CHILDREN SLAVES OF THE WORLD

I HAVE THE RIGHT!I have the right to be free.I have the right to live with my family and be brought up by my own parents.I have the right to have a rest and free time.I have the right to live and develop myself.I have the right to a suitable standard of life.I have the right to protect my health.I have the right not to fight, until Im over15.

CHILDRENS COMPULSORY WORK

Childrens compulsory work means situations, when a child is made to work, the work is often dangerous and harmful for the childs health. One in eleven children in the world has to live like that.

Majority of working children live in developing countries.Their childhood ended too fast. They cant learn, play or grow up. They are losing their chance for better tomorrow.

Why do children work?The most important reason is impoverishment. Sometimes they are under the pressure of others. Children work as hard as adults, but they rarely get payment. About 352 million children have to work.

Instead of going to school, they have to work to help their family. From the beginning of their lives, children have to learn how to work.

Toys made in ChinaFrom 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. 28 days a month, Chinese children are making toys and mascots for the children in rich countries. They earn 32 cents a hour. If they want to go to the toilet, they must pay 64 cents. If they dont want to do their job or work overtime, adults take away over one dollar from their pay. After a long day children in China come back to workers hotel, where 180 people have to share one bathroom.

Forms of children's work:home service factories, quarries, workshops sexual abuse plantations.

Matches made on porchIn south India, in a small town of Sivakasi lives Kamala. She is 8 years old. Like her friends, she makes matches. She works on the porch of her home. She doesnt get payment she works, because her parents took a loan and they cannot give it back.

Glass from IndiaRavi lives in Firozabad. He is 6 years old. Ravi is helping his unemployed parents and a younger brother Vijay. He wakes up at 4 a.m and goes to glassworks. He works until 6 p.m. For one day Ravi gets less than a dollar. When he started to work, he was four years old.

Ahmed, the cookIn north Delhi, in a small restaurant near the road you can meet Ahmed. He is 13 years old. Ahmed makes cakes, carries water and helps in the kitchen. He spends nights in the restaurant he sleeps on a table. Ahmed never gets money he can just live in restaurant.

A little boy in IndiaNarasamma is 12 years old. He has been working on cotton field for three years. He sleeps in a barn with other children. They are all separated from their parents. Narasamma works for 13 hours each day. He earns about 30 dollars a month. Narasamma is often sick, because there are many insects around him.

CHILD soldiers

Today over 300 000 children under 18 in about 30 countries take part in wars. Just in Africa there are 120 000 teenagers, who fight using weapons. Majority of them live in Somalia, Uganda, Congo, Sudan. Between 1990 and 2000 all over the world there were 2 000 000 children who died and 6 000 000, who became disabled in military conflicts.

In Sierra Leone in 1999 More than half of soldiers werent adults. In Colombia about 30% of children have been taken to army.Lords resistance army in Uganda kidnapped about 12 000 children from their homes.

Who makes them fight?

National armed forces;Terrorists;Groups of rebels;Parents, who sold them.

I was really scared of death, but my friend told me, that if commanders will see any fear in my eyes, they will kill me. I had to pretend a brave one Charles, aged 12.

About 250 - 300 thousand children are soldiers. Probably The youngest one lived in Uganda. He was 5 years old.

Results of being a child soldierDeath, being injured, sicknesses, drug or alcohol addiction, disablement.Depression, fear, distrust.You dont know, what is good thing and what is bad thing.You havent a sense of morality.You have problems with living in a community.You are unemployed.You are rejected by your family.

Why do they fight?

There arent enough men to fight.They want to have a purpose.They want to belong somewhere.Adults manipulate them.They are smart and small, so they can reach to many places.They are cheap if you want to have them.They cant feel the fear.Enemy cant punish them for crime.They are interested in army.They want to fight for independence.If they fight, they have a chance for success.They may escape from hard lifes situations.They think, that they can leave the army any time they want.

Highway Capral

He is 11 years old and he doesnt remember his real name. 2 Years ago he was a soldier. He was the best in using machine gun. Highway was respected by his commanders. In the army he had to look at roads. He had to kill enemies and burn their cars. There was one time, when Highway had to scare his enemies. This boy killed all of them. He and his friend interrogated one of drivers. They were torturing him and hanged him upside down.

Mohamed Captain

He is 10 years old and he was at school, when someone took him to the forest. Adults gave him cocaine. They taught him how to shoot, burn houses and fight. When someone asked him, why he did that, he killed that person and washed in his blood. One time he stopped a priests car. He killed him and stole his money. Today Mohamed says: it was for fun.

There are organizations, which are fighting with the problem of child soldiers: UNICEF and Amnesty International.

Based on: http://www.wolfpunk.most.org.pl/pracdz.htm

http://www.opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/I/IK/dzieci_niewolnicy.html

http://www.maliwojownicy.strefa.pl/