Supergirls
In a booklet made by UNICEF, you can read the story of the 17-year-old Indian girl
Lakshmi Basrur, who writes:
"- I worked from five in the morning untill midnight. Often I didn’t even get
paid. I was abused both physically and mentally. Life was unbearable".
Lakshmi wore herself down, after her mother was hit by the polio disease and her father
left the family when she was nine. Luckily everything worked out in a good way, when she
saw a poster from "United Children Workers". Today she is getting an education,
while she tell working children about their rights.
Photographer: Thomas Yde |
Children have to help their families Most
of the children in the developing countries that go to school, have to drop out after less
than three years of school, because their parents need their help. Maybe the children have
to help at home, by taking care of the animals or smaller siblings, or maybe they work
other places to earn some money for the rest of the family. Often the children have to
help the family survive, instead of going to school.
Long way to school
Many children has a long way to school, ten miles (16 km) each way is not unusual. Ten
miles might not seem very far, but you have to consider the fact that many children has to
walk to and from school, since there are no or very few school busses in many developing
countries.
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Because there is often a scarcity of teachers, there are sometimes 50 – 100
pupils in every class. Beside the shortage of teachers, geting books, paper and other
essential tools in education is a big problem, since they are often too expensive or just
too hard to get.
Be grateful for your school
Be happy that you have the opportunity to go to school, even though you might think
that it is a bit to hard and a bit too boring. You can be absolutely sure that many
children would really like to have the same opportunities as you have.
| What can you do to help and to learn
more? Children in industrial countries can help to better their own and other
children’s rights. Here we have made a list of things that you could do to increase
the knowledge of children’s rights.
- You could tell friends, parents, teachers, and other adults about children’s
rights.
- You could read and learn more about children in other countries.
- You could make a school project or exhibition about children’s rights.
- You could gather money to help the children who fight for their rights.
- You could support and read about organizations, eho work with childrens rights.
- You could make a childrens rights club
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Photographer: Elisabeth
Borch |
? - Questions
Can you think of any violations of children’s rights in your country?
If yes explain which violations
Assignments:
Do one of the things that we suggest to help other children.
Write a short essay about all the things that you have and you think all children
should have.
Find out which kinds of work children do in your country and try to compare it to the
examples described on this page.
Tell why you think parents would send their children to work instead of school.
