My Story: Mary

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