Dear Future President,

Can you imagine how you might feel if you were a young child who was forced to work a job that put your health in danger? I think you should send supplies, funding, and even army troops, if necessary, to help put an end to child labor around the world. America hasz a responsibility to show the world how to treat children and you, as our leader, can demonstrate what should be done.

To elaborate, dangerous tasks that children are asked to perform include working as agricultural workers, miners, prostitutes, soldiers, drug smugglers, and bonded laborers. According to Ann Manheimer who contributed to the article, “Governments Must Protect Child Domestic Workers From Abuse” , published by Greenhaven Press, it was found that “...child domestics are exploited and abused on a routine basis.” This means that young children are being abused if they don’t complete daily work or if their work doesn’t meet a high standard.

In addition to the abusive acts of child laborers,putting children to work doesn’t give them a chance to have an education. Most children are forced to work instead of go to school because their family is in poverty, or their country doesn’t have enough people to work these jobs. From the Article “Children Should Not Be Forced Into Labor,” author David L. Parker states that“... for many families, child labor is part of an intergenerational cycle of poverty, social exclusion, and lack of education.” All children deserve an equal chance to receive a good education that will determine the course of their future. In many places around the world like Indonesia, Africa, and Pakistan, economy structure is poor and still developing, so children are stolen from their families and sent to work for factories and manufacturers illegally. These children never have the opportunity to learn outside of a factory because they are forced into a life of labor, which determines the kind of future they have.

On the other hand, not all people believe child labor should end. For example, many people believe that company owners are able to reduce the cost of production because children who are born into labor get paid very cheaply. But if these companies can help the families of the children who work for them, it could be beneficial for the children to continue to work. In the article “5 Positive Sides of Child Labor,” Shoeb Adnan believes that ...“the owners or producers of multi-millionaire businesses can save huge amount of cost of production by helping these poor children and their family.” This supports the fact that companies can profit by investing in the children and families who work for them. These companies can continue to keep costs low if they take better care of the children who work for them.

Even though working children may reduce the cost of production around the world, it’s unfair that children don’t get an education or go to college and grow up free to choose the kind of work they want to do. All children should be considered equally valuable. In the article “The Worst Forms of Child Labor,” by Greenhaven Press, Ann Manheimer says that …“millions of children around the world continue to be the victims of poverty, armed conflict, lack of educational opportunities, and health pandemics such as HIV/AIDS.” By continuing to allow companies to employ children, third world countries are sending the message to their people that they don’t see any value in their children.

As the president, you have the power to set an example for the rest of the world. If you tell other countries that it is wrong to put children to work and endanger their lives in any way, they will listen to you. All children deserve the opportunity to be educated and develop at an age appropriate level. It is important that America sets the tone for the proper treatment of children. I wish you the best of luck in all the challenges that your will face as the president.

Sincerely,

Charlotte