>[!NOTE]+ Meta Author:: Emeline Wuilbercq and Yared Tsegaye Reference:: https://longreads.trust.org/item/Ethiopia-hidden-weavers-child-labour Date:: 2021-08-25 Tags:: #Ethiopia #weaving WeftLinks:: [[Antithesis - the negative value of craft]] ### Summary > "(The adults) tell you that learning the weaving process helps a kid's future. Of course, you cannot easily end what's in the culture. Yet making a living by making children work overnight, and telling them it is for their own good, cannot be contemplated." Children are exploited in Ethiopia by forced labour as textile weavers. Craft represents a dead-end for them, by comparison with the opportunities afforded by education. ### Comment The issue of child labour is complex. For some craft processes, learning a skill such as weaving begins as a child in a domestic context. A blanket ban on children in the workshop may cause more harm than good, particuarly when the alternatives are to eke a living on the street.