Child exploitation implies the violation of children's rights .
Child exploitation is the work carried out by children within the framework of an economic production system . The phenomenon can have serious consequences for the development of minors, since it affects the enjoyment of their rights .
It should be noted that exploitation is the action and effect of exploiting . This concept has various uses depending on the context. It may be the abusive use of a person's qualities, the situation of social inequality or the set of activities carried out to extract resources from a certain source.
Childish , from the Latin infantilis , is an adjective that refers to what belongs to or is related to childhood . This period of life begins with birth and extends until the end of puberty.
Victims of child exploitation
People under 18 years of age who carry out a work activity that affects their development, who are subjected to risky tasks or who are forced to carry out illegal activities are victims of child exploitation .
The notion of child exploitation, in any case, is often used as a synonym for child labor , although this second notion does not necessarily imply abuse. In certain cultures, children carry out training work that is transmitted from generation to generation, while vacation work for minors is common in cities. The important thing so that there is no talk of exploitation is that no rights of minors are violated.
Its causes
Among the causes that influence the appearance of child exploitation are poverty , social marginalization , recruitment by organized crime networks , parental neglect, peer pressure and orphanhood.
Unlike other illegal activities, child exploitation often takes place in front of our eyes, in the middle of an avenue or on a busy street, and it seems that no one can do anything to stop it. Thanks to the exposure to which certain journalistic groups have subjected some organizations in recent years, it is not always as easy to detect them as it was a couple of decades ago, but it is evident that not all components of the law repudiate their actions, since If so, they would not have the opportunity to continue destroying the lives of so many children.
Child exploitation is usually associated with the work carried out by minors.
Child exploitation and slavery
Child exploitation is sustained, in large part, thanks to slavery ; Yes, this concept that we try to believe is distant, coming from a remote past that will never return. For a child to become a slave three things can happen: he is cruelly captured and taken away from his family; that his own parents sell him, as if it were an object; that their parents are the exploiters. Needless to say, this imposed relationship does not allow them to oppose the work they are required to do and their chances of escaping are minimal, especially due to the fear they instill in them.
Many times, children are subjected to forced labor to pay part of a debt owed by their parents. This is called debt bondage and is common when a poor family is unable to repay a loan in full. It is worth mentioning that this terrible situation can last for several years.
Just as in other cases of domination, child exploitation is usually based on the manipulation of children's minds, on brainwashing techniques that convert the weakest to ensure that the strongest cannot escape; Either they manage to transform them into frustrated and twisted beings like themselves, or they threaten them so that they fear leaving the organization.
The trafficking
Child trafficking is known as the purchase, sale or transfer of children to be used in illegal jobs or for sexual exploitation.
Children who are the object of this macabre smuggling can end up becoming prostitutes, wielding firearms or begging for long hours while people look at them with pity and continue moving forward.