A few days ago, my anthropology professor decided to show us a video about Guajero families and what they do." In the dump, the people who spend their lives sifting and sorting of rubbish call themselves "guajeros". The guajeros are discriminated against because of their association with the dump, and so they have made the dump their life. Whenever possible they avoid contact with the outside world, for example it is unusual to see guajeros in the streets of the city."(www.libreinfancia). The Guajero can consist of generations of family members who have chosen to work in a dump for a living. Working in a dump is not an easy job, especially when you are an 8 year old child trying to make enough money to support your family.
The Guajero children are not forced to work in the dump but chose to because their entire family is engaged in the business of sorting through everyday garbage. This brings up the question of whether Guajero children working in the dump are looked at as victims of child labor. My answer is yes, Guajero children are "expected" and encouraged to work in the dump with their parents. Working in a dump can have many negative impacts that can scar the child's childhood. Pollution, disease and depression are three of the many factors that can contribute to the unhealthy effects a child can go through while working at the dump. What makes people consider the fact that children working in a dump is not in any way linked to child labor is the fact that they can easily be referred to the UN funded children's day care to help give them the necessary education and health benefits they require.
What made me instantly label Guajero children working in the dump as a form of child labor is that children under the age of fifteen have to suffer to live in a safe environment. Children under the age of fifteen should not have to do anything other than discover the world and enjoy the many benefits of being an innocent child. Comparing the Guajero Children to the Children in the developing parts of India who work on farms and in textile industries. What is the difference? Because the United Nations has interfered with the Guajero children's lifestyle, they are now more likely to live a better life and find jobs off the dump, in the city. Children working in textile industries and factories in India are in the thousands, according to the Human Rights Watch*, even if the many non-governmental organiztaions interfere they will not be able to solve the problem. What the problem in India is is that we need to raise awareness of the issue of child labor. We need to raise awareness of the fact that thousands of children and going to bed with an empty stomach. We need to raise awareness because if we do not thousands of innocent children will lead miserable lives while others take their most basic necessities for granted. Lets spread awareness for the innocent souls that have given up their childhood to save their families. Lets spread change one step at a time.
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Works Cited
Unknown, "What is a Guajero?." Libre Infancia. 18 Apr 2009
Scholten, Werner. "Child Labor in India." 06-Aug-2005. Indienhilfe. 18 Apr 2009 herrsching.de/pdf/Child%20Labour%20Scholten.pdf>.
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