Technology...Child Labor...Good?

 Lately, with all the rumors about child labor in technology giants like Samsung and Microsoft, hardware has been given a bit of a bad rep. In fact, recently Apple was forced to cut ties with one of its suppliers who had been using child labor in their produce. Ahem.

But technology can be good for child labor as well, and a new, trending app called "KidRescue" is a perfect example of that. Based in Colombia, this tool allows anyone who spots a child at work to take a picture -- From there, the photo, location, and details go to the ICBF, the Columbia Family Research Institute.

South America is no heaven for child laborers. Nearly 1.5 million child laborers reside in Colombia alone, and in its neighbor Bolivia, 40 percent of all kids work.  An impressive 3,800 reports have been filed from this app since its launch last February, and not all of them in Colombia alone. While the ICBF is currently working on cleaning up child labor in Colombia, many pictures have been received from from the hotspots of Asia and Africa.

They have had troubles. Many see them and not the employers as child-snatchers, and others have the misconception that work steels a child and gives them a sense of responsibility. But their groundbreaking work has helped more than 60 children off the streets and into classrooms, and according to them, should help about 150 million more in the future. That's encouraging.

A Chance Meeting

I remember back to December ( poetry! ), when I was starting to run out of hope, starting to give up, when a last-ditch attempt proved to be the beginning of a new adventure. 

I had contacted many organizations like UNICEF, Free the Children, and more, hoping for a reply that would tell me how to make a difference. Negative. Until the day I decided to contact Hallie Pond, Youth Programming Director of the United States-based Free the Children office. She was amazingly friendly and supportive, agreeing to meet with me to help me go forward and maybe offer some ideas of my own.

Well, I just met her this Wednesday, and I have come out of the meeting with fresh hope and belief for my future. She told me a lot about herself and Free the Children's work in developing countries -- Their "Adopt a Village" Model -- and helped me get started. From a murky, unclear path forward, I now have a clear action plan. 

If you look down a few posts, you can see my profile on Craig Kielburger, a true standard-bearer of the tainted flag of child labor. His story is even more intricate than I thought - With his small group of kids, he presented in his school and numerous other places around the community, and started a boycott of all products that had to do with child labor. He even repeatedly contacted the Prime Minister of Canada, urging him to focus and act on child labor in third-world countries.

Hallie taught me how to get a group of like-minded people together, present within our school, and expand. Also, she introduced me to other FTC programs like WeDay, a massive event in which children and adults alike collaborate in order to make a difference. For that, I am eternally grateful.

Caught Red-Handed Part 2

 Every year, millions of kids nationwide eagerly grab chunks of candy out of the hands of tired, exhausted homeowners. Of course they wouldn't have stopped to think about where it comes from. But if they knew.....maybe, just maybe, would they have thought twice?

Let's take a few steps back. And another few to West Africa, the heart of the cocoa plant, the hub of the chocolate making industry. Thousands, nay, millions of kids are involved in child labor in this area alone - Take a look at the statistics.

West Africa provides for a staggering 3/4 of the 4.24 million tons of cocoa bean production, the Ivory Coast and Ghana combining for over 2.5 million tons. They also share a less flattering figure: The two countries combine for 1.8 million child laborers. 109,000 work in the harshest forms of labor with no pay. 10,000 were trafficked, bought and sold as if their life demanded a price.

Hershey's has found itself at the middle of the controversy. All of its suppliers in West Africa have been caught using child labor, and their pledge to educate all children in their cocoa-producing areas has miserably failed/flopped. Although they have taken a few preventive measures, they have stopped short of certifying their chocolate "Fair Trade", which means setting down ground rules to avoid child labor in cocoa.

So. Before you bite into that chocolate bar next time, before you eagerly grab that Halloween candy -- You might want to consider that that was made by a boy your age, who knows no life without hardship and struggle. Join the fight.

Child Labor in Technology

I have neglected to mention a certain important issue - Child labor in technology.

