Lavonnie Gittens
Blog 12
Children of the Cannabis Trade
Summary
Vietnamese children are being forced to work underground
in the cannabis trade. These children are often “held hostage” by debt and
poverty. They are often prosecutes as criminals rather than seen as victims of
domestic violence. These children s - some as young as 13, many not older
than 16, are forced to work trapped inside the buildings, 24 hours a day. The
working conditions are torturous and they are being exposed d toxic chemicals
on a daily basis. There is a constant
risk of electrocution and fire. There is the constant fear of violence,
intimidation and extortion of gang members. Vietnamese children make up the
largest group of children being trafficked into the UK, with nearly 300
children annually and approximately ¼ end up on cannabis farms. The UK
authorities estimate that 75 per cent of the criminal gangs involved in this
trade are ethnically Vietnamese. Debt bondage is common, with the trafficking
and criminal networks determining the amount of money the bonded worker will
have to pay off through unpaid labor.
Analysis
This article demonstrates the violation of several human
rights. Knowing that these traffickers are targeting people living in relative
poverty there needs to be special attention paid to breaking the cycle of
poverty. Perhaps if the Vietnamese government were able to improve the minimal
productivity rate of the impoverished there would then be an increase in
capital, which would allow for an increase in human services which would offer
more ways for the poor to overcome poverty. Better organizational infrastructure
and an increase in human services may offer the children of poor Vietnamese
families a better chance of nit being trafficked.
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