Children face many issues in the contemporary age, affecting their development and prospects in life. These challenges are manifested in many spheres and are influenced by many factors. Due to the number of conflicts around the globe, the issue of international adoption gets a lot of attention, as well as controversies surrounding this process. This was exaggerated by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected such variables as dependence on others to survive in modern society. Despite these emerging issues, old problems, such as child labor in agriculture and family separation due to deportations, are still visible. Thus, children face many hardships in modern societies, that are getting attention but are still not solved.
Due to the public’s increased interest in family-building activities in recent years, the topic of international adoption has received significant media attention. Although it is sometimes asserted that intercountry adoption saves kids from a life in institutions, relatively few institutionalized kids in the countries of origin really gain from intercountry adoption. Intercountry adoption does nothing to alter the current situation or to promote and assist the growth of domestic adoption or family preservation programs in the countries of origin. This process provides several benefits in some instances. Because they feel they have a decreased chance of being selected as the biological mother, some parents purposefully choose foreign adoption (Interlandi, 2010). Many people who adopt children overseas also find it fascinating to explore the culture of another place and discover methods to preserve their child’s legacy at home.
There are, however, several critical issues along with the escalating demand for the expansion of intercountry adoption. Youngsters may be forced out of their home nations and conditions because of international adoption. An internationally adopted child’s future development and rights may be affected by this (Cornell, 2011). Additionally, there is rising worry regarding the possibility that international adoption would be utilized for human trafficking. These implications provide significant challenges to the process of normalization of such adoptions.
Children are exploited, denied the opportunity to attend school, or made to perform labor that is hazardous to their health and growth. Agricultural safety rules for children working on farms have not been revised in decades, despite the enormous number of youngsters employed there (Human Rights Watch, 2010). According to statistics, agriculture in the US is the industry with the highest death rate among working children (FUSION, 2017). Children’s health and safety can be significantly endangered by this kind of job, which also keeps them trapped in a cycle of poverty.
Since the majority of youngsters employed in this industry lack access to school, they miss out on the chance to expand their career options and secure respectable employment. Their experiences may set off a domino effect where their own kids end up working in the same conditions. Children who labor in agriculture may be subjected to some of the worst conditions possible, especially those related to tobacco cultivation (FUSION, 2017). Moreover, working in agriculture run the risk of contracting numerous diseases in addition to other risks, such as exposure to pesticides and substances.
Many children can acquire several important skills, become more responsible, obtain job experience, earn money, and improve their social abilities through working. While many job advantages are evident, there are also significant concerns, especially given the law’s out-of-date treatment of juvenile agricultural laborers. The need for child labor on farms has shifted along with the American agricultural environment. It is time for legislation to guard against the exploitation of the farm children.
Immigration laws that split up families and erect a number of obstacles to healthy growth can also harm children. After a parent is deported, the likelihood that their kid may have mental health issues like sadness, anxiety, and major psychiatric illnesses rises. In this context, the short documentary “Sin Pais” provided one of the vivid depictions of such effects. The documentary examines one family’s difficult journey, which includes deportation, to transcend beyond the politics and media’s approach to immigration issues (Rigby, 2010). It discussed how deportation impacts kids, their relationships with their parents and other kids, and their future possibilities.
The movie made clear that there are several issues with US immigration law, which has been dramatically tightened to make it more difficult for people like Sam and Elida, who have worked hard while living in the US for a long time, to stay there. They continued to be in limbo, their situation being reviewed yearly, which impacted their kids. This movie shows how Helen’s schooling was affected by the challenges she had to go through to allow her parents to perhaps come back. In addition, it affected the bond between Helen and Gilbert, the separated kids who were teens at the time and found it difficult to grow up ordinarily (Rigby, 2010). The youngest of them, Dulcie, was probably the least impacted, but this relocation experience is likely to impact his future. Essentially, this movie demonstrated the adverse effects that immigration laws could have on children.
In addition to all these issues, Covid-19 pandemic also shaped the issues that were previously mentioned. It essentially exaggerated the understanding of reliance on others within this unprecedented situation, which affected children, in particular. The ambivalence surrounding the international response to this crisis and the inability to provide protection to the vulnerable parts of society affected children the most (Van Kessel, 2021). As a result of this course, my understanding of contemporary issues deepened and changed in some ways. Many issues that are present in modern society can harm children, a situation that has to be countered by different initiatives and community engagement.
Overall, it can be seen how many hardships are present in today’s children life. An essential step in promoting a better future for children is to draw attention to these issues and to push for a more in-depth understanding of the interests of the children. Thus, it is crucial to put pressure on the legislation and social processes to raise awareness of these problems and provide substantial solutions.
References
Interlandi, J. (2010). The Benefits of International Adoption. NewsWeek. Web.
Human Rights Watch. (2010). Fingers to the Bone: Child Farmworkers in the United States. YouTube. Web.
Rigby, T. (2010). SIN PAÍS (Without Country). Vimeo. Web.
Cornell, D. (2011). The ‘Enabling Violation’ of International Adoption. NY Times. Web.
FUSION. (2017). For Many Child Farmworkers, Getting an Education Is Almost Impossible. YouTube. Web.
Van Kessel, P. (2021). In Their Own Words, Americans Describe the Struggles and Silver Linings of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Pew Research Center. Web.