Arun was 13 years old when he lost his left arm while
working at a brick factory. His daughter Mony is now the same age and works at
the same factory.
Around the world 152 million children like Mony can be found working in appalling conditions, in manufacturing, agriculture and construction.
The primary driver of child labour and exploitation is a
vicious cycle of multigenerational poverty.
Lack of education forces people into low-paid jobs
If parents have no education, they often end up in low-paid jobs
and rely on their children to supplement the household income.
In turn, their children miss out on school, leaving them unqualified for better paid jobs in the future.
Children living in poverty are vulnerable to exploitation and violence, such as child labour, trafficking and child marriage.
Dangerous work conditions cause injury, which keeps people in poverty
Mony’s family has worked in brick factories for generations. Arun was helping his parents in the kilns as a child when his left arm got caught in a machine.
After his accident, Arun dropped out of school and tried to
find safer work as a fisherman, but he could not survive on the meagre wages.
He is now back in the same brick factory, supporting his
four children.The machinery is rudimentary and hazardous, and he earns less
than one cent for each brick he makes
Arun’s wife worked alongside him until she also suffered a
severe injury. Much of Arun’s wages had to go towards paying off medical
expenses. There was barely enough money for food or shelter.
The only way to survive was to make more bricks. Mony, the
oldest child, had to step into her mother’s role at the factory.
Older children sacrifice their dreams so their younger siblings can stay in school
“I don’t want my younger siblings to do such risky job and I want to work to support them so they can stay at school,” she says.
This meant living with a constant fear of being hurt like
her parents while working gruelling nine-hour shifts, carrying heavy loads and
using dangerous machinery without any safety equipment.
“It’s hot, hard, and sometimes risky job, but I need to do
it to help my mum from a heavy debt,” Mony says.
Poverty is a cycle which keeps families trapped in dangerous jobs
Families like Mony’s are living in terrible poverty.
Children whose parents cannot afford to send them to school live in fear of a
future where they have no choice but to work in dangerous environments.
“I don’t want my kids uneducated like me,” Arun says. “I
want them to study so they’re able to find better jobs.
“But I didn’t know what to do when my wife could not help me with the family income.”
How is Mony’s family doing now?
Mony’s family situation remains vulnerable, but fortunately
she has been able to return to school.
Mony knows that committing to her education is the best way to ensure that she will not have to do dangerous, manual labour for the rest of her life.
She sees a future with a better paid job, and greater opportunities.
Whether it is achieving goals, studying
hard or dreaming big, every child needs a childhood.
At ChildFund we believe all children should
grow up feeling cared for, encouraged and valued, no matter where they live.
Every child should explore, learn and thrive,
and be able to return each night to a safe and nurturing home.
Unfortunately, many children around the world grow up in an environment of fear, unable to have the childhood they need. Many girls grow up fearing their childhood will be cut short because they are forced to marry before they are ready.
Below we explore the impact early marriage has on young girls, and how their futures are affected by a childhood cut short.
How many girls face early marriage around the world?
Many girls grow up fearing their childhood will be cut short because they are forced to marry before they are ready.
Despite laws to prevent child marriage and an overall decline in the number of children getting married, the practice is still common.
Globally, around 21% of young women were married before their 18th birthday and another 150 million girls will marry before their 18th birthday by 2030 unless progress is made.
How early marriage affects children
When a girl gets married, her childhood
ends.
She is expected to become a woman and a wife, and will usually have to abandon her education.
Arube Nalwimba, who is a headmistress in
rural Zambia, a country that has some of the world’s highest rates of child
marriage, says girls who marry early often have to look after their husband’s
entire family.
“In the rural area, when a child gets
married, this child is young, and this girl is regarded as a wife in terms of
all the work she has to do,” she says.
“Even though she is only 14 or 15 she has
to do all the chores.
“In our culture, she has to draw water,
feed the rest of the family, cook from a very big pot, and she’s a very small
girl. She has to draw water for all the people there. She won’t like it.”
Forcing girls to abandon their education can limit her potential and impact future generations. According to the World Bank, women who marry as children earn 9 per cent less than they would if they married later.
For families already living in poverty,
this can create a cycle that is almost impossible to break without intervention.
How to end child marriage
Ending child marriage requires work at every level of society.
ChildFund works with national and local
lawmakers to ensure laws are in place to protect children from violence and
exploitation.
Laws alone do not stop child marriage,
ChildFund Zambia child protection specialist Katongo Mwansa says.
“In Zambia the legal age for marriage is 21
(or 18 with parental consent), but the law is not followed in many rural
communities,” he says.
“The moment a girl reaches puberty, she becomes a woman in the eyes of the community. Marriage and motherhood is the next obvious step.”
“We’re working with communities to change
harmful attitudes and make sure all children are protected by the legal
framework.”
ChildFund works closely with local communities to empower children, educate local officials and build stronger child protection networks.
In many communities ChildFund holds
workshops where children learn about their rights and what to do if they are
threatened.
We also work closely with parents and
caregivers to help them understand the risks of harmful practices such as child
marriage.
Alongside this important community
education work, we also help vulnerable families earn additional income so they
are able to keep their children in school.
Sonam, a 17-year-old girl from India, who stood up against being married off early, is an advocate for ending child marriages in her community. She says parents are the key to ending the practice.
“If convinced properly, parents will
support their daughters’ wishes to study instead of getting them married at an
early age,” says Sonam.
How you can help
You can help end child marriage by supporting ChildFund’s appeal to protect children from violence and exploitation.
Your donation will help ChildFund work
directly with local communities so that children are cared for, encouraged and
valued, no matter where they live.
