What is justice? According to the American Heritage Student Dictionary justice means "the quality of just or fair." In a perfect world everyone everywhere should be treated with justice; however in today's society this in not the case. People around the world are not always treated with justice, and often times stripped of their rights and human dignity. An example of a group of people not being treated justly are children who are being forced to work starting at a young age. People of today are unaware that there is still child labor happening in many different countries. Another thing people of today are unaware of is that child labor touches everyones life because, many of the everyday items used by society are made by children. Just like the the child in Ursula Le Quinn's, "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" the happiness as well as the livelihood of the people was made possible by that child's suffering. Many items used in society everyday are made by children who suffer long hours, and terrible working conditions in factories everyday making up what society thinks brings them happiness plus creates a livelihood in the world today.
During the 1700-1800;s there was a move from handmade items to manufactured items made in factories. The new factories did not require the strength of adults to work the machines, so the owners went looking for a new source of labor that did not have to be paid much, and the source was children. Children started working as young as 7, and working for little pay (A History of Child Labor). Many children in this situation did not have a choice, and were forced to work; because, sometimes the money they made was the only income a family had. These children worked in harsh conditions for long hours a day, and received very little pay, "A child with a factory job might work 12 to 18 hours a day, six days a week, to earn a dollar"(A History of Child Labor). There was a demand for children to work in factories; because, they had smaller hands, and better eye site to see and fix the machines " making them more desirable than adults for certain kinds of work" (As China Economy Grows so does China Child Labor Problem). Not only were children working in harsh conditions, but they had no time for school, or fun and they were poorly treated.
The children were stripped of their rights, and dignity by their employers; furthermore the children suffered mentally and emotionally while working in factories. They suffered verbal abuse, and physical abuse especially when the children had to fix the machines. Many times, unfortunately, children were badly hurt, and often times their employers would tell them that they were not good enough for the job, or the price of the part would come out of their pay. The children did not always have the right to choose to go to school, spend time with family and friends there was no time to just be a child and have fun. The suffering children are described in Le Quinn's story.
The child in Omelas, according to Le Quinn, did not have a choice he or she were put in this position to suffer for the benefit of other people's happiness. Today society takes child labor for granted, and does not even realize it. Sometimes I do not realize it myself that societies are buying items that could be made by children, and the more items we buy that are made by children the more we unknowingly support child labor. Le Quinn's story defines how the people of Omelas take the suffering child for granted, and it puts into words how society takes child labor for granted,
"They understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendship, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skills of their makers even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depended wholly on the child's abominable misery." (Le Quinn)
Some everyday items that we use in society are made by children, for example carpets, coal, and bricks are made in Afghanistan. In China children make items like footwear, garments, nails, electronics, and artificial flowers. All these items are made by child labor and many of these same items are made inseveral countries, so garments can be made in more than one country by children. According to the United States Department of Labor about 358 different items are made by child labor (Perkins) having this many items made by child labor is deplorable and too large. There are too many children all over the world suffering the benefit of the people, and Le Quinn was getting at this idea in her story. She was bringing to society's attention that there is modern day child labor, and people are taking it for granted. Ursula Le Quinn was not the only author to describe child labor.
Charles Dickens, an English writer, based most of his novels on the suffering of children. He described Britain's economy during the 1800 and 1850's which was powered by child labor (Shcuster). In many of Dickens's stories several were about children who were impoverished, and working in the work houses. The suffering of children is greatly illustrated in Dickens books especially the book Oliver Twist. Oliver Twist is a story that clearly describes the life of a child who lacked a just childhood, and had no choice but to go to work. The children were not being treated fairly, or with justice.
In Le Quinn''s story the child in Omelas treatment was not just. No child should suffer for the benefit of the people. Children should spend their childhood playing games and having fun instead of living under the stress that work puts upon them. The children of child labor are made to grow up, and become adults too soon never enjoying life. If every person in the world would take the time to stop and look at the items that are in their homes or in the stores they shop they would probably find a good majority of the items are made by children. Could you live with knowing that your child had to go to work instead of school, and give up childhood? I do not think that most parents would want their 7 year old working in harsh conditions, and receiving little payment for it. The children are forced to work at a young age thus decreasing their chances to receive a decent education. When these children get older they will not have a well rounded background, all they will know is that job where they were working at the factory. They will not be able to support their families if the decide to start one; because, of their lack of knowledge. The children do not know how to have a good time because they were forced to work long hours with little or no time to play. Just like the child in Omelas, he or she could not part take in the festivities, and if the child would have ever had a chance to he or she would not know how to have fun let alone interact with people; because it was locked up in a basement (Le Quinn).
In many countries througout the world child labor is alive and strong. Many people today are unaware of its existence, or choose to place blinders on keeping them from seeing the ill effects this has on children. Children who are made to work under these conditions will never know what a normal childhood is like. They are working every day and will never know what it means to live a life of a normal child. Instead of playing games and having fun they are working to give societies the frills they think are so important. Societies should be made aware of these items that they enjoy and use everyday could be a product created by child labor casuing young children to suffer the long and painful hours of work.
Work Cited
Bereau of International Laor Affairs. United States Department of Labor. Bereau of
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China Labor Bulletin. Google, 10 June 2005. Web. 15 Aug. 2015.
Fried, Milton. Child Labor. N.P., 26 June 2014. Grolier online. Web. 15 Aug. 2016.
"Justice," The American Heritage Student Dictionary. Boston:Houghton Miffilin, 2003. 528. Print.
Le Quinn, Ursula. The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.N.p.:New Dimensions volum 3, 1973.
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Schuster, Selina. An Analysis of Childhood and Child Labor in Charles Dickens' Work: David
Copperfield and Oliver Twist. N.p., 2014. Ebscohost. Web. 19 Aug. 2016.
