Give Me Back My Childhood (Child Labour)

There are many reasons why children engage in child labour. Three of such are poverty/neglect, violence/trauma experienced, and losing parents due to migration, death, and conflict. These issue forces children to grow up too fast. Child labour is allowing children to do work that deprives them of their childhood and dignity. It impairs their physical and mental development. Child labour can occur in the form of domestic chores where the child takes on the role of an adult by being overburdened with caring for younger siblings and daily responsibilities. This work affects their schooling by robbing them of the chance to attend school, forcing them to leave school early, and requires them to combine attending school with extremely long and heavy work.

The worst kinds of child labour includes:

• Slavery

• Prostitution

• Illicit activities, e.g. drug trafficking

• Risky work which will harm their health and safety

Let us end child labour by reducing our contribution to child labour, and advocate for an end to the oppression and exploitation of children. Parents and caregivers need to be educated on what is involved in child labour. They should be encouraged to take on their role and responsibilities as parents so as not to overburden the children. The children are the future let us secure them.