Thomas Bittlemann
April 4, 2008
Jade Post
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1207209967829&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

Egypt: Child labor a growing problem as food prices rise


This article is about the rise in prices of food in Egypt and the effect it has on child labor. They use a 14-year old boy in the article to exemplify the hardship and labor that many children go through in Egypt in this day in age. This boy uses a donkey cart every single day wheeling around bricks in order to make money and try to support his family. On average, this children only make about $4.50 (u.s. money) for one days work. And now that food prices are increasing, it makes it even harder for children to provide for their family. To add to it, the children work under horrible conditions dangerous to their life.

This article relates to the AP world theme “Development and transformation of social structures.” The reason is because the article shows how social structure is created: most importantly in this article how poor class is created and gets larger and larger. More than 20 percent of Egypt's 76 million people are in poverty. One reason spoken about in this article is the relationship between child labor and increased food price. The more food costs, the more children must work, the more families become poor and the harder it is to provide. These drastic increases in cost transform society into a social structure where only the strong and wealth can survive kicking the weak and poor kicked to the curb.

Egypt is known for having such a recognizable social class. Since the dark age of time, Egypt has started off with a social hierarchy from pharaoh to peasant. Im not saying government is run the same it was back then when the pyramids were built but it has a lot to do with the uprising of such a varied class structure. This is mostly because of the way government is run and how they use their money.

This article has no exact author , so it is hard to understand the point of view, but it is easy to see that the author is an outsider. He or she only shows the cold hard facts, and an interview done on a child worker providing for his family.

The author is most likely an outsider who believes child labor is harsh. The reason is because the author uses stories of poor children and the way they must live to survive the hazardous, fatal working conditions. He or she claims that the foreman beats the children when they are not working fast enough. There is no case where the author explains the upside to child labor or raising the price of food. The author is against child labor.

The point of view missing from the article is one from a foreman or a “boss” of some sort. It is possible that they are not responsible for the harsh conditions and that they only do what is best for business. Maybe it is true that they do beat the children and in that case, what is the point? Their knowledge would give a better understanding on how they must survive and how this process of child labor works.

My point of view is disgust toward child labor. First off, I could not live in the shoes of a child who makes below minimum wage to support a whole family. It is outrageous. Secondly, why doesn’t the government change their ways, transform social class to equal classes, and basically reform. A plan of action would help. For instance, more public works projects in Egypt would cause more jobs, resulting in higher pay, and less poverty. It is sort of like Teddy Roosevelt’s reform plan after the stock market crash and great depression. It is the same thing Egypt is going through.