The Role Of Child Labor In The Dominican Republic

Child Labor in the Dominican Republic
When people travel to the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean, they tend to keep their eyes on the white, sandy, beaches with their crystal clear water and focus on the rich history of the notorious pirates. Many tourists would not come across the many unfortunate children that face abuse and neglect. These children are being held back from a future that could be promising, but it will never be within their reach because the children’s maltreatment is being hidden deep underneath the beautiful island of the Dominican Republic; therefore the time being spent in the country is for the tourists own purposes where in the mean time children continue to be neglected. Looking back in time, the children that were
Currently, families with financial issues face a life of poverty and so the parents must put their children in harm’s way to bring money into their homes. The government does not convey much change with education and work circumstances; therefore many non-profit organizations will play their role in supporting their country. According to the International Labor Organization’s (ILO) International Child Labor Eradication Program, they “defines child labour as ‘dangerous and harmful for a child’s physical, mental or moral welfare, and it forces them to combine their studies with hard work that takes up much of their time,’”(Carrasco, 2009). Dating back to the late 1400’s, the Spaniards began the workings of child labor in the Dominican Republic and is now caused by economical and political needs; Save the Children is
In the past, child labor happened because they were forced by people, who sought to dominate, but now it occurs because parents are unable to provide for their family. According to UNICEF’s blogger, Sarah Carrasco, “When dealing with child labour exploitation, key definitions are needed: childhood, a stage that children should live through without fear, safe from violence, protected against ill-treatment and exploitation; child labour is an activity that undermines children physical development and interferes with their school schedule or forces them to leave school because they have no time for studies,” (Carrasco, 2009). Parents in the Dominican Republic are financially distraught, and they have extreme difficulties in housing, health, and education. Parents cannot find much work on their own, so they will have to force their children to work to make up the pay they lost and need it for their survival. To conclude these statements, the editors of the Child Labor: A Global View also shared that “Child labor is a product of oppression of the weakest members of a society whose general life existence is steeped in poverty,” (Larson, Desi, Schmitz, Cathryne L., and Traver Elizabeth KimJin., Pg.62). Because of the economy, parents will take any opportunity for work, and therefore risk their own health and physical integrity and their children’s. Parents get very desperate, so they even send