Most of us live in Disneyland

Photo by Simon Lister

I would like you to watch a documentary on Netflix called "Tales by light" (season 3 - episode 1 & 2) , here appears a photographer named Simon Lister and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Orlando Bloom, the documentary tells the story of a group of kids in Dhaka, Bangladesh living in the poorest conditions that we could ever imagine.

The episode explores the hazardous environments that children work in around the world and UNICEF’s work to protect them from these dangers. Lister’s Tales by Light episode follows the journey of one assignment – where he was joined by Orlando Bloom, focusing on the conditions children face working in Bangladesh.

“I thought child labor finished centuries ago but we still see children working in horrendous conditions.” Simon Lister

Photo by Simon Lister

This literally broke my heart, being the father of an 8 year old daughter and just thinking how fortunate she is, simply because she has never had to work or got their own food, makes me think "Most of us live in Disneyland".

I also feel very fortunate, my parents have never been rich, but they were able to give me food, clothing, housing, even education, never had to work until I was 17, it is something now I feel very grateful.

Photo by Simon Lister

I believe it is our job to educate our kids and let them know how fortunate they are, how many times have you heard your child complaining? just because they don´t have the new Xbox game, or because your daughter or son wants the newest gadget, Kids not only in Bangladesh but also in many cities around the world including Mexico play literally with things found on the ground, and guess what? They are happy with that.

Recent global estimates based on data of UNICEF, the ILO and the World Bank indicate that 168 million children aged 5 to 17 are engaged in child labor. Millions of them suffer in the other worst forms of child labor, including slavery and slavery-like practices such as forced and bonded labor and child soldiering, sexual exploitation, or are used by adults in illicit activities, including drug trafficking.