Child labour in Mexico

1. Child labour in Mexico By: jennatraub

2. About Mexico Population: 122.3 million 29 million children in Mexico, 4 million are currently working, 1.1 million are forced to work Flag: The meaning of the flag is, the green stripe represents independence, white represents purity, red represents people who joined the battle for independence and their blood.

3. Types of Labour in Mexico Areas of labor include agriculture, working in chile pepper plantations, tomato plantations, coffee bean and eggplant plantations. Sex trafficking Service, selling on the street. Brick making

4. The area I’m focusing on is Agriculture Types of Agriculture; chili pepper plants, tomato plantations, coffee beans, and eggplant plantations. Start working on plantations as early as 5 years of age, continue working there until an adult Both girls and boys work on these plantations

5. Meet Alejandrina Castillo Alejandrina is 12 years old Lives with her mother older brother,13, baby brother She works on different plantations throughout the year to make as much money as she can Has a toritalla for breakfast, works in 32 degree weather for nine hours, then goes home Her mom took her out of school when she was 9 She earns $2 per 60 pound bag of Peppers, in one day she makes about $20

6. What is the government’s view on child labour in Mexico? Type of government: Federal republic, Their government has strict laws against child labour Children under 14 are NOT allowed to work in any case Teens the ages 16+ can work if they have the mandatory education Why are kids ages 5+ working?

7. Why do kids work in Mexico? As Alejandrina said in a video, “We need money to eat things.” Families are often poor and uneducated, parents often rely on their children for the majority of they income to pay for food and rent Kids can’t stop working, they’re family won’t have money to eat, to live, if they stop working… they die There is demand for the items they harvest

8. Why did kids work in Britain in 1800s? They didn’t have a choice, they small bodies were easy to fit into places, such as mining. They were helpful during the textile industry, their small hands working with thread and fabric. Some needed somewhere to live, they were orphans after all Boss’s liked them, they were cheaper to pay than adults.

9. Child labour in Mexico, how it affects children and their lives Children start working at ages 5-7 If they drop out of school, they are stuck picking peppers for the rest of their lives They don’t have the education needed to get a good paying job Exposed to dangerous environment, injuries, don’t have medical care, poisonous animals, hygiene, transportation.

10. What was life like for the Child labourers during the Industrial Revolution? Government took in orphan children then business owners would take the children and provide them shelter, food, and providing for them Business owners liked their small hands to fix machines, and small bodies to get into the mines. Difference between Britain and Mexico is… Government in Mexico knows about the labour and has laws against it. (Even though it still happens.) Britain knew about it but didn’t have laws. They thought the kids were useful and would make more money.

11. How did child labour affect the kids in Britain? *A lot of similarities to Mexico* No time to play Started at a young age 5-8 If they didn’t pass away, they laboured the rest of they lives Suffered deaths and injuries *Differences between the two countries* Britain Mexico

12. What does working on plantations entail? Kids are working an average 10 hours a day on plantations They pick tomatoes and peppers off vines and fill nets that a truck picks up No one feeds you, bring your own water You will probably be working on plantations for the rest of your life Exposed to danger; cuts and scrapes that you can’t treat properly, dangerous transportation to and from fields. You can’t stop, you need the money

13. Can we fix this problem?

14. Conclusion Mexico 2016 Great Britain 1800’s Children start working at a young age until they are an adult, 5 being the youngest Both male and female work on plantations Exposed to dangerous risks, transportation, cuts they cant treat properly, exposed to the heat Picking vegetables all day 10 hours Get paid an average $14 a day Both boys and worked during the industrial revolution Exposed to very dangerous conditions Often working overtime Paid less than adults because they had no rights. Government didn’t have any laws against it

15. Citations Marosi, R. (n.d.). Product of Mexico. Retrieved January 12, 2016, from http://graphics.latimes.com/product-of-mexico-children/ Lillie, M. (2013, July 27). Child Forced Labor Part II: Agriculture in the Americas. Retrieved January 12, 2016, from http://humantraffickingsearch.net/wp/child-forced-labor-part-ii-agriculture-in-the-americas/ Child Labor During the Industrial Revolution. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14, 2016, from http://child-labor-industrial.weebly.com/pictures.html Thatcher, W. (n.d.). Child Labor During the English Industrial Revolution. Retrieved January 12, 2016, from http://wathatcher.iweb.bsu.edu/childlabor/

16. Citations Children at work in Mexico still a problem. (2013, January 18). Retrieved January 11, 2016, from http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2013/01/18/children-at-work-in-mexico-still-a-major-issue Cranny, M. (1998). The Industrial Revolution. In Crossroads A Meeting Of Nation (pp. 123-150). Scarborough, Ontario: Anita Borovilos. BREAKING NEWS: Explosive LA Times investigative report blows lid off “story of exploitation and extreme hardship” in Mexican tomato fields. (2014, December 8). Retrieved January 13, 2016, from BREAKING NEWS: Explosive LA Times investigative report blows lid off “story of exploitation and extreme hardship” in Mexican tomato fields Fanning, K. (n.d.). Voices from the field:Mexico. Retrieved January 16, 2016, from http://teacher.scholastic.com/scholasticnews/indepth/child_labor/mexico/index.asp?article=tobacco_fields