According to the latest estimates, there are 168 million children worldwide who are forced to work, and many of these jobs are risky and harmful to their physical and mental development. There are many ways to join the fight against injustice in child labour. Whichever method you use, you need to know that you are making a difference and helping the world to be a better place!
Step
Method 1 of 4: Building Awareness About Child Labor
Step 1. Understand the economic factors
Before we can take action, we need to understand what causes child labour. In many poor countries, children make up almost half of all workers. Sometimes families demand children to work and help pay for household chores and employers take advantage of this desperation by forcing children to work long hours in dangerous situations with low wages and no labor rights.
Step 2. Understand the role of education
One of the root causes of child labor is poor or corrupt schools and the notion of “lack of income while studying.” In short, the notion of “lack of income while studying” means that children do not get paid while they are in school; this lack of income, as well as the family's need for money, resulted in children dropping out of school. Improving access to quality education is one way to intervene and help stop child labour.
Step 3. Research the organization
Use the internet to find out which organizations support ending child labour. Check out their mission statements and event pages to understand their stance on this issue, and how they plan to stop the exploitation of child labour. Here are some examples to get started with your organizational research:
- United Nations Children's Fund UNICEF
- The Stop Child Labor Coalition
- International Initiative to End Child Labor
- National Child Labor Committee
- International Program on the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC)
Method 2 of 4: Supporting an Organization
Step 1. Volunteer at the local level
Your time and talent are great resources. There are several nonprofit organizations, such as Human Rights Watch or the Global March Against Child Labor, that rely on volunteers to help defend, uphold and advance human rights.
- The local branch of an organization is usually in dire need of volunteers to help carry out its daily activities. For a list of local-level organizations in the US, see here.
- Contact your local branch via website or email. They will have more information and specific people to contact through their site as well as ways to engage you.
- Offer to run a program or event that spans your area.
- Offer yourself to international embassies. If you are interested in helping beyond the local level, offer yourself to go abroad and help countries that are rife with child labor injustice.
Step 2. Sign the petition
Organizations seek to influence regulators and raise awareness through petitions. Through an online search, you can find open petitions on child labor issues at local and global levels.
Step 3. Donate
Another way to bring about change is to support these organizations and their efforts through financial donations.
- Many organizations sponsor public aid programs, collect fees for schools, and offer financial assistance to children and their families; sometimes, you can make a direct donation to these initiators and individual programs.
- Make sure you contribute through a reputable organization so that the money you donate actually goes in and is used for what you intended.
- If you choose to donate clothes, toys or books, make sure they are “Fair Trade” certified and not produced through labor exploitation and child labour.
Method 3 of 4: Starting Your Own Group
Step 1. Recruit members
One of the things you should do if you decide to start your own activist group is recruit members with the same understanding.
- Try taking friends, family, and ward members personally.
- Send emails to other groups you belong to.
- Give the information leaflet to the nearest cafe or bookstore.
- Create a site that describes and promotes your new group.
Step 2. Have a meeting
Holding meetings at a consistent time and place is critical to your group's success.
- In accordance with the approval of the members, hold a meeting once a week or a month.
- Keep a list of members' first names and email addresses so you can keep in touch.
- Be the meeting leader in your home or check if the local meeting hall can lend a meeting room.
- Introduce new members at the beginning of each meeting and explain to them the outline of the group's mission statement and main objectives regarding child labour.
- Develop a clear agenda for each meeting, including current events and news on child labour.
- Ask everyone to give their opinion and give their ideas.
- Invite members to bring snacks to share – this can help foster friendship, conversation, and sharing of ideas.
Step 3. Organize the event
This can help your group to make a difference and raise awareness of injustices for child labour. There are many different types of events you can host – from fundraising, book donations, film screenings, to public lectures. Whichever event you choose, your efforts will make an impact and bring awareness to your group and the anti-child labor cause
Method 4 of 4: Acting in Other Ways
Step 1. Send letters and e-mails
Find out who the local regulators are in your area and explain the need to stop child labour, both domestically and internationally.
Step 2. Express your opinion through the media
The media are an effective tool for reaching large numbers of people and for getting your message across.
- Join local newspapers and magazines by writing editorials or opposition articles about the anti-child labor movement.
- If you like artistic things, try incorporating the topic of child labor into your next song, poem, short story, or artwork to raise awareness.
Step 3. Be a critical consumer
Many of the goods we consume on a daily basis are manufactured in unethical ways, including the exploitation of child labour.
- Spend your extra time knowing how clothes and food are made. Do not buy from companies that are known to use child labour.
- Look for products with the “Fair Trade” logo or those made from labor-free companies.
- Try adding an app that helps you find “Fair Trade” products when shopping, on your smartphone or smartphone.
Step 4. Be the change itself
Passion can be contagious, so share your interests with friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else willing to listen. You can only make change by being caring and spreading it. In this way, the hope is that others will notice and be inspired to do the same!
