I’m a seventh grader at CRMS and we have been studying about global citizenship and child labor.

Did you know that last year the USA imported $64 billion in clothing and 9 percent of that clothing was made in a foreign sweatshop? Well it’s true.

So next time you go to buy that really cool sweatshirt you always wanted, think about where and how it was made. June 12th is the World Day against Child Labor.

The pinwheels that are outside of the Maple Valley Community Center is a representation of stopping child labor. What can you do to help you might ask? What you need to do is go to www.stopchildlabor.org, go to the bottom of the home page and click donate. It doesn’t matter how much you donate because any little bit helps the process of eliminating child labor.

Why should you donate? Child labor puts a physical and emotional toll on children for their entire life.  It never goes away because they are forced to work hours and hours a day in horrible conditions for very little pay. Many of the children that work in sweatshops are under 10 years old. Please help to stop child labor.

Sam Wood, Maple Valley