CHILDREN FACING REALITY: CHILD LABOR
"Children in Honduras are engaged in the worst form of child labor" (Department of Labor). In Honduras, "63.3% of working children work in agriculture, hunting, fishing or forestry" (Department of Labor). Children that work in the fishing industry are at high risk of dealing with serve weather conditions and drowning. Children who are working in mining and quarrying, are exposed to "dangerous activities such as carrying heavy loads as well as being exposed to toxic dust, chemicals and extreme weather" (Department of Labor). These children are so poor and desperate for food, that you will see them scavenging through garbage dumps for food and begging for money on the streets. Children that are found wondering the streets may be drawn into being domestic servants. These children are predominantly girls. "Child domestic labor commonly involves long working hours and the risk of physical and sexual exploitation by their employer" (Department of Labor). Honduras is known as a transit country for trafficking. "Children are generally trafficked from rural areas into commercial sexual exploitation in urban and tourist spots such as Tegucigalpa, San Pedro Sula and the Bay Islands" (Department of Labor). There is a huge lack of education in Honduras due to poverty. Children cannot attend school because of the lack of drinking water. They are forced to fetch water miles away, which prevents them from attending school. "The parents take their children away from school and put them to work so that they can bring some money home" (UNICEF). Honduras is one of the most violent countries in the world and "many disappearances and extrajudicial executions of children are reported" (Humanium). Most of these violent acts are committed by the police. There are little or few measures taken to protect the liberty of theses children.
The struggle to survive in Honduras: