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Lindsey Fuchs

Dr. Cassel

English 1201

14 April 2019

Child Labor

Can you imagine, more than 200 million children are involved in child labor (“Child

Labor Facts and Statistics”)? If you are a parent, would you send your child to work instead of

school? Would you force them to work to help provide for the family? Do you want them to be

stuck in a cycle of poverty? Children are our future. How will you feel if our future is children

stuck working in hazardous conditions for long hours instead of going to school? Looking at

your newborn, you should not have to worry about choosing between your child’s education and

them working. Child labor is defined to be something that has negative effects on a child.

Working in places that lead a child to learn values, such as leadership, is healthy, but work that is

dangerous for children is what is known as child labor. Work that will be harmful to a child that

will affect their development, mentally or physically, is oppressive child labor (“Child

Labor”).Work from prostitutes to bonded laborers are considered forms of child labor. Child

labor has negative impacts on a child’s education, can be extremely dangerous for a child, and

the states should protect the children; however, many children work to provide support for their

family.

Children have always been used as apprentices. During the Industrial Revolution, child

labor hit a new extreme. The article, “Child Labor” written by ​History.com,​ describes the history

of child labor and how it all started. Just because of their size, children were used to get where
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adults could not. Children could go into small spaces within factories that adults could not go in.

Another reason they were used was because they were able to be paid much less. During the

nineteenth century, labor reformers wanted to better the conditions of children working and

wanted to abolish child labor altogether; it was not until a crash in the market to get the public to

notice the problem of child labor. To America child labor was not a huge matter because it was a

part of the economy at the time (“Child Labor”). Boys started to be apprentices when they were

ten to fourteen. During the nineteenth century, factories started to come around and were

employing children. In the textile industry, women took over for the children but child labor was

growing in other businesses. Reformers turned to the native-born and convinced as many as they

could that education was a need for a person to be fulfilled and make progress in the country

(“Child Labor”). The reformers led to laws that created a minimum wage and requirements for

attending school. Unfortunately, these laws had a lot of holes and was barely enforced in the

states. At this time, immigrants increased while the number of employed children increased. The

terrible conditions was what caught the public’s attention. Since the 1900, efforts have been

made to dissolve child labor. In the early 1900s photography started being used to show the poor

working conditions of children which was the new political action used by the National Child

Labor Committee (“Child Labor”). The main focus of the committees for child labor was on state

legislations. Laws were passed, but gaps remained and a federal child labor law was needed.

Congress passed laws during the early 1900s; however, the Supreme Court said they were

unconstitutional (“Child Labor”). During The Great Depression, the United States went through

political changes and reforms of child labor benefitted. Acts were passed that led to limitations

on child labor and led to reducing child labor.

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Today, child labor has decreased but it is still prominent in a few areas around the world.

Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Max Roser wrote an article titled, “Child Labor”; within their article

they inform the reader about child labor in the present world. The ILO explains child labor to be

work that harms a child in anyway, being physically or socially, and makes them choose between

work and school (Ortiz-Ospina and Roser). Child labor has a negative consequences on a child’s

education the most, but also has consequences in different aspects of the child’s life. Children are

deprived from school to go to work. A cause of child labor is poverty. Children work to support

their families. Families in poverty will take whatever money they can get even if that means the

children work. Millions of children across the globe are involved in child labor, which takes

away their childhood, leaving them to a life of wanting and poverty (“Child Labour”). Children

involved in child labor may never get out of poverty. They will not be able to get enough money

to get out of poverty.

As of 2015, The

continent that has the

biggest amount of

child labor is Africa.

Most of Africa has

about 15-30% of

children involved in

child labor as shown

in the diagram to the

right from Ospina

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and Roser. They show the percentage of child labor by the shades of orange. The darker shade of

orange means that is where more children are employed. The International Labour Organization

(ILO) estimated in 2016, “Globally, 47.6 percent of children engaged in child labor live in ​Africa

(72.1 million children) and 40.9 percent live in Asia and the Pacific (62.1 million children)”

(“Child Labor”). Ospina and Roser included graphs of 1830-1930 of child labor within the

United and the United

Kingdom. They have both

declined, but child labor is still

in the world and needs to be

diminished. Agriculture tends

to be where the most child

labor is. Agriculture is defined

as “the science, art, or occupation

concerned with cultivating land,

raising crops, and feeding,

breeding,and raising livestock;

farming” (“Agriculture”). Out of

the millions of children involved in

child labor, seventy percent is

involved in agricultural jobs. They

are exposed and used for all kinds of tasks. They carry heavy things and use heavy machinery
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that are not made for them (U.S. Department of Labor). Child labor has decreased in many

places but is still in the world. Child labor has impacted children in many different aspects.

Child labor has negative effects on a child’s education. Child labor makes a child choose

between working or going to school. If children do not go to school, they will not be able to get a

high paying job. The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which used to be the United

Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, helps to provide healthcare and other needs to

women and children that was affected by World War II. Child labor does not only affect the

child choosing between school and work, but affects their grades and performance within school

(“Child Labour”). Education can prepare kids for the future. Education helps children grow.

Education teaches children about life, how to make decisions, and so much more (U.S.

Department of Labor). Education teaches children skills that they need in their life to get high

skilled jobs and creating their life. Education helps to teach a child to read, how to do math,

about history, and how things in the world work. All of these things are important throughout

life. Knowing the history of our lives is fascinating, it teaches why somethings are the way they

are and the struggles that life has thrown people. Math is useful because it helps when buying

food and making sure that everything costs the correct amount. Reading is helpful because it

leads a person to new knowledge. Reading a book leads to adventure and imagination. Education

is a lifelong tool that a child needs to survive. Child labor hinders a child’s education. Along

with child labor affecting a child’s education, it can be extremely dangerous.

