Shumonto Sanyal: World Day Against Child Labour 2020; Voices of DCI Youth Leaders

A great thing about children is the fact that they can maintain their innocence for so long. Their innocence plays a huge factor in keeping them cheerful and happy all the time. However, that happens to be true for kids born into a normal lifestyle or kids born into a financially stable lifestyle, not a child born into an impoverished lifestyle. Children born into poverty have their innocence shattered by the age of five years old due to the fact that they have to start providing for the family since their parents cannot provide for the family alone. And when the children accept that burden they sacrifice receiving an education. Every single child, regardless of their economic status, is entitled to receive an education. To eradicate the crisis of child labor education must be prioritized for children in poverty. If education is prioritized for children in poverty then that will stop children from being hired for work in the first place because they will be too busy getting educated.
As for the children who are already working, extreme measures should be taken so that they will have access to education. If a law has to be put into place specifically stating that every single child must receive an education then a law should be placed if that is what it takes. The reason education should be taken seriously is due to the fact that education can change the course of these kids’ lives. Before they received an education, they may have been destined to be poor laborers their entire life but with an education, they can become extremely successful in any career they choose, and every kid is entitled to an opportunity at success. But in order to get the children laborers to an education action must be taken from people of power and local communities. People of power can help by passing laws and ordinances that make child labor illegal and local communities can help by giving money to the kids where they need the money so they can go to school to receive the education that they are entitled to. So, at the end of the day, everybody has to unite and contribute in their own way in order to eradicate the global crisis of child labor.

Shumonto Sanyal
Youth Leader, Distressed Children & Infants International (DCI)
Shumonto Sanyal lives in Atlanta Georgia. He recently graduated high school and will be attending Georgia State University. Shumonto Sanyal has been involved with DCI since 2018.