Student+Questions+-+Child+Labor+and+Education

Child Labor

Questions:

-How can we make parents know that they are making a decision that will affect their child's life? (Pablo) (Reflection)
-Why are San Juan de Lurigancho, Ate, Villa el Salvador, and San Martin Porras the districts with the most working children? (Joaquin) (Causation) -What is the responsibility of people who hire children in Lima?(Joaquin) (Responsibility) -What are the legal conditions of Child Labor in Lima? (Joaquin) (Function) -What does the government think about child labor and who has the responsibility to control the law? (Perspective) -How can we change the current situation in Lima? (Maya) (Change) -What are the jobs that children do most commonly? (Maya) (Form) -What are the different perspectives of people about child labor in Lima? (Everyone) (Perspective)

What we will put where:

CI and LOI: White Board Graphs: Poster EC Presentation: Teatrino (Pablo brings it) Form: Kidspiration: What are the jobs that children do most commonly in the poorest districts of Lima? Function: Kidspiration: What are the legal conditions of Child Labor in Lima? Causation: Powerpoint: How do kids working affect our community? Perspective: Powerpoint: What are the different perspectives of people about child labor in Lima? Change: Prezzi: How can we change the current situation in Lima? Responsibility: Prezzi: What does the government think about child labor and who has the responsablility to control the law in Lima? Connection: Kidspiration (Flowchart): What is the connection between child labor and local economy? SMART Problem: Whiteboard Action Plan (Reflection): Whiteboard: How can we make parents know that they are making the wrong decision?

What we will need:

Whiteboard Computer Projector 6 Cushions (If not, 8 chairs) Construction Paper 2 tables Stickers (We will bring them) Screen Projector

=What are the different perspectives of people about child labor in Lima? (Maya, Joaquin and Pablo)=

To answer this question, I will focus on the interviews and surveys our group did. Here is a reflection on our interviews and surveys that I have written and would like to share on the WIKI:

My exhibition group is focusing on child labor, and we decided to do a few interviews and surveys to find out more about the topic. Each person in the group has interviewed 3 children that work, 3 parents of children who work, 3 adults who worked when they were children, and 20 normal citizens of Lima, adding up to a total of 29 interviews per person and 87 total interviews. It seemed difficult, but we managed to interview the expected amount and these are a few observations I have made based on our work.

First of all, I would like to comment on the Child’s interview. Even though we only had to find 3 children per person, and a total of 9, it was very hard. This is because the government was there, taking care of the situation. According to ‘’El Comercio’’, May 2, 2012, Ollanta Humala, president of Peru, promised to eliminate child labor, and right now we are seeing a change! Even though they did not solve the problem in 1 day, it was incredible to see that when we were looking for children to interview, we could find very little children. Instead, we saw municipality officials there.We need to recognise their effort. Finishing the problem will be a challenge and it will require not only government effort, but also effort from Lima's citizens. Another observation I have made is that most kids like to go to school and would most likely prefer it than working. This is a very positive and important finding, how it means that if we gave them the choice to go to school and stop working, they would accept it.

Now I would like to comment on the Parent’s Interview. I have noticed that a very common reason why parents send their children to work is to increase their responsibility and make them value parent’s work. This is an area we need to focus on.It is important to know that there is a cultural reason that involves people's minds. I have also interviewed a parent with a very surprising case; his son was working at the age of 16 because he left his girlfriend pregnant at that age. This means that sometimes, children and teenager’s lives can be changed towards child labor because of irresponsibility.

I have reflected on a few comments on the former child laborer’s interview that I would also like to share. I have noticed that, like the parents, they want to give a good education to their children and grandchildren after experiencing child labor first-hand. I have also noticed that most do not have future plans to continue their education, meaning that they already lost the opportunity to receive a good education as a child for their entire life. This is why kids need to be educated before becoming adults, and should not work before their education is finished.

Finally, I would like to comment on the overall survey based on the opinion of citizens of Lima. Most people believe that child labor is not justified and many of them also say that they cannot solve it and that it must be solved by the government. Most people DO think that child labor is not positive for our community, but they are not very aware and do not take action. In our action plan, we must convince people not only to not support child labor, but to be an enemy of child labor and to add their grain of sand to eliminate child labor. As an action plan, we would like to make a video that shows the citizens of Lima that the government is very powerful but cannot solve the situation without the help and commitment of the common people. We will use media, a powerful tool that influences the decisions we make, to share the video and make sure many people can see it.The idea is to change their minds and persuade them to take action. That means NO BUYING FROM CHILDREN IN THE STREETS, NO HIRING THEM, NO GIVING THEM MONEY,and of course, NO ABUSING THEM!!!

Sources: Our Interviews and Surveys El Comercio, Viernes 27 de Abril del 2012

= What are the jobs the that kids most commonly do? (Maya) =
 * Shining shoes
 * Recycling
 * Car wash
 * Selling candy in the street
 * Working at markets
 * Juggling in streets
 * Cleaning windows
 * Maids
 * Artisans
 * Truistic Guides
 * Mototaxi drivers

Many children work in the streets. Working as: car washes, touristic guides, juggling, selling candy, shining shoes, recycling and mototaxi drivers. There also jobs that children not do in the streets like: being maids, cleaning windows, being artisants, and working at mini markets. There are more jobs that children might due but this ones are the most common ones.

