Editoral: Time to Protect Future Generations
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There is a lot to be proud about our achievements in the United States over the last decade due to industrialization. The demand for factory goods has put ever-increasing pressure on the factories to produce goods faster and cheaper. This has led to a dangerous situation where factory owners have started to hire children for labor in the factories. The conditions for these children are very deplorable and we are in a danger of losing a generation of Americans. It is time for the leaders of our society including parents to strive for passing laws that would ban these deplorable conditions in which our kids are growing. Several steps are required to improve the lives of these young ones. First, a law prohibiting child labor needs to be passed. Another option can be, to limit the number of working hours. My personal preference is to raise the working age to 16, provide equal pay, and force the factories to provide healthcare benefits to these kids.
Children have always worked especially in farming, but factory work is laborious and hazardous. Children often work 12 to 18 hours a day, six days a week, just to earn a meager dollar. Kids who should be in school are taking care of heavy machinery like spinning mills and hauling heavy loads. Some children are working in coalmines, one of the most hazardous environments even for an adult. The harassment of these kids does not end with labor at the factory but is exasperated with constant verbal and physical abuse. These young works in factories are subject of beatings and other harsh forms of pain infliction. Recently, a new phenomenon called “weighting” has left me flabbergasted. A heavy object is tied around a child neck and the child is forced to walk around the factory or mill. In another extreme situation, boys are dragged naked from their beds and sent to factories just holding clothes.
The poverty in our country is on the rise and the poor parents have to make a difficult choice. They are forced to choose between supporting their families and providing education to their young ones. There is no question regarding the right moral choice when it comes to the future of the kids. The parents are in serious dereliction of their parental duty when these young lives are lost to these inhuman factories and mills. The government has not fared well either. The federal and state governments have failed to pass and enforce strict any laws against that would provide some reprieve to these young angels. Our society has failed these kids and destroyed their youth and innocence. The kids are the future of any nation. A country’s future is based on how strong, healthy and educated its kids are. We needed to ensure that we are not playing with our future and doing our best in protecting and nurturing it. This can be achieved by a joint effort between the government, legislators, business leaders and parents.