabilitative team health professionals begin to assess the health of the child, looking at basic health standards and checking for illness. Next, the health professionals come up with a plan consisting of medical treatments (when necessary), dietary needs, and whatever else they deem necessary. This plan is passed onto the rehabilitative team working with the children on a daily basis to ensure the child's physiological needs are met. The child is also provided with clothing, a bed, and a warm meal at a rehabilitation center filled with other children of similar background. While the center is co-ed, each bedroom will be filled with a single gender; however the rooms would contain children of different ages to ensure that the older children could care for the younger children if wake up frightened from a nightmare. At first, I contemplated the idea of children staying in rooms with others of similar age and the same gender, but after thinking about how young the children could be, I wasn't comfortable with the idea of once abused five-year-olds frightened in a room alone.

At this center, the children are encouraged to play, interact, and develop relationships with one another. The children are provided with group and individual therapy so they can work through the terrible abuse they were forced to deal with. Likewise, the children in the center would be provided with a comprehensive education in which they learned reading, writing, mathematics, science, history, and art, etc. They would be able to achieve that which a child in the public education system could achieve. This center would also need to be able to allow the children the freedom they deserve-- they should be given options. A simple, but great example of this is giving the child a choice between class subjects to learn: the child could learn to sing and dance rather than draw and paint, or the child could learn about basic biology rather than basic geology. They are treated like every other child, bound by responsibilities and given options. The rehabilitation would act as a home, school, and everything else the child may need. However, to avoid institutionalization, the children will occasionally be taken out on trips in small groups.

While all this sounds great and fantastic, it is a very difficult outcome to achieve because it becomes so costly, involves so many people, and government officials do not take proactive measures to protect the children. As we progress toward the end of child labor, we need to establish more effective methods of enforcing legislation whether it be educating officials or ensuring ethical conduct by officials (i.e. officers getting sex or money for not reporting). Such a widespread issue, needing so much, requires an outcome grounded in the polis for it focuses on the better for everyone without anything in return.

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