Children today are still being economically exploited and used as a cheap labor source – even in countries that singed the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. .
Claudia Jerger, Vice President of the YOU Foundation board of trustees, witnessed in Bangladesh how children worked full time in factories. The government allows that children work instead of going to school.
“They are trapped in a vicious cycle”
As they help support their families, the children are proud of the work they do, especially those working in the metal industry. Also proud are the factory owners who think that through child labor they are helping families survive. Parents usually rely on the children to work. “They are trapped in a vicious cycle,” says Claudia Jerger.
If a child becomes sick and cannot work, the family risks losing its home..
Humanitarian aid cannot break this vicious cycle
Many families have no other options. A shack in the slums costs 30 Euros per month and parents often earn less than 15 Euros a month;a child can earn up to 8 euros a month working every day for 10 hours. Also, the family still needs to buy food to survive. Humanitarian aid cannot change a country’s laws, but we can strive to raise awareness and we can improve living conditions! We do not even want to imagine what would happen in this situation if a family member became ill!
How can we remove children from this hellish cycle?
Night schools offer a chance to exit this cycle. The children are taught elementary education and basic competencies and are informed about their rights. Games and cultural activities are also offered. “We wish to strengthen the children with knowledge – in society and in their neighborhoods – and offer them a chance to be children.”
As adults they will have better chances on the job market, they will know their rights and with this strength they will be able to break the cycle.
You can stop the hellish machinery
Please do not ignore this issue and help these children hope for a better future.
We ask for your help: Please support the night schools in Bangladesh and give these children a better future.
Donation Data
You Stiftung – Foundation education for children in need
Commerzbank Düsseldorf
IBAN: DE 72 300 400 00 0 34 80 100 00
BIC: COBADEFFXXX
Purpose of payment: Bangladesch
