Being in Cambodia has opened my eyes to many of the injustice going on the world today. One day our pastor took us to a brick factory to meet the families living there and see the inequality that is happening in his community.
We walked maybe 15 minutes down dusty roads in the midday heat and arrived at the factory. We were able to walk right in and the children who live there greeted us with big smiles and laughter.
We walked the rows and rows of bricks being cooked next to the wooden homes where 8 families lived.
At first glance, you may think nothing of it. Just another factory.
Then, you hear what is ACTUALLY happening here.
There is the “boss man” who has control of all persons working here. The people make about $20 USD per 10,000 bricks made. This takes about a week. So, here you have a family working 7 days a week, many hours per day in the blazing heat, to make enough bricks to get a mere $20 a week. They are already living below the poverty level. Add in the fact that many times an accident happens or a child is sick and the families have to borrow money from said “boss man” and they just made themselves indebted to him and the factory.
Because these men and women are uneducated, they do not know how to read, write, or do simple math. Say they had to borrow $100 from the boss. The boss will keep record and change the amount owed to say, $200 or $300. What does this mean? It means that these families with many children are now under the control of the factory.
They have to work extra hard- just to pay this man off- who is lying to them about the money owed. This can take YEARS to pay off- and leaves the family without enough money to feed their families.
Injustice is happening.
There are a lot of children that live at the brick factory. They are born into this world of uncivilized treatment and debt.
Children over the age of 5 start working at the brick factory.
Does your 5 year old work machines at your local factory?
No way!
If a family tries to escape or leave this lifestyle, they will be found and brought back with horrific treatment.
Driving from our province, Kampong Cham, to Phnom Penh, (about 2 hours going 30 MPH) we passed over 20 brick factories all doing the SAME thing.
Let’s change this. Let’s tell the world that this is happening.
It is 2012- no one needs to be modern day slaves anymore.
