Yes, it does sound crazy, but there actually is an upside to child labor. Child laborer's in Latin America have been gathering support and creating unions in attempts to protect their rights to work, that's right the children themselves are advocating FOR child labor. They are working to make actual unions in hopes that they can get protection from the government as well as improved work conditions. A Bolivian child labor advocacy group and union named Bolivia's Union of Child and Adolescent Workers backs about 15,000 workers under 18 and fights for their rights and protection. These groups believe that the problem is not that children are working, the problem is that children are being mistreated, overworked and under-payed. They believe that if child labor is regulated and has unions that it would be okay for children to work.
Image source: Time.com
The Bolivia's Union of Child and Adolescent Workers is not the only group of it type. Countries all over South America are following suit and creating organizations such as these. Why isn't this more prevelant in the news? Why don't we ever hear abhout the benefits of child labor? If the laborers themselves are advocating for their right to continue working, then who are we to stop them?
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