SEE THE BIGGER
PICTURE
1870: Education Act
Going to school can be a chore but, believe it or not, for
centuries it was a privilege! And today, as in the past, people
fight against child labour and for the right to education.
Have a good look at the documents on pages 40-43, and read the facts and figures
about child labour and literacy. Then fill in the worksheet your teacher will give to you.
In the past, in Britain...
1842: Mines Act
1822: Jenny
J y
kshire,
born in 1822 in Flockto1 n, in West Yor
My name is Jenny and I am 12. I was
am to
We all work in the coal mine from 6
and I have 5 brothers and 2 sisters.
y little money.
8 pm every day except Sunday, for ver
. It’s
vy coal wagons up the mine tunnels
At the age of 6, I started pulling hea
tly in
mos
k
wor
I
n explosions sometimes!
tiring, and dangerous – there are eve
mine
the
e
aus
bec
ensive, and I’m often ill
the dark because candles are too exp
2
is cold and damp .
r
e a piece of bread and some weak bee
For breakfast and for lunch, I just hav
e).
(because the water is not clean her
my cousin Beth – at least she eats
I would prefer to be a servant girl, like
she goes to school one day a week.
better, she wears clean clothes and
1. charbon 2. humide
CHILD LABOUR LAWS IN BRITAIN
1833 Factory Act:
- working day limited to 12 hours for children over 9;
- younger children are no longer allowed to work. They receive elementary
education until age 9.
1842 Mines Act: women and children under 10 cannot work
underground in mines.
1870 Education Act: all children between 5 and 13 must go to school.
1891 Factory and Workshop Act: minimum working age raised to 11.
40 forty
Book
John 1900
... and in the USA
1901: Tom
1906: Lizzie
Tom, b.1901
John, b.1900
I’m 9 and Tom is 8. We
work at the Bibb Cotton
Mill1, in Georgia. I was 7
when I started, and I work
every day except Sunday
from 7am to 8pm.
I’m a doffer: I repair broken
threads2, and I replace
bobbins. It’s tough – I’m
on my feet all day, and if
I slow down, the overlooker
beats me. Sometimes, when
I climb on the machine,
I fall and hurt myself.
Tom even lost two fingers in the
machine, because he was half-aslee
p.
And there’s no ventilation here, so wor
kers often get lung diseases3.
I don’t go to the village school becaus
e we need the money, but my mom can
read and write, and she teaches me
sometimes. On Sundays, I sleep, or
I go
fishing with my dad.
1. filature de coton 2. fils 3. maladies
pulmonaires
My name is Lizzie. I was born in 1906, so I’m
nearly 7. In the spring, I work on dad’s farm every
day except Sunday, from sunrise to sunset, with
my little brother and sisters.
I pick1 over 50 pounds of cotton a day! Cotton
seems light, but when you have to carry a big bag,
it’s really heavy! And cotton seems soft, but when
you pick it, it cuts your hands. The Texas heat can
give you sunstroke2, too.
Abolish Child Slavery! Slogans in English and Yiddish.
Labor Day parade, New York, May 1, 1909
In the winter, we don’t work in the fields3, so we go
to school. I can read, write, and add up.
1. cueille
2. insolation
3. champs
forty-one 41
2
SEE THE BIGGER
PICTURE
…and today??
?
My name is Saabir.
I’m 13 and I live on the streets
of Manila. My parents are poor
farm-workers, so I came to the
city to earn money. When
I arrived last year, I begged
and I collected rubbish for
recycling. I slept in abandoned
buildings, under bridges or in
public parks, but bigger kids
kept bullying me and took my
money.
South Africa
in
My name is Masego, and I live
h
Sout
Limpopo, in the north of
and
t
Africa. There are lots of frui
vegetable farms here.
go
During the tomato season, I don't
y
ever
ds
fiel
the
to school, I work in
gal,
ille
It’s
pm.
day from 6 am to 6
are
because I’m only 13. Also, there
from
ts
gran
immi
a lot of illegal
on
Zimbabwe and Mozambique working
be
l
we’l
ht,
caug
the farm. If we get
my
day,
the
of
end
in trouble. At the
in
hot
It’s
.
ache
back and legs really
sty.
thir
ly
real
the fields, you get
USA
42 forty-two
orty-two
Now I’m protected by a street
gang – I sell newspapers in the
morning and flowers at night;
I give 50% of my earnings to the
gang, and they give me a safe
place to sleep. And I go
hool two hours a day.
to school
The Philippi
nes
My name is Maria. I was born in Mexico, but I started
working in Texas when I was 7, with my family.
We pick onions 11 hours a day, except Sundays.
At the beginning I suffered from dehydration and
headaches, because it’s very hot in Texas.
The pesticides give me skin allergies, nausea and
stomach cramps, but I’m used to all that, and I work
really fast.
Federal law says that children under 12 can’t work, but
I’m only 10, so if an inspector comes, I have to hide.
A
At night, I go home to the workers’ camp, I have a
sh
shower,
ho
eat, and fall asleep in front of the television.
Fr
F
From
rom
om April to November, my family moves from farm
to
o ffarm. It’s hard to make friends when you only go to
school in the winter…
Campaigning
p
for the Rights of Children
Book
FACTS AND FIGURES
d
The Convention on the Rights of the Chil
)
1989
in
ons
Nati
(ratified by the United
protects every child under 18 from
exploitation, and it promises education
for all by 2015, BUT:
• 218 million children aged 5-17 are
child labourers: 50 million work in
Sub-Saharan Africa (26% of all children),
and 122 million in Asia.
ulture.
• 70% of all child labourers work in agric
• In the USA, 800,000 children work
in agriculture up to 70 hours a week
(most of them are Latino).
• In the UK, child traficking is a growing
problem: foreign children are “imported”
e,
to work in restaurant kitchens, in agricultur
etc.
s,
in factories, in sweatshop
• 115 million children do not go to school
.
(94% of them live in developing countries)
CREATE YOUR OWN...
“Everyday-life” page
What about you? You do school work or you study for
school or for music lessons, you go to sports clubs,
and maybe some of you have part-time jobs, too?
Describe your typical week.
forty-three 43
2