Spirited Away is one of the animated masterpieces to come out of Studio Ghibli, and is revered
by many as some of the best work by Hayao Miyazaki.
It is the story of a young girl who finds herself trapped in the fantastic and often
frightening spirit world.
Chihiro is in the process of moving to a new town with her family when they come across
an abandoned theme park.
"Honey, get back in the car, we're going to be late!"
They decide to explore the ruins of the place.
But Chihiro's parents end up trapped, and are turned into pigs after consuming the food
meant for the spirits.
In an effort to save her family, Chihiro goes to the bath house to speak with the owner
of the establishment, Yubaba.
Chihiro ends up becoming a slave for the bath house.
Yubaba even reclaims her name, and gives her a new one, Sen, as a way of controlling her.
"And it belongs to me now.
From now on, your name is Sen, you got that?"
Chihiro, or Sen, is forced to do the foulest jobs in the bath house, like serving the worst
possible guests, like a stink spirit, and cleaning the most disgusting tubs.
"Ugh, disgusting.
This sludge is so caked on it'll take days to scrub off."
Chihiro's plight reflects the reality of child slavery.
From the removal of her name and true family to the control tactics and grueling work,
there is no question that these crimes violate the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Across the globe, child slavery is a huge issue.
Even in the countries with labor laws that prohibit the use of children for work, child
slavery continues to occur.
Over 100 million children around the world are forced to work in hazardous conditions.
On tobacco farms, they work long hours in extreme heat, exposed to nicotine and toxic
pesticides that can make the children sick.
In Africa, Asia, and Latin America, child laborers in gold mines work underground in
pits that could easily collapse, and use toxic mercury to process the gold, risking brain
damage and serious health conditions.
Spirited Away is a poignant reminder of the plight of children around the world.
As Chihiro struggles to win back her family, and do right in the world, the audience is
reminded of the struggles of so many children fighting against a system set up to take advantage
of them.
"There's the station."
Eventually, Chihiro is able to identify her parents and they return to the human world,
where real children can only hope for their own deliverance.
"Mom!
Dad!"
"You shouldn't run off like that, Honey."
"You could get in big trouble.
Chihiro, hurry up."