Tourists and shoe-shining boy

Kids should be in school. In Guatemala there are laws for everything you can imagine, including laws against child labor. Yet there is no enforcement of most laws here; child labor is no exception. In my opinion, this is one of the main reason that makes the countries in the south fall behind. I wonder if these people would allow a kid to work shining their shoes on the streets of their own country?

What do you think?

14 Responses to "Tourists and shoe-shining boy"

Nuno Gonçalves says:
May 7, 2006 at 9:44 pm
Thanks for your post and i hope you could visit us soon, i must confess my acknowledge about Guatemala is very weak but i count with you to help me;)
Absolutely agree with you, if those kids working in big companies like nike are hidden in these case is different because we can see, but good news today i read that for the first time the child labour as been reduced in the world.
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Louz says:
May 7, 2006 at 11:16 pm
Glad to see a blog from Central America. I like your photo subjects. Perhaps the tourists thought they were being charitable? It is a sad fact many people will regret poverty and human suffering like child labor in another country but still buy from Nike and Walmart and similar companies, knowing people suffered in the production of those goods.
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Louise says:
May 8, 2006 at 3:03 am
Your photos are great, I enjoy your explanations too. I know little about Guatemala, so look forward to finding out more.
It will be great to find out more about coffee and cafes from the Guatemalan perspective.
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Anne says:
May 8, 2006 at 5:03 am
Oh cool photo! Welcome to the family! Looking forward to all your photos =)
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Edwin Sumun says:
May 8, 2006 at 6:29 am
Welcome and what a wonderful eye you have of Antigua! I will be back here often. I esp. loved your Tuk-Tuk entry.
Kuala Lumpur Daily Photo
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rudygiron says:
May 8, 2006 at 8:36 am
I want to thank Nuno, Louz, Louise, Anne and Edwin for visiting and their kind comments.
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Cassie says:
January 9, 2008 at 12:23 pm
This Is Kinda Confusing Is It A Bad Thing? Oh Wait Nevermind I Guess It Is But Like You People Do Know That We Support Slave Labour Everyday Think About It. Like Even The Adult’s Of Slave Labour Need School’s No Just Kid’s I’m Not Making Much Sense I Think I’ll Just Leave…
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Tedj GHOMRI says:
February 16, 2008 at 3:51 am
This child must be far luckier than others who are enrolled in guerilla armies where children of his age can’t find such a gorgeous tourist to shine her shoes
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Baller says:
July 30, 2008 at 2:20 pm
A cynic is only a frustrated optimist.
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Diane says:
February 18, 2009 at 11:02 am
Yes, people probably think it is being charitable. But I have to tell a story: when we were in Guatemala in 2005 adopting our son, we spent a month in Antigua. The little boys were in the park every day wanting to shine our shoes. We were not wearing shoes that could be shined but the older boy continued to plead with us and we kept explaining that our shoes couldn’t be shined. Finally my husband apologized and we got up to walk away and the the older boy said “F#@* You!”
I wanted to give the smaller boy some money anyway, but I feared the older boy would be mean to him and take it away. We were wondering if their parents punish them if they don’t come back home with a certain amount of money?
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Dennis says:
December 30, 2009 at 10:08 am
218 children worldwide work under unhuman conditions as slaves. We all have to fight against child labour by not supporting companies who are consciously involved in slavery or not letting kinds cleaning shoes.
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Erin Deleon-Ahumada says:
December 30, 2009 at 11:06 am
This is a very unfortunate matter; however, we all can do something against “jobs” like this: Do not encourage them!
It is very sad because on one hand, I would like to help every one of these kids, and on the other, I realize that unscrupulous adults who send them to work force them, and as far as I know, they punish them if they do not produce enough money along the day. Whenever I have the opportunity, I prefer to give them something to eat, even if it is only a piece of candy.
Interested in the problem? Open your eyes, mind, and heart, and look in your own community; I am sure there are plenty of well organized groups where you could volunteer offering the resources you are able to share: time, money, food, used clothes, toys… It is not that difficult!
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matt says:
March 31, 2015 at 12:02 am
Maybe we are thinking wrong way, unfortunately, in those country, child labor is a normal fact, so maybe the tourist just wanted to help the child giving him his “daily money earn by working day”
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1. Rudy says:
  March 30, 2015 at 8:12 pm
  You are right Matt, that’s another way to look at it.
  Reply

Tourists and shoe-shining boy

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