Hi everyone, my name is Mary. I am 14 years old and have been working in
the factory for 2 years. I had to stop going to school so that I could earn
money for my struggling family. My father used to be a cobbler, he had his own
shop and was renowned for his quality shoes. But then the factory that I work
in now opened up. this put my father out of business. People were choosing
cheap, bad quality shoes over my fathers more expensive, good quality shoes. My
family has been struggling since. When I first began to work at the factory I
was not paid. But now I am getting a small about of money, it's not a lot but
we need everything we can get. I am currently working a 17 hour shift with a 20
minute lunch break. a few days ago i was fixing one of the bigger pieces of
machinery. As I was fixing it the machine started working again. I tried to get
my hand out quick but the machine took off my 4 fingers. I was fired shortly
after the accident, now I am out of work and I am at risk of infection. And if
I do get an infection, my family will likely not be able to get medical care
for me. And without the use of one of my hands I will likely have difficulty
finding work later on in life
Thursday, 15 December 2016
My Story: Elizabeth
My name is Elizabeth, I had to drop out of school in order to provide
money for my family. I have been working in this shoe making factory for 5
months now. It's absolutely horrible. Because I am a girl, I get treated even
worse than the boys who I work with. If I make just one little mistake, I am
beaten quite brutally. Myself and other kids have suffered many types of
injuries because of this. I work about 15 hours a day with small meal breaks
for each meal. The food is absolutely revolting, most of us can barely get it
down without gagging, but its all we get so its that, or nothing. I have a
younger brother who is 5, he is still in school but I don't think he will be
for much longer. Even with the extra money I make, my family is still
struggling to survive. Once my brother turns 6 he will most likely start to
work in the shoe factory with me. I've been finding it a lot harder to breath
lately due to the bad air quality in the factory. Sometimes I wake up in the
night and can't breath. My parents feel horrible because they don't have the
money to take me to a doctor, I'm hoping that once I start to work more hours I
can make more money. Then I can go to the doctor.
What we go through as Child Laborers
Children as young as six years old are working hard hours for little or
no pay. Children sometimes work up to 19 hours a day, with a one-hour total
break. But it was not common for children who worked in factories to work 12-14
hours with the same minimal breaks. Not only are these children subject to long
hours, but they are also in horrible conditions. Large, heavy, and dangerous
equipment is very common for children to be using or working near. Many
accidents occur injuring or killing children on the job. Children are paid only
a fraction of what an adult gets, and sometimes factory owners get away with
paying them nothing. Orphans are the ones subject to this slave-like labor. The
factory owners justify their absence of payroll by saying that they gave the
orphans food, shelter, and clothing, all of which are far below par. The
children who do get paid are paid very little.
Wednesday, 14 December 2016
Facts about American Child Laborers
- Right now, about 18 percent of the workers in America are under the age of 18.
- Over 50% of the work myself and other children do involves hazardous and dangerous tasks.
- Many of us work in confined spaces and underground in unhealthy environments.
- We are exposed to extreme heat and cold.
- There are no government regulations for health and safety and no state safety regulations exist.
- There are some safety instructions on factory machines but as most workers were completely illiterate these were as good as useless.
- The causes of the most deaths were fires, explosions, cave-ins and train wrecks.
- The main causes of injuries are the factory machines and sharp tools. My friends have lost fingers, and their hands have been mangled and some are scalped when their hair gets caught in the machinery.
- Some children are killed because they fall asleep and fall into factory machines.
- Carrying heavy loads causes lifelong deformities and handicaps.
- Us children not only suffer from physical stress we also are subjected to mental stress due to appalling working conditions we are put in.
- The health of children suffer because of working in back-breaking jobs in dark, gloomy environments with poor ventilation. We suffered from lung, ear and eye infections and unsanitary conditions lead to terrible diseases and illnesses such as cholera, bronchitis and tuberculosis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)