Alright, time for another thread. I've been posting about #Missouri law, but this is related to the #USA, who is the only country that has not ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. ohchr.org/en/instruments…
What we are dealing with in Missouri goes far beyond a few high-ranking elected officials. We have a system that harms children and allows this to happen. This short 🧵is not intended to excuse anyone's actions, but ... 1/
This system is rooted in our laws and in the deep culture of Missouri.
1. We have a culture that believes corporal punishment is good and the best way to raise a child is not positive parenting, but to force bad behavior out of them. 2/
2. We have a culture that takes the puritan work ethic to a fault. Productivity is the objective, and those who are not "productive" are valued less. Work that is not "productive" like raising children or caring for the elderly is seen as second-class work. 3/
First, the law of wages is in Chapter 290, RSMo. It's got general provisions, provisions for paying prevailing wages, a part to make sure women aren't paid less than men, and the minimum wage part. Let's talk about paying minimum wage. revisor.mo.gov/main/OneChapte…
A few years back, St. Louis decided to raise the minimum wage in the city. The legislature came back and said "nope." They were quite adamant about it, too. revisor.mo.gov/main/OneSectio…
I've since learned that wage theft in Missouri is governed by contract law, so if an employer doesn't pay the employees as promised, the only remedy is for the employee to sue. But it's a crime to pay less than minimum wage.
After the news yesterday about Agape, I took a look at the auditor's reports about Cedar County (where Agape is located) since 2000. auditor.mo.gov/AuditReport/Re…
More detail. This is especially concerning in light of yesterday's @KCStar article about children being taken by transport companies to religious boarding schools.
But - on a hopeful note - it wasn't someone who is well-known or powerful who started this conversation. She did it on a small-newspaper budget as a recent graduate.
You don't have to be a community leader or have power or money to make change. This one started small.