Child abuse

Great picture…

What a concept? I am one of those who believe that child labor is a western concept that was imported to us. Just like the idea of human rights, which proved to be culturally insensitive, bias and implemented on certain people, but not the others (i.e. Israelis, but not Palestinians)

Child labor is a very similar thing. I mean let’s pit aside children who are truly the children forced into labor and trafficking and children like the one in this picture.

Children in many cultures (especially in Asia) have freedom iun the absence of women’s freedom, they move between the circles of adults and children fluidly. They also can go from women’s worlds to men’s worlds unnoticed…. They go in and out of houses, they play with each other regardless of gender, they attend men’s circles… etc. For many culture, children run errands for their mothers’ , sometimes this includes work and dealing with money and carrying heavy stuff? Is it fair… I think in their own context it is fair… everyone does it, everyone develops skills when they do it, they all become street smart and stronger.

These days’ when you see a child helping her mother at home, they call it child abuse. If the parents have a shop and put the child there to help, it is called child abuse… I think people with the best skills are those who were exposed to work at a very early age.

I look at my father’s generation, they were out of the war, and were suffering of extreme poverty, and for sure belonged to the underclass…. everyone had to work otherwise the family would not survive. My uncles had to work as builders when they were as young as this kid… they used to sell wood for the sobas… they had to do anything to put food on the table…. today they all are doctors and have a beautiful careers… but the only difference is that their children did not have to work so they are spoiled and underachieved…

The point is… we should take everyone in their own context and judge according to that… there are no set of universal rules that work for everyone…

As for this Child… God bless them and inshalla his father will live long enough to see an achieved child

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with a child helping his/her parents at work, if this is indeed what this child is doing. It helps children gain social and work skills, which are useful for them in later life.

Work is also often an escape from abuse at school and a good employer can sometimes act as a surrogate parent for a child whose home situation is difficult. In some situations, a child’s income is the family’s only salvation from a life of dire poverty and the child, especially if he/she is the eldest, may choose to work to help his/her family out.

The issue is complex and multi-dimensional, and taking the moral high ground, without looking at it from a contextual cultural, social and economic perspective, is neither helpful for the child nor for society as a whole.

In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with a child helping his/her parents at work, if this is indeed what this child is doing. It helps children gain social and work skills, which are useful for them in later life.

Work is also often an escape from abuse at school and a good employer can sometimes act as a surrogate parent for a child whose home situation is difficult. In some situations, a child’s income is the family’s only salvation from a life of dire poverty and the child, especially if he/she is the eldest, may choose to work to help his/her family out.

The issue is complex and multi-dimensional, and taking the moral high ground, without looking at it from a contextual cultural, social and economic perspective, is neither helpful for the child nor for society as a whole.