Egypt: Child labor a growing problem as food prices rise

I. Citation:

Egypt: Child labor a growing problem as food prices rise
Jerusalum Post
April 3, 2008
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1207209967829&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull


II. Summary:
This article tells about two young boys, a nine and fourteen year old, who work in child labor factories to supply for their families. In Egypt, the food prices are increasing causing the child labor rate to follow because now these kids, as young as age six, must work for their families to eat. Hundreds of children work in small, brick factories south of Cairo just to earn 25 Egyptian pounds a day which is $4.50. Egypt has a population of 76 million people and out of these more than twenty percent live under the poverty line. Although the number of children working at these factories is difficult to discover, about 1.5 million children between the ages of six and seventeen work. Reporters found that some child workers would be beaten or abused and were forced to work long hours in the burning heat. Yet, the factories’ conditions can vary and some provide basic schooling and meals. Children that do not work in these factories, will try to sell items on the roads because they ran away or have no families and now live on the streets. There are charities such as the Tofoulti Organization who shelter the kids and the parliament is trying to work with international organizations to save children from dangerous environments and chemicals.

III. Reactions:
A) The AP World Theme displayed in this article is Development and transformation of social structures. This is because it talks about Egypt's poverty percentage and the effect on the food prices with child labor. The children must work for their families to eat and they are at the bottom of Egypt's social structure based upon their wealth and possesions.
B) Egypt has a past with child labor; In 1988 a government survey uncovered that 1.4 million children between the ages of 6 and 14 worked. Carpet factories were found guilty to child labor leading perfume, leather and texile factories to be put under investigation and later were also found guilty. Another known place for child labor in Egypt is on the cotton fields.
C) There is no given author for this article and has no indications towards nationality or gender. The reporter seems to be an outsider interviewing multiple insiders that are against child labor.
D) The author's point of view impacts the article because it states mostly negative facts and comments on child labor and the increasing price of food. The author chose to interview two young boys who struggle each day at their factories. This shows a bias view against the situation because if they were for child labor they would have chosen the adult workers and if they wasn't a bias view, they would have chosen people from different sides.
E) The missing voice is of a parent of a child laborer and an adult worker. This would allow readers to get a better understanding of the article because the parents could express how their children's long hours of work affect the family. The adult worker's point of view could express how they feel about child labor and tell about the conditions of their factories.
F) This article is upsetting because it's shocking to hear that child labor still exists today. It also shows the social structure of societies is heavily based upon the wealth of a family. I was interested in this article because I don't feel that child labor is just and more affecting actions need to be taken to end these terrible factories and plants. I believe that the United States should be helping societies, such as the ones in Egypt, with the medicines and shelters to help protect children that live on the streets.