Opinion: Millions of children still in
slavery, and it must be stopped
By Kailash Satyarthi, Project Syndicate, adapted by Newsela staff on 02.03.16
Word Count 720
Azir Mulla, 14, sews inside a tailor's shop in Gauhati, India, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2014. AP/Anupam Nath
NEW DELHI, India – The world should be ashamed that we have not ended child slavery.
Not only does child slavery still exist, but the number of child slaves has remained the
same in the last two decades. More than 5.5 million children are slaves. They are bought
and sold like animals, sometimes for less than a pack of cigarettes. In addition, there are
68 million child workers and 59 million children who do not go to school. Each year, 15
million girls younger than 15 are forced to get married. The situation is completely wrong.
Clearly, there is much work left to do. About 550,000 people have signed a petition to push
the United Nations to strongly oppose child slavery in its goals for the next 15 years. These
goals are the called Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). Among them are plans to
wipe out forced labor, end slavery and stop the worst forms of child labor.
Now it is time to take action. It is not only governments that are responsible for ending
slavery. Businesses, organizations and individual citizens must all help. They must
pressure their leaders to make a change.
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Changes In India's Law Could Be Dangerous
Consider the situation in India. The government is considering making changes to two
major laws. These are the National Education Policy and the Child Labour Act.
The changes to the Child Labour Act would allow children under the age of 14 to work in
“non-hazardous” family businesses or the entertainment industry. This may sound
innocent, but it fails to acknowledge what is really going on. Working for family businesses
can be as brutal as any other kind. And the list of “hazardous” jobs is far from complete.
My organization, Bachpan Bachao Andolan, is the largest group in India to protect
children. An 8-year-old girl named Arpita was forced to work 16- to 18-hour days in the
home of her uncle as a servant. When we rescued her, we had to break down the door. It
was the middle of winter, and she was barely clothed and badly fed. Arpita was covered in
wounds, and was hiding under a rag on her uncle’s balcony.
Many Rescued From Family Businesses
Likewise, when we rescued 10-year-old Mohsin and 8-year-old Aslam in 2007, they were
starving. The two children worked for their uncle under terrible conditions. They made
children’s clothing for one of world’s largest garment sellers. The jobs performed by Arpita,
Mohsin and Aslam would not be considered dangerous under changes to the Child
Labour Act.
Recently, we found that one-fifth of the children younger than age 14 that we rescued were
working for family businesses. More than two-fifths of them were doing dangerous jobs that
would be allowed under the law. For example, the children worked in roadside restaurants.
They also made clothes, leather goods, makeup or electronics.
There are millions of enslaved children like Arpita, Mohsin and Aslam. But if the proposed
changes are made, we will not be able to rescue a single child under 14 years old working
for his or her family. It does not matter how terrible their work conditions are. The effect
would be devastating, not only on individual children, but also on the future of our society.
On behalf of India’s children, we call upon our Parliament to do the right thing and reject
the proposed changes to the Child Labour Act.
Children Must Be Protected Worldwide
Beyond India, it is just as urgent to protect children. We must do everything in our power to
protect the fundamental human rights of every person. It is especially important to protect
the most defenseless. Governments worldwide must commit to protecting and educating
their young people.
My coworkers and I have humbly done our part over the years. We have rescued more
than 84,000 children from terrible conditions.
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Still, far too many children remain enslaved. They are missing out not just on their
childhood, but also on the chance for a happy, healthy and prosperous future. It is time for
the world to stand up and speak for those who cannot speak for themselves. We must
demand that our leaders fulfill their promise of ensuring that every child’s life is enriched by
education and full of promise. Our generation can and should be the one that ends child
slavery forever.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
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Quiz
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Which detail would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?
(A)
About 550,000 people have signed a petition to push the United Nations to
strongly oppose child slavery in its goals for the next 15 years.
(B)
When we rescued her, we had to break down the door.
(C)
But if the proposed changes are made, we will not be able to rescue a single
child younger than 14 years old working for his or her family.
(D)
For example, the children worked in roadside restaurants.
Which of the following sentences from the section "Children Must Be Protected Worldwide"
BEST supports the main idea of that section?
(A)
Beyond India, it is just as urgent to protect children.
(B)
It is especially important to protect the most defenseless.
(C)
They are missing out not just on their childhood, but also on the chance for a
happy, healthy and prosperous future.
(D)
We must demand that our leaders fulfill their promise of ensuring that every
child’s life is enriched by education and full of promise.
What is the MAIN claim the author supports throughout the article?
(A)
Child slavery should have never existed.
(B)
Children should never be allowed to work for family members.
(C)
The proposed changes to the Child Labour Act should be stopped.
(D)
People have the resources to help protect children from slavery and working
dangerous jobs.
Select the paragraph in the section "Many Rescued From Family Businesses" that uses
statistics to support the author's claims.
This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com.
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