Are under 18's being exploited in their part-time jobs? Using my own experiences in the retail industry, along with interviewing others with similar experiences; I plan to have this question answered. At the age of 17, I began to work part-time within a retail store. I had been working there less than three weeks when I had begun to notice differences between the ways in which I was treated compared to my colleagues who were significantly older than me. I never really understood why it was me in particular who was constantly singled out and began to think that a contributing factor could possibly be due to my age, i.e. I was probably thought to be uneducated on my basic rights as a minor and was possibly considered as naïve due to being only 17.

In order to find out whether or not it was just me that had received this treatment, I have asked a friend of mine, Erika B, an adult working within the retail industry a few questions in regards to the matter and what she thought could be done about this:

As an adult working in retail, do/have you ever come across any significant differences between the ways in which you are treated by other members of staff compared to those who are under the age of 18?

Erika B: “Everyone at my workplace is over the age of 18, however, there have been instances where I have seen potential colleagues be discriminated against by not being employed in order for the employers to avoid being accused of exploitation and because people believe that minors are less capable than those who are legally adults and therefore, do not wish to take risks.”

Do you think that minors in retail ae being exploited and if so, why?

Erika B: “Yes, normally it is due to young workers not being fully aware of their rights within the workplace and cannot tell the difference between right and wrong. Some employers use this to their advantage by manipulating and blackmailing younger members of staff to do what they do not wish to e.g. work overtime skip their education to be at work, etc. They are compliant because they are constantly in fear of losing their jobs.”

What could be done to prevent the unfair treatment of minors?

Erika B:  “We could fund the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and make sure that it does its job well by appointing the board and monitoring its work. We could also provide information, advice and support for those who are being discriminated against to help prevent it from becoming a reoccurrence.”

After interviewing Erika, I had come to the realisation that the situations that cropped up within my former workplace were not only happening to me but rather, to several young workers who were being exploited on the basis of their age which leads employers to believe that they are unaware of their basic human rights. So going back to my initial question, “Are under 18’s being exploited in their part-time jobs?” The answer yes, however, even with this being public knowledge; employers still continue to exploit them. What is really needed to be asked is not “Are they being exploited?” but rather “What should be done to stop it?” That is something which can only be changed by the employers themselves.