[] = Who has the responsibility to control the law and what does the government think about child labor? (Maya) =
 * [|www.][|pronino][|.][|pe][|/][|upload][|/][|LIB_PDF_Inei][|.][|pdf] **

The MTPE (Ministerio de Trabajo y Promoción del Empleo-Ministry of Labor and Employment promotion) is responsible to enforce child labor laws. There are inspectors that have the responsibility to investigate the reports of child labor practices. Inspectors go to places were child labor has been reported. The national police and prosecutors also have the authority to comply the laws. There is a Codigo de los Niños y Adolescentes (The Child and Adolescent code) that also protects children against child labor. The Penal Code (Codigo Penal) also regulates laws against child labor.

There are laws and regulations that make permit the work of children. For example people or children 13-15 years of age may engage in easy work which isn’t harmful to their health or development and will not interfere with their attendance in school. Another example could be children from ages 12-14 may do certain jobs, but they need to get legal permission from the Ministry of Labor (Ministerio de Trabajo). The law says that children that are allowed to work must be paid the same amount that an adult that is doing the same job. [] =How can we make the current situation in Lima?=
 * Spread the word out by making a video.
 * Make a video to advertise parents of FDR and post it in youtube.
 * Open more organizations in Lima to help support child labor.
 * Make the parents of kids know that it is more important for there kids to go to school.
 * Raise money to help the situation in Lima.

All of these ideas can help us all to change child labor. We just need some support and help, to change the situation. We might not be able to do all of the ideas, but at least we have made some ideas that can help us change child labor. =How can we make parents know that they are making the wrong decision? (Pablo)= It is extremely hard to change the parent's minds, because their perspective is that they need to send their kids to work. If you imagine that you are poor, and that you need money to survive and feed your children, you would understand that it is very hard to convince them. Yet, my group decided that their is a group of people easier to convince that can also make a change; the citizens of Lima. Even though the society is aware of child labor and how it impacts Lima, they are not aware that they have the responsibility to help solve the problem and believe that the government must solve it alone. Therefore, we must convince them to take action by not supporting child labor and not buying goods or services from children. We will do this by making a video that explains their responsibility as members of our society.

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=How do kids working affect our community?(Pablo)= -Economy: Explained in next question -Education/ 33% abandon school/ do not remember what they are taught -Companies---Educated and capacitated people -Loose hope and self-esteem-family problems-violent community -Emancipate at early age/ drug addiction, alcholism, early pregnancy -Health: Dangerous jobs-infections

Child labor affects the community of Lima in many ways. One of these ways is through education. Although many children who work go to school, they arrive tired and do not remember what they are being taught. They also arrive late or are absent many times and voluntarily stop studying at 5th grade.The amount of children who abandon school is 33% of the population of children who work in Lima. With less education, the children will have less opportunities in the future and are likely to become poor, and, like their parents, they must send their children to work. All of this creates a less educated and prepared community. According to El Comercio, Tuesday 24 of April 2012, 52% of all the companies in Lima want to hire more prepared people because they cannot find educated people for fundamental jobs. This affects marketplace and makes companies in Lima less powerful. This also makes them loose hope and feel low self-esteem, causing them to have problems within their families. They have so much problems that they treat each other terribly, causing a violent community. The children are also surrounded by adults, and not other children, when they work. This causes them to mature very quickly and want to be on their own at an early age. When they emancipate at such an early age, they are not mature or responsable enough to confront the problems of life and they can enter many problems such as unexpected pregnancy, drug adiction, and alcholism. The community is also affected in terms of health. Children that work are exposed to dangerous infections that can spread and cause severe illnesses, creating a less healthy community that must rely more on hospitals. As you can see, child labor is not a positive situation for the community of Lima. =What is the connection between child labor and local economy?(Pablo) =
 * [] ||
 * [|www.pronino.pe/upload/LIB_PDF_Inei.pdf] **

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One of the greatest ways in which child labor affects Lima as a community and as a government is through economy. While it impacts the community very much instantly, it creates more child labor, which affects the community like a viscious cycle until child labor stops. There are many connections between child labor and local economy. ======

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The first connection is between economy and education. Most kids who work do not have sufficient time to concentrate on school. This causes them to, in the future, be less prepared and capacitated for high-salary jobs, making them poorer, directly affecting Lima's economy as a community. It is important to know that a person who had no education earns 57% less than someone who passed elementary, and someone who passed elementary earns 49% less than someone who is fully graduated. In total, a person with no education earns 106% less, which is more than twice as much as the salary of a graduated adult! Yet, it also affects them in a more complex way. Because some people do not recieve sufficient education, there are less capacitated people to take fundamental, yet difficult jobs that companies need. Therefore, they must hire people from other countries, and therefore, they must pay them. In a way, Peru is paying other countries, making itself poorer than if their companies are composed of Peruvians. As you can see, education is very important in Peru's economy, but child labor removes it. ======

Another connection is between economy and health. Even though some child laborers have a good balance between education and work, they are exposed to dangerous jobs that can affect their health. These dangerous jobs include brick manufacturing, carpintery, and construction. If they get infected or injured in one of these jobs, the health system must pay for it. This can create a large investment of resources and money, making Lima poorer. The health system must also pay for psycological problems. As you can see, health also plays a large part in Lima's economy, and child labor helps to provoke a greater need of it.

