Former president of South Africa and freedom fighter, Nelson Mandela once said “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” Regardless of the society they live in, every child has the right to grow, to learn, to dream, and ultimately be a child. However, in the world we live in, not all children have these rights. Several children are being forced to work at the expense of their education, health, and morals. What is there to say about a society’s soul that condones or overlooks child labor? This disheartening issue is evident in several societies and it takes place right under our noses. Orson Card’s novel, Ender’s Game, encompasses the human rights issue of child labor, a matter that …show more content…
The Geneva Conventions states “The lives of wounded combatants or those wishing to surrender must be respected. They should not be subjected to physical or mental suffering.” A wounded combatant is exactly what Ender was in chapter 14 when he and his friends were pushed past their breaking point to fight a war against an alien species. Though their mental, physical, and emotional health was deteriorating, they were still subjected to more physical and mental suffering. Their rights, not only as children, but as human beings were violated. The Geneva Conventions goes on to declare that “Religious convictions and cultural customs must be respected.” This is yet another right that was repressed due to the futuristic setting in Ender’s Game. Throughout the book, it becomes clear that many characters are forced to give up or hide their religion or cultural customs as a result of the book’s futuristic society. Ender’s mother, father, and his closest friend, Alai, were only a few known characters whose faith was hidden due to their society. A human’s right, especially a child’s, should never have to be repressed like
One summer a couple years back, I watched a documentary on how clothing was manufactured. The video was filled of disturbing images and videos of child workers. They rarely looked up to see the camera that filmed them, instead they continued to work at fast paces. I remember my inquisition as I thought of why they would allow children to be exploited and overworked at such young ages. I can recall a moment in the video where they showed a four year old boy. In the text titled “Live Free and Starve,” Divakaruni explores the consequences of a new bill on child labor and ultimately leads us to her core thought, that freedom comes at a cost.
In Florence Kelley’s speech, she discusses her anger about child labor. She gives numerous examples of how child labor is immoral and wrong, which creates a vindictive and scolding tone. Primarily through imagery, parallel structure, and exemplification, Kelley calls attention to the horror of child labor.
Through the entire story, we watch as Ender is manipulated and wronged by authority figures. He does not receive the love, affection and care that parents are supposed to deliver to their children. He is constantly being physically and mentally abused by his older brother and school bullies, yet no adult ever comes to his rescue. This pattern isn’t just apparent during his life on Earth because it continues and follows him as he moves on to battle school. A specific example of this can be seen as him and his launch group are making the journey to the school for the first time. During this trip Graft makes a show of telling all the other launchees how impressive Ender is, which results in him being repeatedly struck in the head. Not only does this authority figure fail to intervene and help Ender, but as the abuse continues Ender has a sudden realization. “Then it had become clear. Graft had deliberately caused it”(Card, 32). This example shows how someone who
In the beginning of the book, Ender is ashamed when his decisions harm others. After receiving ‘special treatment’ on his way to Battle School, Ender is being harassed
No one in this novel could go through what Ender had and still function, so I excluded the internal conflict. Mazer Rackham is a magnificent solider who would do what he can to accomplish his goal. “ A very dull voyage, Ender. Fifty years in space. Officially, only eight years passed for me, but it felt like five hundred.” Mazer had been away from Earth for fifty years, meaning that most of his friends and family have parish, he left everything he knew simply for the betterment of his mission. If Ender was in another major conflict that required sacrifices, he should emulate Mazer Rackham. Ender should be able to make great sacrifices in the future for his goal to be accomplished. Ender should also follow in the steps of Mazer Rackham and have a pupil. Ender has so much knowledge that doesn’t even have to do with warfare, but it would be a waste for Ender's philosophy to die with
Throughout the book, Enders Game it is arduous to establish what it authentically denotes to have human rights. The regime relies on children to preserve the world from the buggers. They are treated like they are adults and are purloined of their youth. Ender realizes that the adults are manipulating the children and his cognizance of what is right and what is not is what preserves the world from the manipulation from the adults. Because of Ender kenning what is right and was is not and withal is authentic this is what he does that culminates up preserving the Earth from extirpation. In Orson Scott Card’s novel, the Ender’s Game shows how in authentic life that children can be utilized in Warfare, which they are called “child soldiers”, and
Throughout the entirety of the novel, we read as Ender experiences the loss of many of his basic rights as a child. From the watchful eyes of the International Fleet to the obvious discrimination Ender receives because of his status as a Third, his privacy and safety finds itself at risk. The first attack comes from a school bully named Stilson, and from there we read as Ender’s life is watched and put at risk from day to day. This is a direct break to Ender’s rights as not only a child, but a human being. As read in the Declaration of Human Rights, “No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honor and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.” This clearly states a person’s privacy and reputation shall not be attacked or interfered with – both of which we see happen to Ender whether it be by students or the International Fleet itself.
