Human Rights Violation in the United States Sweeper and doffer boys in Cotton Mill Child factory workers http://www.galenet.com/servlet/SRC/
Breaker Boys
Hughestown Borough Pa. Coal Co.
Pittston, Pa. Photo: Lewis Hine
Human Rights Violation: United States Child Laborers
When the industrial revolution first came to Britain and the U.S., there was a high demand for labor. Families quickly migrated from the rural farm areas to the newly industrialized cities to find work. To survive in even the lowest level of poverty, families had to have every able member of the family go to work. This led to the high rise in child labor in factories. Children were not treated well, overworked, and underpaid for a long time before anyone tried to change things for them.
American children worked in large numbers in mines, glass factories, textiles, agriculture, canneries, home industries, and as newsboys, messengers, bootblacks, and peddlers. Large numbers of children also work in fishing, manufacturing and some children even work in illicit activities like the drug trade and prostitution or other traumatic activities such as serving as soldiers.
Child Labor violates a nation’s minimum age law
Threatens children’s physical, mental, or emotional well-being
Prevents children from going to school
Uses children to undermine labor standards
Children who worked in factories would work 12-14 hours with the same minimal breaks. Not only were these children subject to long hours, but also, they were in horrible conditions.
Many accidents occurred injuring or killing children on the job. Large, heavy, and dangerous equipment was very common for children to be using or working near. The Factory Act of 1833 was when some improvement began.
One common punishment for being late or not working up to quota would be to be "weighted." An overseer would tie a heavy weight to worker's neck, and have them walk up and down the factory aisles so the other children could see them and "take example." This could last up to an hour. Weighting could lead to serious injuries in the back and/or neck. Punishments such as this would often be dispensed under stringent rules.
1938 Federal regulation of child labor achieved in Fair Labor Standards Act
For the first time, minimum ages of employment and hours of work for children are regulated by federal law
Child labor is still a part of many economies today. 59,600 of the workers in the U.S. are under 14 and many other countries have huge child labor troubles. Child labor may have originated from the Industrial Revolution, but it is still around today.
For the past 23 years the Government of Uganda and a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have been waging war.
Over the length of this war, nearly 2 million people have been displaced.The Lord’s Resistance Army has led a violent campaign all over Northern Uganda.
In order to protect its people, the Ugandan government forcibly evicted thousands from their homes, relocating them into overcrowded camps in hopes of providing protection. Roughly one million individuals still live in these camps and struggle to survive among the effects of abject poverty, rampant disease, and near-certain starvation (Invisible Children Inc, 2009).
The LRA rebel movement began with a woman named Alice Lakwena who felt the Ugandan Government was being unjust to her Acholi people. In the 80s Lakwena was exiled. With no clear leader, Joseph Kony took over the movement, and he transformed Lakwena’s rebel army into the LRA.
When Kony took control of the LRA he lost support for the cause.At this point the Government of Uganda was building a strong offensive against the LRA. Kony beganabducting children and indoctrinating them into their ranks. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children (Invisible Children Inc, 2009).
Over the 20 year, conflict tens of thousands of children have been abducted from their homes and schools.
Thousands of children have been robbed of childhood and life. Boys and girls are turned into killers. Children 10 years old are taught to kill, often beginning with their own families. Children are commanded to kill in order to stay alive.
Presently there has been a cease fire in effect for over two years and the LRA has moved and is being hunted down in nearby Democratic Republic of Congo with limited success.
Personal Story:
Boscos Ojok was abducted at the age of 14 from his home in Northern Uganda. He was forced to march through the bush without food or water, armed with an AK-47 to loot and to kill. He was forced to cut off the lips, ears and noses of those civilians against the LRA. After 4 years in the LRA, Ojok escaped and returned home to his mother in a displacement camp. Ojok soon learned that both of his brothers were abducted into the LRA as well (Blue, 2006).
For more information see this thirty minute video about the “Invisible Children.” http://therescue.invisiblechildren.com/en/#/watch/ Resource:
The Rescue. (2009). The Rescue of Joseph Kony’s Child Soldiers. Retrieved June 9, 2009 from http://therescue.invisiblechildren.com
Human Rights: When all humans are born they are entitled to inalienable rights regardless of nationality, sex, origin, race, religion, language, or other status.Those rights should be maintained by a person’s country and the world to ensure the protection and safety of those individuals.
Sweeper and doffer boys in Cotton Mill
Child factory workers
http://www.galenet.com/servlet/SRC/
Breaker Boys
Hughestown Borough Pa. Coal Co.
Pittston, Pa.