These are some reasons why child labor is connected to Lima's economy. But you may ask, why is this so important?. Well, here are some consequences of Lima's economy decreasing: First of all, Peru becomes a poorer country. Another consquence is that people who are extremely poor have such low job opportunities that they need their children to concentrate more on working, making them enter the two causes I have mentioned above and continuing the viscious cycle. Finally, the riches of Lima are distributed unequally, so some people are VERY rich and others are VERY poor. This creates a massive social unequalness. So now that we know the problems that child labor can bring to Peru's economy, we need to think about a solution.
 * [|www.pronino.pe/upload/LIB_PDF_Inei.pdf] **

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**Why are San Juan de Lurigancho, Ate, Villa el Salvador, and San Martin Porras the districts with the most working children? (Joaquin) **
- District with most population in Lima - 13,678 children work in San Juan de Luirgancho 7608 children work in Ate 6938 children work in San Martin Porras 6051 children work in Villa el Salvador - Most unemployment in Lima - Luck of good quality of school <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">- Parents come frim rural areas

<span style="font-family: Arial,sans-serif;">San Juan de Lurigancho, Ate, Villa El Salvador, and San Martin Porras are the poorest districts. Also they are the places with most children are working. The principle reasons are: They have the most unemployment of persons so the whole family has to work and they have informal jobs (this kind of job has a type of salary that is not stable and they don't have access to a healthy system). There is not a very efficient and good quality of school, making them more likely to work and leave the school. There is a cultural reason; it is that the parents that come from rural areas think that it is positive for the kids to work. In San Juan de Lurigancho, Ate, Villa El Salvador, and San Martin Porras children work in dangerous jobs such as brick factories, carpenters, constructions, and taking stones from the mountains they live in to get the gold, all day for a small amount of money.

[] <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">[]
 * <span style="color: #149830; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|www.pronino.pe/upload/LIB_PDF_Inei.pdf] **

**What is the responsability of a person who hires a child in Lima?`(Joaquin)**
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">According to peruvian law, children can be hired only if he is above the age of 14 as long as he works as a maximum only 36 hours per week, works during the day, works in safe jobs, work far away from drugs and alchohol. Yet, an employer has to guarantee that the teenager can asist school. In the case in which these rights are violated, it can be demanded in the labor inspection offices in Peru. If there is anything going wrong, they can recieve a warning. Yet, if they keep on breaking the law, they can receive a fine of 625 soles. []
 * [|www.][|pronino][|.][|pe][|/][|upload][|/][|LIB_PDF_Inei][|.][|pdf] **

=<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 90%;">What are the legal conditions of child labor in Lima? (Joaquin) (Time, age, and job) = - Peruvian Constitution legal 14 or above - It can not affect the children in any area - OIT (Organizacion Internacional del Trabajo)

According to the Peruvian Constitution, child labor is legal only if it is done by people 14 or above. It is illegal for everyone below 18 when it affects physical, social, mental, or moral development, interferes with education, stresses children, or is dangerous or nocturnal. According to the OIT (Organizacion Internacional del Trabajo), they agree with the Peruvian constitution that the minimum age is 14, but that there are exceptions for light, non-education interfering jobs that can be done by people 12 or above. <span style="font-family: Cambria,serif; font-size: 12pt;">[] =Smart Problem= There are people who help increase child labor by buying in the streets, hiring children, giving them money, and abusing of them.
 * <span style="color: #149830; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 13pt;">[|www.pronino.pe/upload/LIB_PDF_Inei.pdf] **

After investigating, creating our flowchart, and finding evidence from interviews and surveys, we saw that people think that child labor is a problem that must be solved ONLY by the government. We strongly believe that the solution consists of not only governmental support but also help from the citizens. We asked ourselves if we coud do something to solve the problem and we discovered that we could use media, a powerful tool that influences the decisions people make, to change this. We could make a video persuading people not to support child labor and make sure almost everyone in Lima sees it. Using powerful tools such as facebook and youtube, it would last for a long time after the Exhibition and be sustainable.

=Action Plan:=

Who: The community of Lima What: A persuasive video that explains the responsability of citizens in Lima is necessary, and that the government is not the only group who has the responsability to help solve child labor. Where: Youtube When: Before the Exhibition day. How: Pablo's dad has a contact who could help us make the video. Sustainable: The solution is sustainable because we will put it on youtube, where it will stay forever. It is also sustainable because people who watch the video might also be inspired to take action.

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