It's the same old pattern; the hype *understood* is the hype that keeps people fearful and divided EASILY. Any view daring to stand outside of the confines of the prevailing hype (in the mainstream, Left, or Right) gets categorically ignored (when it really counts) and ultimately silenced. So it was for the kids who dared to organize themselves in the 1970s calling themselves Ann Arbor Youth Liberation. They put out 10 YEARS worth of their desires and articulated challenges to *adult chauvanism*, some of which are published here:

www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/6904/fpsbk1.html

Did their adults listen? Could they allow themselves to? NOT A CHANCE! Today, we have at least one children's UNION, made up of 15,000 child members and led by child members, and they are attempting to once again speak about their experiences and desires (SOURCE: www.motherjones.com). Can groan-ups listen? I'm TOTALLY skeptical, but i wish the best to the kid labor unions, and hope they LEARN FROM others before them (i.e. the above link) and not be fooled by "nice" groan-ups of whatever stripe.

Here are excerpts from the article (by Anthony Swift) which you can read in whole at the url below:

[...]

More conventional delegates who imagined the children might sing a few songs or do a theatrical turn were in for a rude awakening. Attended by government ministers, union and business bosses, representatives of voluntary organizations and international agencies from 30 countries, the Conference launched a formal international debate that will inform the drawing up by the International Labour Organization (ILO) of a new Convention on Hazardous Child Labour, due in three years

This is an excellent article, bringing up urgent issues with respect to child labor

in the global economy---something that advocates of child labor apparently lose

sight of. This conference was necessary for advocating the young people's voice,

but then it didn't seem to really address the issues behind the povery that demands

their work in the first place. I suspect that this is a movement to co-opt child labor

into the global system before resistance to it can be further enacted---and it is

slightly insidious that global capitalism would use young people themselves to

speak for the legitmacy of such exploitation. I question the participation of UNICEF

and other historically globalizing agencies that are precursors to the IMF, WTO, etc.

Most of all I am circumspect after reading this passage:

Such statements deeply troubled certain conference delegates – not least those from

trade unions. Some suggested that the children had been ‘coached’ or manipulated

by adults, an allegation confounded by their conviction in arguing their cause. Others

latched on to a point of apparent disunity; Lidja Pereira da Silva (15), from the

National Movement of Street Children in Brazil, differed from her colleagues by

supporting a ban on work below the age of 14. However, in their intensive

pre-conference deliberations, the children’s delegates had already decided how to

deal with this. ‘We don’t all have to think identically,’ they said. ‘Circumstances in

Brazil are different and require a different response.’

What makes exploitation in Brazil so different from other parts in the world where

child poverty become integrated into the global machine?

The fact that da Silva's voice was marginalized in that way troubles me, and should

be an alarm as to how child labor is being co-opted through the ones that

ultimately suffer.

The beast knows no end to impunity...