The child labor is among the most terrible life issues that children face today around the world. According to the “International Labor Organization Statistics”, 211 million children between five and fourteen years old work globally. 120 million children work full time while others work part-time to support their families (Staff, 2009). In addition, some children are coerced to work despite their young age. An example is child bonded labor in which parents use children to pay debts or as collaterals.
They are taken away from their families and put in brothels or sweatshops. Furthermore, some children work secretly in domestic service and are given out to provide labor force for other families. The children acquire little or no employment despite working for an extended period of time. The working environment is unacceptable and puts their safety, health, and development in danger. In addition, their freedom of movement and suppression are stifled. Young children are vulnerable to physical and verbal abuse.
Relation of the Issue to the Course Content
Child labor is mostly linked to poverty which is a life cycle pressure where poor families and children rely on child labor as a means of meeting their daily needs. UN statistics shows that more than a quarter of the world population is destitute hence promoting child labor (University of Lowa Labor Centre, 2015). The second point of the link is environmental pressure related to institutional and legal weakness.
Some of the industries that use child labor have complexities that make it hard to control child labor. Corruption in relevant officers is a major issue of child labor practices. The anti-child labor legislation in some of the countries also has exemptions thus promoting the vice. Such laws include Nepal’s laws that exempt brick kilns and plantations and Bangladesh’s laws that exempt agricultural and domestic works.
Social Worker Intervention
The role of a social worker when it comes to child labor includes conducting research on the subject and supporting the victims. Research helps social workers to get a good understanding of the child labor in the area. The social worker supportive role entails psychological and material support. In addition, they also can serve as counselors and educators to the affected individuals. As counselors, they offer psychological support and advice to the victims. Besides, they take part in rehabilitating the victims and planning projects that can save their lives (Collins et al, 2013).
Social Workers Professional Boundary
Codes of Ethics govern the practices of social workers and determine the way they interact with the victims. It is not advisable for social workers to counsel a friend, but they can refer him or her to another counselor. In addition, they are not to develop relationships with the clients or participate in the same advocacy group. They also should not borrow or lend money to their customers (Collins et al, 2013).
Cultural Issues
Issues related to gender will be a more important factor when dealing with Islamic community. For instance, male social workers may be given more consideration in Islamic community compared to females. Another issue of concern, specifically for the Islamic community, is that a social worker from a different religion would not bind in. Social workers might find it hard to conduct their activities in Muslim states if not a Muslim, because Muslims underestimate other religions (Collins et al, 2013).
References
Collins, D., Jordan, C., & Coleman, H. (2013). An introduction to family social work. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Staff, L. (2009). Top 10 Terrible Issues Facing Children Worldwide. Web.
University of Lowa Labor Centre (2015). Child Labor Public Education Project. Web.