Children Belong in School, Not Mines

Children Belong in School, Not Mines

Our daily lives here in Silicon Valley consists of waking up in the morning and going to school. Although we view this daily routine a drag, we should feel grateful for the privilege and opportunity we have because this is not the case for the children aged five years old to seventeen years old 17 in Nigeria (“50 percent”). Child labor is not a new concept to the African people and has been an issue for many years. Unfortunately, the government has proved ineffective in trying to fix it leaving “50.8 percent of Nigerian children...involved in child labor” (“50 percent”).  This widespread issue of child labor stems from extreme poverty which in turn limits children’s access to education. Because of such poverty, children are forced to work to provide income instead of becoming educated which traps Nigeria in a constant cycle that only results in under development.

This issue has been present for so long because the government focuses on the surface level problem of child labor when the root causes are so much deeper. As Frankel, a reporter for CBS News reports, “It’s a poverty problem” (CBS News). Nigeria, being such a developing country, struggles economically leaving families without jobs and little to no income. This ultimately forces the children to spend their days working in order to support their families and survive (NBS). Although not ideal, parents find that their main source of income is the one to two dollars their child makes a day to pay for things such as food and education (NBS). Education, however, is expensive and low quality, leaving future generations uneducated and undeveloped.

Due to a lack of education, African society suffers at the cost of child labor. Education is such an important factor towards having a well-paid job and a modern society, but in order to obtain a good quality education, children must work all day to provide the money necessary to go to school. This contributes to a pattern of low-skill, low-paying jobs making education completely unattainable (Gitta). School fees are so high that many children have to manage with “poor quality education, which in turn limits their participation in the economy and obstructs the next generation’s efforts to get a good education” (“The two-way street”). The social impact of lack of education takes its toll on these children as working all day affects them “physically, socially [and is] morally dangerous, depriv[ing] them of opportunities for schooling and development” (NBS). This never-ending cycle traps the African people in a state of development, something the government isn’t able to observe clearly.

There’s a saying that goes, “Our children are the future” promoting the new generations as progressive change and hope for a better world. Each generation acquiring even more knowledge than the last, bringing our lives into innovation and new discoveries. That mindset rings true here in Silicon Valley with endless opportunities, yet younger countries such as Nigeria still struggle. Their government has attempted to pass acts against child labor, the most recent being the Child Act passed last year, but all have proved to be ineffective and ignored. The effects of child labor are not only physical, but mental, and the government needs to acknowledge the root cause of child labor and believe the entirety of its negative impact on society. Education seems to be a possible solution towards a better future, a future without poverty and without child labor.

Works Cited:
"Child Labor Continues Despite New Anti-Exploitation Laws [analysis]." Africa News Service, 9 Feb. 2018. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A526863206/GIC?u=los42754&xid=7156b998. Accessed 8 Mar. 2018. "50 Percent Nigerian Children Engage in Child Labour - NBS." Africa News Service, 14 Feb. 2018. Global Issues in Context, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A527445706/GIC?u=los42754&xid=78c6838b. Accessed 8 Mar. 2018. Tinibu, Samuel. “Nigerian Child Labour Law: Facts You Should Know.” Naija.ng - Nigeria News., 9 Mar. 2018, www.naija.ng/1154819-child-labour-law-nigeria-challenges-solutions.html#1154819. Nwagwu, Joan. “FG Develops Template to End Child Labour.” News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), 27 Feb. 2018, www.nan.ng/news/fg-develops-template-end-child-labour/. News, CBS. “The Toll of the Cobalt Mining Industry on Health and the Environment.” CBS News, CBS Interactive, 6 Mar. 2018, www.cbsnews.com/news/the-toll-of-the-cobalt-mining-industry-congo/.