Check this out:
http://www.cultofmac.com/207078/microsoft-uses-child-labor-to-shill-windows-8-video/

But before you point fingers, let me tell you this. Blackberry, Samsung, and Apple, technology and mobile giants, have been accused and confirmed of using child labor in their more obscure, worldwide factories. In China - Both Samsung and Apple have been using child labor in their factories...

Samsung:
http://www.patentlyapple.com/patently-apple/2012/12/child-labor-found-at-samsung-plant-again-despite-denials.html

Apple:
http://rt.com/news/foxconn-china-use-children-646/

So as we see, even the cleanest of companies is dirty low-down, proving that no problem can ever be completely solved or corruption completely cleansed. There were always be a drop left over from a drained sea, a grain of sand from a once full beach. Technology companies have been caught red-handed using child labor in their manufacturing, and whether or not it can be completely rid of, they need to do something about it. And let's not even start on the chocolate companies...

Profile: Craig Kielburger

There's a trend that I've found in most child and grown-up activists: They have either been in the circumstance they are fighting for or have been exposed to it for a long time.

Ex. Om Prakash, winner of 2006 International Children's Peace Prize, working to combat child labor and slavery, was a former child slave himself.

However, Craig bucks that trend. A typical middle-class Canadian boy, he read an article one day about a boy named Iqbal Masih who had been brutally murdered for speaking about his experiences as a former child laborer. Craig was inspired and formed a group in his school, the beginnings of Free the Children.

In 1995, Craig toured the slums of India, finding child labor, slavery, and lack of education present all throughout. Camera in hand, Craig got back and publicized his video, shooting him to fame. In partner with the Oprah Winfrey Network, Free the Children has now become the much-touted "largest organization of children helping children around the world." That's pretty impressive.

Craig has received numerous awards and accolades, but he keeps modest all the time. He gets his hands dirty in building schools for children, administers vaccines and clean water/sanitation to children himself, and does so much more ground work. I admire him and hope to help the world as he has done someday.

Please check out the website and their numerous campaigns and ways to get involved:
freethechildren.com

Sweatshop?

Sorry, my brain is still struggling to get off the ground after a particularly grueling series of final exams.

I'll content you with a light blog post today. Apple's latest hit game - Sweatshop, putting you in the role of a clothing manufacturer in a poor country, making paraphernalia for rich, western foreigners. 

Guided by the advice of Boy ( representing the workers ) and Boss - You know how bosses are - the player arranges workers ( towers ) and support devices ( toilets, water coolers, etc. ) along a conveyor belt. It's a twisted angle on a popular tower defense game.

Different workers have different strengths and weaknesses - From children, slow but cheap, to specialist hat and bag makers and from there to robots, who are faster and less likely to bleed after industrial accidents.

I like this game because I think despite being slightly frivolous, it delivers a powerful message and is a great way to spread awareness about the issue of child labor. At the same time I feel like it was a bit crude and made light of a very serious issue. I would love to hear your thoughts on this game...

It's back next week with a Profile: Craig Kielburger, Free the Children!

Children Making A Difference

I have always asked myself the question: How Can I help? How do I make a difference?

And when I read about some of the incredible initiatives that children like me have organized, I am awed at the courage and dedication these kids demonstrate in the cause they have picked.

Eight weeks ago, as you all know, Malala was shot - For refusing to obey the Taliban's order of no girls in schools. She showed incredible bravery in standing up against a worldwide terrorist organization that has threatened the United States itself. All around the world children wore headbands and shirts campaigning for education; By January a petition signed by nearly one million Pakistani out-of-school children demanding the opportunity for education will be presented to the Prime Minister.

Only a few days ago a raid took place in New Delhi, freeing tens of children working to produce Christmas decorations in shops - Their goal was to challenge adultish complacency about education for all children. A children's march, made up of 100 rescued child laborers, will take place on Saturday, commencing a 300 km walk to raise attention and awareness for this issue.

 The promise of the American dream and globalization is for all children to have the hope of following their dreams, of getting a quality education. Adults are not acting fast enough. So we kids will shoulder the burden. For as small as we are, in size and experience - we make up for it in determination and idealism. Us kids can make a huge difference in this world.