Child Labour

Sierra Leone

Sierra Leone is a country located in western Africa, neighbouring Liberia and Guinea. The capital is Freetown and the population is estimated to be 6,697,831 people. The average life expectancy of someone living in Sierra Leone is 45 years. The capital, Freetown is also the largest city in Sierra Leone. Their main export goods are diamonds, cocoa and coffee. Sierra Leone is a 3^rd world country,  more than 60% of Sierra Leone’s population is under the poverty line, earning less than $1.25 a day. The currency they use in Sierra Leone is the Sierra Leonean Leone, 1 USD is worth $7574.61 Sierra Leonean Leones. Aside from child labour, there is an overuse of force and abuse in prisons, there is also discrimination against women. Women are denied education, access to medical care and there are still laws in place forbidding women to own land.

Child labour in Sierra Leone

In Sierra Leone there are a few types of child labour, including child prostitution, using children as diamond miners and child soldiers, I’m going to be focussing on child soldiers. Though child soldiers weren’t a new concept to Sierra Leone, they became most widespread during the civil war in Sierra Leone, the civil war was from 1991 to 2002. The Revolutionary United Front (RUF) was the rebel army that started the civil war in Sierra Leone after trying to overthrow the government, the war lasted 11 years and left over 50,000 people dead.

When the civil conflict began the RUF kidnapped and forced children to fight for them. Up to 80% of their numbers were aged from 7 to 14. 30% of the children were girls, and these girls were subject to rape and other forms of sexual violence. During the training of the children, the RUF used alcohol and hallucinogenic drugs. These children were forced to commit murders, rapes, sexual slavery, mutilations and other abuses of human rights.

Many children go to labour as a last resort option because they need the money for survival, this wasn’t the case for these children, they had been kidnapped, abused and forced to fight in a war as early as the age of 7.

Child labour in industrial revolution

In the industrial revolution children as young as 4 worked long hours in dangerous conditions to make a living. Children worked in a variety of places, including working on machines in the factories, working in coal mines and as chimney sweeps, they were particularly useful because of their small size. Children were often preferred over adults because they could be paid less. Poor children went into labour because they had no other choice. Most families needed everyone in the household to work, just as a means for survival. In this time period, working children (and adults) were exposed to pollution from coal burning and other industrial pollutions. There were many health risks, in textile factories, microscopic fibres could get into the lungs, the noise from machines in factories could be deafening and in the mines could result in black lung, which can be deadly. Children were seriously affected by working, growth is stunted and deformities become evident after working for so long.

Children in labour usually went in by choice at this time period, but at the same time, it could be considered involuntary. They went in by choice but if they hadn’t chosen to work they wouldn’t have the means to survive.

Similarities and differences

There are many overlapping parts of labour in the industrial revolution and labour now in Sierra Leone. Both are very rough working environments with long hours. Some differences are the fact that a lot of the jobs are differing now than they did then, most commonly children in Sierra Leone are brought into sex work and child soldiers. In the industrial revolution children were most commonly in work by their own will and had some choice, but in Sierra Leone children are most often forced into work. Some similarities, though, that sadly the children are both at risk for health problems. The children are also both paid very little to nothing, children working in diamond fields in Sierra Leone are lucky to make pennies. Another difference is that children in the working age started working as young as 4, but children in Sierra Leone don’t typically start working until they are 7.

Attempts to reform child labour

In 1833, the government passed a factory act as a way in hopes to improve conditions for children working in factories. The factory act stated things such as the minimum age for children to start working, and the hour’s children were allowed to work. Though the passing of this act didn’t stop the mistreatment overnight, working conditions did improve for children eventually. Recently, there have been many attempts to end child labour. Organisations like ‘SCREAM’ and ‘WE’ (previously Free the Children) focus on trying to raise awareness to try to help children who are being forced to work, and to give them rights.

Citations

Cranny, M. (n.d.). Crossroads: A Meeting of Nations. Toronto: Anita Borovilos.

Brutal Poverty in Sierra Leone. (2016, February 25). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://borgenproject.org/widespread-poverty-sierra-leone/

Sierra Leone Unemployment Rate | 2004-2017 | Data | Chart | Calendar. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/sierra-leone/unemployment-rate

Economy of Sierra Leone. (2017, April 04). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Sierra_Leone

SCREAM: Supporting Children’s Rights through Education, the Arts and the Media (IPEC). (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.ilo.org/ipec/Campaignandadvocacy/Scream/lang–en/index.htm

Human rights in Sierra Leone. (2017, April 02). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_rights_in_Sierra_Leone

Revolutionary United Front. (2017, April 04). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revolutionary_United_Front

Sierra Leone profile – Timeline. (2017, January 04). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-14094419

Sierra Leone Civil War. (2017, April 03). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone_Civil_War

Nationsonline.org, K. K. (n.d.). ___ Countries of the Third World. Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/third_world.htm

Sierra Leone Population (LIVE). (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.worldometers.info/world-population/sierra-leone-population/

XE Currency Converter: USD to SLL. (n.d.). Retrieved April 04, 2017, from http://www.xe.com/currencyconverter/convert/?From=USD&To=SLL