Analysis of Child Labor in Photographs - Research Paper Example

Analysis of Child Labor Many people find it an unforgettable event to put a smile on the face of a child. This is especially the case when one goes the extra mile to care for a child that is subjected to harsh conditions, and yet is a stranger to the beneficiary. Every child needs a conducive atmosphere to grow physically, emotionally and intellectually. Whenever a child is denied such an atmosphere; the child suffers a lot, emotionally especially. This paper is dedicated to analyzing two photographs, Garbage Picker and Children hunting for woodscarps in Kabul at a brick factory with a focus on the laboring children featured in them. The first photo is that of a young boy working as a garbage picker. This was taken Mexico in the year 1996. The second photo is of two young girls pictured outside a brick factory, taken on 9thof February 2002. Pictures do not have the power to tell people how to think but they direct them on what to think about. This means that they have the power to make something the center of focus. Another important aspect about pictures is that they are able to achieve a high conviction power. This is because they are able to appeal to the inner most part of a human being and cause them to demand that justice be granted to the oppressed. In order to achieve a greater convincing power and emotional impact, Lewis Wickes Hine capitalises on the facial expressions of his subjects as seen in the pictures of children fetching woodscraps to be used at the brick factory. The most striking detail in the Kabul picture is the faces of the children featured as they express emotional suffering and exhaustion. The innocent children without doubt are tired of the kind of work they have to do to make ends meet. They are clearly unhappy at face. The work that they have to do is heavy and especially so considering that the location at which they are working looks desolate. The picture shows the child at the background having a face contorted possibly due to exhaustion and helplessness. A closer look reveals that the child is weeping; possibly wiping her tears. Both the children are dressed in a manner that clearly defines their state of poverty. The children walk with their heads focused on the ground. This shows how downcast they are. This is justified given the fact that other children of their ages are in school or at least playing together somewhere. Between the two girls, the younger is weary to an extent that she is not even able to keep up with the walking pace of her sister. The gabbage picker’s face reveals a shade of sorrow even though his face is focused on the photographer. He is clearly tired, possibly having worked a long time searching in garbage. He works in a place where all around is garbage. His merchandise therefore comprises pieces of waste material. Both of his hands tightly hold whatever treasures he has retrieved from the garbage pit. The garbage picker carries a box on his back, an item that clearly is big for a person his size. He seems to be helpless and hopeless going by his facial expression. What is evident in both pictures is the depiction of children subjected to child labour and the effect this has on the emotional wellbeing of the victims. The photographs as they are say more than can be said in words. They reveal in a special way what child labour can do and therefore convinces the viewer of the ills associated with the act. The viewer gets to fully appreciate the something needs to be done to avoid such emotions taking the toll in the lives of many other children across the world. Child labor is one practice which stands to be condemned and stopped by all mankind. The practice is unequal to children and denies them a chance to enjoy their rights; like the right to basic education. It also denies them other rights that are naturally expected to be accorded to all children, for example the freedom to interact, play and grow alongside other children. This scenario is complicated because it is the parents who deny their children a chance to go to school and instead, they are forced to go out and fend for the family. This is true given that slavery is much of a history today. Such parents do not have any right no matter how poor the family is. Children who are subjected to child labor always live unhappy lives because they always live to wish that life was exactly the opposite of what it is. Many societies have outlawed the practice, yet it is still practiced even in the most civilized societies for example, the US. This means a mere oral discussion of the issue by people and the media does not stir up enough support against the evil. This is because people tend not to put much concentration and attention on what they hear as compared to what they see and neither are they so convinced by them. It is at such a point that photographs concerning child labor come into play in achieving the desired support for the campaign against it. Given the kind of dressing for the young girls, one will definitely conclude that they come from poor families. The photographers are trying to bring out the population whose children are affected by the vice. The garbage picker similarly lives in poverty as supported by the fact that the young boy has a big belly representative of suffering from kwashiorkor. The children of the well-able families cannot be found in such a place and that means the big belly is probably a sign of malnutrition and not a big healthy body resulting from good feeding. The picture of the two girls was taken in Kabul and this is probably their home and ancestral land. The children are of the same race and this means poverty has just cut across families by chance and not selectively by race. Contrastingly, the picture of the young boy can be said to indicate racial disparities in poverty levels. Many at times, the society may want to forget that child labor exists or is being practiced in it but such kind of pictures simply makes it un-ignorable. It remains to be a constant remainder of actions unjust actions against the sprouting shots in the society. When coverage of child labor is done and accompanied by photographs like the two analyzed in this paper, it not only stirs up the people but the government as well. They have the power to call for the passing of laws and setting of policies that protect children from child labor. There are many ways of addressing issues in the societies and calling for the stop of injustice against humanity. There is also a need for people to speak on behalf of those who are not able to speak for themselves, for example young children. Quality photography is one such way because they have a high convincing power and emotional impact as compared to voice communication. Both of the photographs are persuasive as they depict the suffering of children in child labor and can therefore prompt action of individuals, the masses and government. Read More