Gabriela Gomez

Period 1
Child Labor

If having a soul means being able to feel love and gratitude and loyalty, then animals are
better off than Humans-James Herriot. Maybe you have heard of these young humans and their
hard work, but ignore what they do and just feel sympathy for them. Child labor is one of the
biggest problems that just seem to be getting bigger instead of stopped. China is one place were
it seems that the number of children who are affected by child labor continues to rise as its
economy gets better. First of all, children deserve to have a choice on what they want to do with
their lives and not be forced or pushed into anything they dont want a part of their lives. Next,
children should dedicate their time to study and focus on education. Lastly, all humans deserve to
be treated with respect. Finally, Child labor must be stopped it takes over and destroys many
childrens lives.
First of all, no human deserves to have their childhood ruined by being forced to work
around life threatening dangers. Childhood is a time to develop strength and have support to
prepare for what the future holds ahead. Mainly, children who are forced to do industrial work
for Chinese factories are usually under the age of sixteen. These children are undermined and are
considered to be inhumane. Because of this, there are numerous of dangers they face each day.
One of the main causes is because they are demanded to do an adults job. An adult is usually
more aware of their surrounding and the dangers and hazards some appliances may lead to than a
child. This can lead to a childs death which can cause major damage to their loved ones. Some
of the dangers they face include: exposure to poisonous chemicals, such as potassium; working
in extreme temperatures and having to use and be around high temperature tools and machines.
In addition, the exposure to toxic chemicals may damage the childrens lungs and may also cause
harm to their eyes, which can lead to be blind for the rest of their lives. To illustrate, according to
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Period 1

a report filed by Human Rights in China, five innocent young girls had been poisoned by carbon
monoxide smoke at the factory in which they worked at. When the manager of the factory was
informed about the incident, he was frantic and he panickedly ordered all of the young girls
bodies to be disposed of immediately. Later, investigation was done on the incident that had
occurred and details revealed that two of the girls had highly likely been buried alive. Moreover,
many who had been employed are now on the streets because they have been diagnosed with
diseases such as tuberculosis, bronchitis and other fatal diseases. This mostly occurs to workers
between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five. This is unacceptable, children deserve better, they
are the future yet they are treated like animals by having to face cruel dangers that they should
not have to worry about at their age. Child labor hides the talents and dreams that children want
to express. Lastly, child labor must be stopped it is already affecting the current children which
means it will continue to affect those children of the future.
Secondly, children have the right to attend school; it is the law. Instead, child labor has
devoured the childhood they deserve. These children involved in industrial work are consider to
grow up as a child yet, they do the work of an adult. In comparison, they have hard jobs, which is
extreme for a child to take on because they do not get to have a childhood filled with love and to
be adored by their family. Yes, they have toys but they are usually broken old toys that they find
lying around. They loose the opportunity to be free and not to be stressed or worried about
having to complete any work. In addition, the main reason children have to face these complex
situations is because they and their family live in poverty. These hard working children come
from families that are so poor that their teeth deteriorate because they cannot afford toothpaste or
a toothbrush. Also, many cannot afford food or clothing to attend school. Consequently, children
are forced to leave their families as young as the age of ten to work miserable long hours each

Gabriela Gomez

Period 1

day of their childhood. For example, according to an investigation done by a reporter from
Southern Metropolis, they found workers who were as young as the age of twelve, that were
working an extreme amount of hours. Some childrens work time exceeded sixteen hours a day
during production demand season. When the children were asked about their sleep they
responded with cramped work space was all they had, and there were even sometimes were they
had to sleep under their working table. I believe society is way too advanced to let something
like this occur. This is modern day slavery for children and it must be stopped as soon as
possible, everyone deserve to have the right to have a choice and to speak for themselves. Lastly,
children should dedicate their time to study and focus on education instead of having to work to
provide for and support their families.
Lastly, if children are going to be forced to work, they should be given the respect they
earn and deserve. Children working in factories are often mistreated or are sexually abused.
Some children are too young to work with machines so they are sent to work as assistants. The
person the child was sent to assist would most likely beat them for continuous hours of a little
error was to be committed, and did not take into consideration their health or safety and were
most of the time abused verbally when talked to. Both gender are treated disrespectfully, to them
it doesnt matter who you are. For example, if a child were ever to be late, they would punish
them by being weighted. This means the child would have to walk up an down aisles of the
factory with a heavy weight tied to their neck as an example to the other children of the
consequences they would have to face. This punishment could last up to an hour or more. Being
weighted could lead to serious neck or back pain and injuries. Some managers made the children
get out of bed and head out to work naked with their working clothes held in their hand, and they
were to put on the clothes in the factory once they arrives. This was to ensure that the child

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Period 1

arrived to work on time and no be a minute late. Moreover, there is people who feel sympathy
and file reports to Human Rights in China. Over the years conditions in some factories have
improved but many are still abusing their underage workers. On the other hand, some owners
believed that what they were doing was a good thing because not only did it help the economy
but it helped the child to build a strong character. Since child labor is illegal, most owners bribe
officials and ignore the laws. The laws that protect child labor are a disgrace. Because there is no
political stability, children are discouraged to seek help from organizations that are available.
Some children have risked their lives and overcome their fear of being caught and have actually
written notes that described their working conditions and their state of health and hide it in the
product they have made in hope that someone will buy the product and read the note and
hopefully file a report to the Human Rights Association. To conclude, children are mistreated to a
whole new level that makes they scared to seek help, instead of being treated with respect for the
work they do while being underage.
In conclusion, child labor is a major human rights problem in Chinese industries, which is
a sign of modern day slavery. In addition, Chinese educational system have failed to provide
education for every child, which is one of the main causes of child labor. Laws should be
renewed and enforced to protect the rights of children, if not their futures will not be secured.
A child deserves to be just like everyone else and needs a childhood to enjoy their days with their
family and friends. Child labor limits a childs future and restricts his or her capabilities to
become someone better. To conclude, if this issue is not stopped the number of children affected
by child labor in China will continue to rise as its economy grows, which leads to the
continuation of innocent childrens deaths and incidents that deal with injuries not only
physically but also mentally.

Gabriela Gomez

Period 1