Child Labor - Rhetoric of Protest

Esther Bae

Rhetoric of Protest Object Paper

                  In a rhetorical situation, the circle of author, message/purpose, context, and audience is the ultimate backbone in creating an effective mode of persuasion. The rhetor’s purpose and the elements of persuasion – logos, ethos, pathos – sketch the identities relevant to the object of protest. In this photograph, victims of child labor – a practice prevalent in many underprivileged countries - are seen partaking in a protest in New Delhi, India for the passage of the Child and Adolescent Labor (Protection and Regulation) Bill (Malhotra). Child laborers across India gathered for the passage of this bill which contained regulations such as: prohibiting adolescents (14-18) from working in hazardous conditions, preventing children under the age of 14 to be employed, and placing stricter enforcement on employers including penalization for the first offense (PRS). Arms raised, fists clenched, mouths open, the loud shouts of the young are echoed in the image.

            Human trafficking is alive in underdeveloped areas and is not considered taboo because of its wide-spread, accepted practice. While restrictions seem to somewhat interrupt its expansion, child labor is still an ongoing phenomenon especially true in families anxious to make ends meet. Thus, the children of the family are often separated from their parents and siblings, give up the possibility of an education, and work in desolate conditions with meager pay hungry for the idea of reuniting with their family once again.

            The photographer, Altaf Qadri, is an award-winning photojournalist and promoter of educating the world on current events, specifically with a focus on capturing stories in underdeveloped and war-torn countries such as Cambodia, Nepal, Afghanistan, and India. Qadri, the creator of this object of protest aims to gather response from its audience – most likely readers who keep up current events, especially that of humanitarian matters, and advocates of journalism and the mediums in which stories are shared, particularly of Associated Press (Qadri’s agency). Presumably referring to the audience as people already knowledgeable on current events, Qadri’s purpose is to foster and educate on the topic of child labor in a hypermediated and emotional sense. The photograph reveals protesting of a large, unified mass of child laborers fighting against child labor and directing change (identities framed by the photograph) largely through pathos and ethos. This photograph is a large representation of the dynamics of inequality present in underprivileged communities; the photo exposes not only child labor, but the existence of overriding authority swerving out of lax regulation, politicized practices, broken families, and lost youth.

             Pathos, the appeal to emotion and chief rhetorical strategy, is stained on the faces of the young victims of human trafficking – bold, eager, frustrated, and manipulated children with arms raised, fists clenched, and mouths open in protest all wear white hats to symbolize the unification of their identity in solidarity. Key emotions can be identified on the faces of these children: anger, (perhaps, indignation would better characterize), courage, and grief of their own liberty and happiness. The exasperations of exploited children can be vicariously felt by the audience: the viewers empathize with those subjugated under abusive authority. This photograph reveals the identities of child labor and unification for humanitarian change, specifically, the frustrations of the children across the globe subjected to unfair human trafficking protesting for liberal change in regulation of human trafficking.

            Although ethos is not as transparent in the strategic rhetoric as pathos, there are subtle but critical dynamics in which the element is showcased in the rhetor’s argument. Qadri, himself, was in self-exile (a form of private protest) and at one point, held up in Libya during the Libyan Revolution (Altaf Qadri). Through this, raw connections between Qadri – an observer of the protest scene – and the captured identity in his photograph can be used to our understanding and acceptance of the rhetor – establishing credibility of the photographer and his mannerisms in displaying the inequity of child labor. Perhaps, the photograph is a reflection of his own identity when he, once too, protested against socio-political injustice – self-exile being the outcome (Altaf Qadri). Moreover, ethos is embedded in the photographer’s object; the children (the entire make-up of the photo) are children laborers; they individually are identifiers of the identity. Thus, Qadri’s use of capturing firsthand, is arguably a legitimate rhetorical strategy. Instead of logical reasoning to support the identity in this piece of protest rhetoric, emotional appeal provides a more effective and natural means of rhetor-audience interconnection.    

            Judging from a historical perspective, the object of protest was successful in its purpose seeing how the Child and Adolescent Labor (Protection and Regulation) Bill has been passed and cemented into law in 2016 (Columbia). Rhetorically speaking, the photograph was strong in its performance: candid in nature with focus on the raw snapshot of young victims rebelling against child labor and demonstration for change.  Generally, the public empathizes with the youth, especially, the very youth of youth – those who should be playing soccer in the neighborhood after the end of the school day rather than exchanging their safety and well-being for meager pay, long hours, and hazardous conditions. Therefore, the image of young protesters, victims of human trafficking, pulls at the heartstrings of the concerned public – a testimony to the effective use of pathos. Qadri’s framing of the photograph’s confines including the zoomed-in and clear image of a few children – particularly, of a little girl proudly protesting in the middle of the square – provides a statement to his rhetoric. Individually, the young girl is distinct from the others in the crowd – she has an identity to herself: Name, girl, daughter, perhaps sister or brother, native of her town, should-be student instead of laborer; but together, these children progressively protest in solidarity by sharing a collective identity – witness to Qadri’s individual style of capturing the perfect snapshot of protest movement largely through intentional appeal to emotion.    

Works Cited

"Altaf Qadri." World Press Photo. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.

Colombia, By. "Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2016 Passed in Parliament -      Times of India." The Times of India. N.p., 2016. Web. 13 Sept. 2016.

Malhotra Aditi Malhotra The Wall Street Journal Biography Aditi Malhotra @A4iti Aditi91     Google Malhotra, Aditi. "Youngsters Protest Child Labor in New Delhi." WSJ. Wsj.com,     30 Aug.           2013.   Web. 01 Sept. 2016.

PRS, By PRS TeamArticles Citing. "The Child Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Amendment        Bill,     2012." PRS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2016.