Child labor is the use of children in industry or business, especially when illegal or considered inhumane. Children all over the world can be forced into indentured slavery, working for long hours with no pay. Some groups are taking action against this through legal action, while others are working to bring the problem to worldwide attention. In “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card, the author addresses the human rights issue known as child labor, which is still a problem in today’s world.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card is a novel that shows what would happen if the government had too much power and has a powerful angle on inequality and child labor. My novel has taught me a lot about inequality, as did my research. But I found out a lot about my main point; child labor. Child labor effects everyone without them even knowing. I’m sure you’ve unknowingly bought something that aids people who do these things to people.
All of my life I have considered myself as a person who loves children. I enjoy playing with them, helping them, and just being around them. So when I first agreed with corporations who use child labor I shocked myself completely. After examining two articles; one “The Case for Sweatshops”, by David R. Henderson, and two “Sweatshops or a Shot at a Better Life”, by Cathy Young, I came to the conclusion that in some cases when young children work under proper conditions it can keep them out of the streets and be helpful to them and their families.
Throughout time children have worked myriad hours in hazardous workplaces in order to make a few cents to a few dollars. This is known as child labor, where children are risking their lives daily for money. Today child labor continues to exist all over the world and even in the United States where children pick fruits and vegetables in difficult conditions. According to the article, “What is Child Labor”; it states that roughly 215 million children around the world are working between the ages of 5 and 17 in harmful workplaces. Child labor continues to exist because many families live in poverty and with more working hands there is an increase in income. Other families take their children to work in the fields because they have no access to childcare and extra money is beneficial to buy basic needs. Although there are laws and regulations that protect children from child labor, stronger enforcement is required because child labor not only exploits children but also has detrimental effects on a child’s health, education, and the people of the nation.
Think about the cotton in your shirt, the sugar in your coffee, and the shoes on your feet, all of which could be products of child labor. Child labor is a practice that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity and includes over 200 million children worldwide who are involved in the production of goods for companies and industries willing to exploit these kids for profit. Although most countries have laws prohibiting child labor, a lack of funding and manpower means that these laws are rarely enforced on a large scale. However, even for a first-world country like the United States, that has a large number of state and federal law enforcement officers, child labor is still a problem because priority is given to crimes that are more violent or heinous. Child labor must be made a priority issue because it is a global plague whose victims are physically and psychologically scarred, lack a proper education, are impoverished, and whose children are doomed to the same fate if nothing changes.
Child Labor is not an isolated problem. The phenomenon of child labor is an effect of economic discrimination. In different parts of the world, at different stages of histories, laboring of child has been a part of economic life. More than 200 million children worldwide, some are as young as 4 and 5 years old, are slaves to the production line. These unfortunate children manufacture shoes, matches, clothing, rugs and countless other products that are flooding the American market and driving hard-working Americans out of jobs. These children worked long hours, were frequently beaten, and were paid a pittance. In 1979, a study shows more than 50 million children below the age of 16 were considered child labor (United Nation labors agency data). In 1998, according to the Campaign for Labor rights that is a NGO and United Nation Labor Agency, 250 million children around the world are working in farms, factories, and household. Some human rights experts indicate that there are as many as 400 million children under the age of 15 are performing forced labor either part or full-time under unsafe work environment. Based upon the needs of the situation, there are specific areas of the world where the practice of child labor is taking place. According to the journal written by Basu, Ashagrie gat...
So I believe that the issue of child labour is not simple. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report argued, children’s work needs to be seen as having two extremes. On one hand, there is the destructive or exploitative work and, on the other hand, there is beneficial work - promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest. ‘And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.’ My firm belief is that there is a difference between child labour and child work and that in both cases the issue is whether or not the child is deliberately being exploited.
Child labour is an issue that has plagued society since the earliest of times. Despite measures taken by NGOs as well as the UN, child labour is still a prevalent problem in today’s society. Article 23 of the Convention on the Rights of a Child gives all children the right to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child 's education, or to be harmful to the child 's health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development.1 Child labour clearly violates this right as well as others found in the UDHR. When we fail to see this issue as a human rights violation children around the world are subjected to hard labour which interferes with education, reinforces