Many of the luxuries we possess today like innovative technological devices and high quality clothing are produced for far less than what we pay for them.
Cellphones and brand-name clothing items are some of the products mass-produced using child labor.
Sweatshops involving child labor are common in some poverty-stricken countries.
According to The Guardian, some children in the Democratic Republic of the Congo work to find necessary material for cell phones.
Child labor is a widespread world problem.
It most often occurs in developing countries where labor laws are not enforced and poverty is omnipresent.
Many of the products that Americans consume are created in different areas of the world using child labor. We are too involved with the sickening process.
Uniteforsight.org reported that “211 million children, or 18% of children aged 5-14, are economically active worldwide.”
When children work, it is usually accompanied by unsafe working conditions and dangerous environments.
According to the International Labor Organization, approximately 115 million children work in dangerous conditions such as agriculture, construction, mannufacturing and domestic services.
Children are in their developing stages of life, making these hazardous working conditions obstructive to their development.
When working in these conditions, children and preteens can be exposed to harsh chemicals.
The ILO also reported how child laborers are at an even greater risk of getting hurt at work than adult workers.
Corporate giants have had a history of producing their products using child labor and harsh working conditions.
According to CNN, some companies like Victoria’s Secret may have taken part in child labor and exploitation.
According to the article, Victoria’s Secret allegedly received cotton grown by child laborers was first reported by Bloomberg.
Following the accusation, the company owning Victoria’s Secret, Limited Brands, said to CNN, “We are prepared to take swift action to prevent the illegal use of child labor in the fields where we source.”
Usually, the work done by individuals for these corporate giants is backbreaking and dangerous.
It is also oftentimes a violation of human rights to safe working environments and fair wages.
Consumerism is behind the wheel, and we are the people steering it.
If we become part of the movement to stop child labor and sweatshops, we would help create a better working environment for those who do not have a voice of their own.
Jovanna Madrigal is a junior journalism major and an assistant opinions editor at the Daily 49er.
