Children and teens are going to run the world one day. There is no doubt about it. Just as the baby-boomers are becoming senior citizens, just as 90s kids are entering their 30s… Children have always, and will always, become the future. But millions upon millions of children around the world are forced into child labor; including dangerous jobs under cruel conditions. I like to think that I am an empathetic person, so I understand the need families have for financial security – especially in times of economic crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, which put a strain on families and their sources of income. But providing this as a reason for employing children does not provide an excuse for robbing children of their ability to grow up safely, and to live normal lives. Not only is it unhealthy to put so much pressure on growing kids, but it is entirely unfair. You only have one childhood- one time to be carefree, to be rambunctious, to make mistakes, to be a kid. What kind of world are we building, if children cannot be children? If adulthood is forced upon millions of people at such a young age? Certainly, it is not a world I want to live in. Change is needed. And we, the youth, are the ones who can bring it.
Alissa Candal
Youth Leader, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI)
About Alissa Candal:
Alissa Candal is a student from Connecticut. She is starting her junior year of High School this August, 2020. She loves to help people in need, and to put her love of writing to good use – both of which led her to volunteer for DCI.
