You may not know it, but several items you own may come from factories that force children to work in harsh conditions. These are called sweatshops. Sweatshops are factories (usually in the clothing industry) in which the owners usually use child labor, or the factories have unsafe conditions.

According to the International Labor Organization, child labor is "work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development." Children who range from the ages 4 and up end up working in these factories to help pay for their families enormous debts.

Child labor occurs in over 215 places around the globe, with the largest population in Asia and the Pacific, and is usually; mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children, interferes with a child's education, breaks a nation’s minimum age law, involves intolerable abuse, or uses children to undermine labor laws.  

These unsafe conditions usually severely affect the health of these children. Depending on the job, illnesses may vary. “In 2009 alone, approximately one million workers were injured at work and about 20,000 suffered from diseases due to their occupation.”  Some examples are in textile sweatshops, many workers use a method called sandblasting to create a worn look on clothing. “Sandblasting exposes workers to silica dust particles which severely damage their respiratory passages causing silicosis, a serious disease which, if left untreated, eventually leads to death.”

Our idea was brought about by people bringing awareness to these conditions. Prescription For Health wants to ensure that no one is being exploited and that every worker is healthy and has the right to stay healthy. We would like to propose a bill that makes it so that no U.S. company would be allowed to use any sort of manufacturer who violates certain health conditions and that uses child labor. That way, the companies will have to change their manufacturers, to fair trade manufacturers, or those manufacturers would have to change their factories to make them safer and more humane.

We have email UNICEF and other lawmakers, along with CNN to help us put our plan in action. However, we still need your support. You can help by signing our petition and bringing awareness to our cause. By being an advocate for the people who don’t have voices, You can make a change.

Together, we can make the world a safer place. ​

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