What is exploitation?

Exploitation is when someone takes more from a situation than they give, usually by being clever or sneaky.

Imagine you and your friend are sharing a big bag of candy. You both agree to take turns picking one piece at a time. But then, instead of waiting for your turn, you grab a bunch of candy all at once, while your friend is still picking slowly. That’s exploitation! You got more candy than you should have because you didn’t follow the rules.

When Exploitation Happens in Real Life

Sometimes people do this with money or time. For example, if a boss asks you to work extra hours without giving you extra pay, that's like taking more from you than you gave, exploitation again!

Just like how you grabbed too much candy, the boss is grabbing too much work from you.

A Simple Fix

If someone is being exploited, they might feel tired or unfair. But if people remember to be fair and share, everyone can enjoy their turn, just like sharing candy!

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Examples

  1. A factory owner pays workers very little to make a lot of money.
  2. A rich person uses poor people's labor without giving them fair pay.
  3. Children are made to work long hours for little or no pay.

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