Thread of Wishes: Weaving Aspirations and Awareness to End Child Labor
An Advocacy Inspired by Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp
There are uncountable stories that we can use as inspiration for us to make this project and advocacy come to life. Hence, what struck us the most and caught our attention is the story originated in an unidentified country from where it was written. Nonetheless, some resu
lts from our research about this story say that it originated in Syria or Egypt. Furthermore, the original Aladdin was claimed to be Chinese. While others often attributed it to Antoine Galland, a French writer, who admitted a Syrian told him about a boy and a genie in China. Nevertheless, it remains unverified from where this tale comes from. Our advocacy is inspired by this Middle East Asia short story entitled "Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp." The story that inspired our advocacy is widely known as one of the stories included in "One Thousand and One Nights, " also known as "Arabian Nights." It is indeed mesmerizing yet unveils a mesmerizing storyline where the story's main character is named Aladdin, a young boy living with his mother amidst poverty in a town in China. Aladdin comes into the possession of a magic lamp, which he did not ever expect in his entire life. The lamp he finds contains a genie capable of granting him wishes but with the condition that he will accept all the services that the genie orders. The story that ensues has everything from an evil magician to a beautiful princess, but it is not called Jasmine because that is only in the Disney film adaptation. Plenty of obstacles are placed along the way of our brave hero, Aladdin, as he endeavors and conquers to win the hand of the sultan's daughter. In light of that, we gave our advocacy the title "Thread of Wishes: Weaving Aspirations and Awareness to End Child Labor." As we noticed in the story, Aladdin's father died as he refused to learn about the trade. In that instance of the story, there is a force to send Aladdin into labor to earn profit for him to make a living. That is why we aim to promote free spaces for children as we fight against child exploitation, mainly in child labor. This advocacy also aligns with United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal Number 16, which promotes inclusivity, fair access to justice for everyone, including children affected by child labor, and building strong institutions. To solve this problem, we plan to raise awareness about children's rights through storytelling, art, and campaigns promoting reading literature such as books, short stories, picture books, etc., that could spark interest for everyone to spend time reading. Our advocacy aims to inform our target audience: the public, children, and parents, about this social issue of child labor. No child should be forced to work, as they deserve to experience freedom through playing, reading, and standing up to injustices happening around them because no one should use their power to put someone into a tight situation. Here in Thread of Wishes, we heed the call of those who are in silence!