Photo: Lewis Hine
When the industrial revolution first came to Britain and the U.S., there was a high demand for labor. Families quickly migrated from the rural farm areas to the newly industrialized cities to find work. To survive in even the lowest level of poverty, families had to have every able member of the family go to work. This led to the high rise in child labor in factories. Children were not treated well, overworked, and underpaid for a long time before anyone tried to change things for them.
- American children worked in large numbers in mines, glass factories, textiles, agriculture, canneries, home industries, and as newsboys, messengers, bootblacks, and peddlers. Large numbers of children also work in fishing, manufacturing and some children even work in illicit activities like the drug trade and prostitution or other traumatic activities such as serving as soldiers.
- Child Labor violates a nation’s minimum age law
- Threatens children’s physical, mental, or emotional well-being
- Prevents children from going to school
- Uses children to undermine labor standards
- Children who worked in factories would work 12-14 hours with the same minimal breaks. Not only were these children subject to long hours, but also, they were in horrible conditions.
- Many accidents occurred injuring or killing children on the job. Large, heavy, and dangerous equipment was very common for children to be using or working near. The Factory Act of 1833 was when some improvement began.
- One common punishment for being late or not working up to quota would be to be "weighted." An overseer would tie a heavy weight to worker's neck, and have them walk up and down the factory aisles so the other children could see them and "take example." This could last up to an hour. Weighting could lead to serious injuries in the back and/or neck. Punishments such as this would often be dispensed under stringent rules.
- 1938 Federal regulation of child labor achieved in Fair Labor Standards Act
For the first time, minimum ages of employment and hours of work for children are regulated by federal lawResources Used:
Child Labor Public Education Project. About Child Labor. Retrieved on June 8, 2009 from http://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/
The Learning Page.(2004). Child Labor in America. Retrieved on June 8, 2009 from http://memory.loc.gov/learn/lessons/98/labor/resource.html
Child Soldier of Uganda
Joseph Kony and his Child Soldiers
Human Rights Violation: Uganda’s Child Soldiers
- For the past 23 years the Government of Uganda and a rebel group called the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) have been waging war.
- Over the length of this war, nearly 2 million people have been displaced. The Lord’s Resistance Army has led a violent campaign all over Northern Uganda.
- In order to protect its people, the Ugandan government forcibly evicted thousands from their homes, relocating them into overcrowded camps in hopes of providing protection. Roughly one million individuals still live in these camps and struggle to survive among the effects of abject poverty, rampant disease, and near-certain starvation (Invisible Children Inc, 2009).
- The LRA rebel movement began with a woman named Alice Lakwena who felt the Ugandan Government was being unjust to her Acholi people. In the 80s Lakwena was exiled. With no clear leader, Joseph Kony took over the movement, and he transformed Lakwena’s rebel army into the LRA.
- When Kony took control of the LRA he lost support for the cause. At this point the Government of Uganda was building a strong offensive against the LRA. Kony began abducting children and indoctrinating them into their ranks. It is estimated that more than 90% of the LRA’s troops were abducted as children (Invisible Children Inc, 2009).
- Over the 20 year, conflict tens of thousands of children have been abducted from their homes and schools.
- Thousands of children have been robbed of childhood and life. Boys and girls are turned into killers. Children 10 years old are taught to kill, often beginning with their own families. Children are commanded to kill in order to stay alive.
- Presently there has been a cease fire in effect for over two years and the LRA has moved and is being hunted down in nearby Democratic Republic of Congo with limited success.
Personal Story:Boscos Ojok was abducted at the age of 14 from his home in Northern Uganda. He was forced to march through the bush without food or water, armed with an AK-47 to loot and to kill. He was forced to cut off the lips, ears and noses of those civilians against the LRA. After 4 years in the LRA, Ojok escaped and returned home to his mother in a displacement camp. Ojok soon learned that both of his brothers were abducted into the LRA as well (Blue, 2006).
For more information see this thirty minute video about the “Invisible Children.” http://therescue.invisiblechildren.com/en/#/watch/
Resource:
The Rescue. (2009). The Rescue of Joseph Kony’s Child Soldiers. Retrieved June 9, 2009 from
http://therescue.invisiblechildren.com
Resources Used:
· Blue, L. & Woodward, B. (2006). Hope for Uganda's Child Soldiers? Retrieved June 9, 2009 from
TIME Inc. http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1226297,00.html
· Invisible Children Inc. (2009). The Invisible Children Movement. Retrieved June 9, 2009 from
http://www.invisiblechildren.com/theMovement/
Resources Used:
Amnesty International USA.(2009). Human Rights in the United States. Retrieved on June 8, 2009 from http://www.amnestyusa.org/us-human-rights/page.do?id=1011100
United Nations.(2009).The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Retrieved on June 8, 2009 from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/