Overworked & Underpaid

Many people around the world have to begin work at a very young age. Here, we have two interviews with children who are working to help support their families. Paulo is 12 and he is from Caracas, Venezuela. Sunita is 13 and she is from Lagos, Nigeria. 

 

Interviewer: Tell us about your jobs

Paulo: I collect plastic rubbish from around our city and take it to the recycling plant. There is a lot of rubbish everywhere, so there is always more for me to collect.

Sunita: I work in a shop that makes shoes. The shoes are not sold in Nigeria. They are sent to America and other countries and they are sold in big shops there. 

 

Interviewer: How much do you get paid?

Paulo: I get $1.00 a day. Sometimes more, if I collect a lot. I don’t get paid enough, but at least I am helping to make my city a bit cleaner and helping my family at the same time. 

Sunita: I earn $1.00 a day, too. The shoes are sometimes sold for $150 a pair, so I don’t think it is very fair that we are paid so little to make them.

 

Interviewer: What time do you start and finish work? 

Paulo: I start work at 5am and finish at 8am. Then, I go to school. After school, I go to work again for 3 more hours. I am very, very tired by the end of the day. I work 5 days a week, so by the end of the week, I am exhausted. Sometimes, I am so tired that I fall asleep in class. 

Sunita: I start work at 4pm every day. I go to school first and then go to the shop. I work from 5pm to 11pm. The shop is very small and very hot, even in the evenings. The light is really bad in the shop and it hurts my eyes. I get home at midnight and go straight to bed.