"Who are the interests involved in your issue? Which interests should be involved that aren't? Should you classmates be involved in your issue? Why aren't they if they should?"First and foremost, the child laborers are affected. Forced labor affects every aspect of these children's lives. Their mental, emotional, and physical state are endangered by the everyday occurrences within child labor-- this sense of well being is the main interest of these children. 
What kind of lives can these children have if their safety and health are at stake? Definitely not a "good" life... Sadly, these children's conception of the "good life" is probably one in which they don't have to worry about their next meal, can have a comfortable bed to sleep in, can go to school, and don't have to fear any form of abuse. They WANT A LIFE.
What kind of lives can these children have if their safety and health are at stake? Definitely not a "good" life... Sadly, these children's conception of the "good life" is probably one in which they don't have to worry about their next meal, can have a comfortable bed to sleep in, can go to school, and don't have to fear any form of abuse. They WANT A LIFE. Three other interests in this issue are governments, the "employer", and interest groups working toward the elimination of child labor. The importance of child labor differs by individual governments. Most governments have laws in place that set a minimum working age; however, in the example of Uzbekistan, we see the government using its authority to override the law so it can use children as a source of free labor. Most governments have intentions of protecting children, but some, as is the case with Uzbekistan, overlook child protection laws for their own benefit and other countries are not proactive in seeking out individuals who exploit children through forced labor. Child labor is of interest to government in that its treatment of its MOST VULNERABLE CITIZENS, children, affects the image of the country portrayed to other countries, support of citizens and non-citizens, and the efficiency of the government in the years to come.
As for the "employer", his or her interest is in keeping the child as a source of cheap labor. This individual seeks to prevent the child from being removed so the child can continue to work long hours and to remain a source of cheap labor. The "employer" doesn't care about the child's well-being; his or her main concern is MAXIMIZING PROFITS. Quite the opposite, interest groups work toward ENDING the use child labor, REHABILITATING former child laborers, PROSECUTING the "employers", and REINTEGRATING these children into normal lifestyles. Interest groups often push governments to take a more "hands-on" approach in finding unfair employment practices and prosecuting offenders. Interest groups want to give the children control over their own lives.
One group of people who should be interested in this issue are the children's families. True, some families want to save their children from mistreat and simply cannot; however, other families are simply unaware of what their children are experiencing. These families need to be educated on the effects of child labor so they can be wary of "employers" seeking to hire their young children. The families need to take a close look at what they might be subjecting their children to, if it is absolutely necessary that the children support their families. These families should first have the eldest work and the children get an education, but some families are at the lowest level of poverty and absolutely need the children to work as well-- they need to be aware of actual working conditions beforehand. Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to see how these working conditions actually are, but we can hope that families would look out for the well being of their children.
I think it is important for my classmates to be involved. With human rights issues, it is typically more effective to have more people involved. I am not saying that all students need to be human rights activists, but rather, I believe that they should at minimum show some concern. I would love to see my classmates having discussions about the need to end the use of child labor (as well as other forms of modern slavery), but I just ask that they spread the word. The first step in ending said practices is educating the public and providing ways of taking action whether it be just asking them to tell their friends or even join non-profit organizations fighting against such practices. They DO SOMETHING, ANYTHING TO HELP. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
On a side note:
I am currently a Young Ambassador for the Not For Sale Project in Cambodia. I ask that everyone reading this blog post at least look at this website and tell their friends about it:
The website has information on the Cambodia Project, and you can even donate a few dollars, but as I said you don't have to donate anything-- I would just like more people to know about the website so we can find more people to donate to the cause. So, please tell people about it. The Young Ambassador Program requests that Young Ambassadors get at least 20 donations of $5 a month-- so the more people who know, the better!
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