Another issue with child labor is the dangerous conditions that the children are stuck

working in. Children work with tools that are most of the time meant for adults and are either too

heavy or too big for them. They can also work in conditions that are not the cleanest. For
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example, in the photograph to the left, David Berehulak, captures four children doing road work.

They are using tools that are meant for adults and children their size. If they drop the tools that

they are using, they could hurt themselves badly. Furthermore, the dust that the kids are working

in can be extremely dangerous for them and lead to several issues and problems with their health

later on. Through their facial expressions, it is shown that they are struggling with their tools and

they look very tired from the work they are doing. David Parker wrote an article, “Children

Should Not Be Forced into Labor”, where he talks about how child labor harms the child. The

working conditions for the children are absurd. They are in places that do not have bathrooms or

clean water to drink. Children are also exposed to many safety hazards like excessive noise and

dust (Parker). Children may even be working with rats or may come near a wild dog that can

lead to something hazardous (Parker). Children are not fully developed and working in unsafe

conditions can lead to severe health issues down the road. Children are still developing in all
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aspects of their lives. Working in hazards, such as chemicals, can lead to brain damage and

disabilities that will affect a child for the rest of their life (Parker). Furthermore, children face

different dangers anywhere from rats to injuries from the machinery (Parker). The children are

not only working in the unsanitary facilities, they also work with machinery that is not meant for

children, they use chemicals that are not safe for them, and a lot more safety hazards. If the

children wear safety equipment, most of the time the equipment is also made for adults and do

not protect the children. Children are not only working, they are working in hazardous

conditions; however, some children are working to help their families out.

Most children want to help out there families and will do anything to help out, that

includes working instead of going to school. Jack Silicon wrote the article, “Child Labor Is a

Serious Problem in Latin America”, where he talks about Latin America and what needs to be

done to end child labor. Silicon spent time in Franca. In Franca, he spoke to parents that told him

that no matter how big or small the amount of money the child made helped the family (Silicon).

When a family is in poverty, every penny helps them. Families in poverty rely on everything that

they can get, even if the children work instead of going to school (“Causes”). Child labor is a

result of poverty along with unemployment. When there are more people in poverty, the number

of working children go up. During the collapse of Argentina’s economics, of the early 2000s, the

children working increased to one and a half million (Silicon). Even though, children want to

help their families, they should be protected by their families and states.

Children need to protected from child labor. The “Convention on the Rights of the

Child”, was written by Glenn Mower, which is an article that talks about how children should be

treated and protected. Mower says that children should be protected no matter the way they look,
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how they speak, what they believe, or anything that defines them (Mower). States should keep

children out of work that will interfere the child’s education or be harmful to them anywhere

from their health to their spiritual growth (Mower). Children do not always know right from

wrong and do what they are told. Once they are told to do something, they will do it no matter

how dangerous it could be to them. Parents, communities, and states should protect children and

keep them out of harms way. They should be there for the children and teach the children right

from wrong. Child labor has to start by being recognized by the states and taking legislative

action.

Child labor is a major problem and needs to be eliminated. Child labor can not be

eliminated by legislation but realizing that it will take some time and work is what is needed to

end child labor (“Causes”). There are child labor laws out there but they are not being enforced

which only escalates child labor (Srivastava). Child labor is declining but the elimination of child

labor is slow. Child labor is declining but more countries need to take action. One thing that will

help eliminate child labor is countries helping children go to school and receive an education.

Another thing that will help eliminate child labor is countries coming up with plans to end child

labor. The National Poverty Reduction (NPRS) provides eight steps to help get rid of poverty

which in return will help end child labor. They want to help to provide the adults in the family

with jobs so their children do not have to work and can get a job (UCW). This eight step process

is being implemented in Cambodia. Other places like Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras,

Guatemala and more have partnered with organizations working to help eliminate dangerous

working activities in agricultural areas. (U.S. Department of Labor). These partnerings have led

to decreasing numbers of children working in the agricultural areas. These partnerings are
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helping the working conditions of the children. There have been children freed from child labor

but more are continuing to work and it will take commitment from everyone to get rid of child

labor. Continuing partnerships like the ones above and can lead to a huge decrease in child labor.

This is just the beginning. Child labor should be taken seriously and action against child labor

will help the future generations.

Children should never have to choose between an education and working. It should be

automatic for children to get an education and get to learn how to make decisions and how to

choose between right and wrong. They are our future and how we treat our children today will

reflect what will happen in the future. Children should have a childhood, get an education, and

be happy. Alexis Herman was the first African American to be the Secretary of Labor. She was

appointed Secretary of Labor when President Bill Clinton was re-elected (“The Honorable Alexis

Herman's Biography”). She started working for Catholic charities and would help train the

unemployed youth for getting employed. That is when she started working for the Department of

Labor. When she became Secretary of Labor, there was a lot of controversy, but while being

secretary to fought for minority and women’s rights in the workplace (“The Honorable Alexis

Herman's Biography”). Alexis Herman said, “If we can’t begin to agree on fundamentals, such as

the elimination of the most abusive forms of child labor, then we really are not ready to march

forward into the future” (“Top 25 Child Labor Quotes”). Child labor is a thing of the past and

needs to be gotten rid of. Children should be given a chance to have an education, should not

work in hazardous conditions, even though they might want to help their family; they should be

protected by their communities. Everyone needs to take action, child labor will not change

overnight. It will take a lot of work and will take multiple steps to diminish it. Everyone can take
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a part, even if it is starting a conversation with someone and teaching someone about how

horrific child labor is. One small act can change a lot. Countries need to help other countries with

eliminating child labor. Let us create a future that we are proud to be apart of.
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Works Cited

“Agriculture.” ​Dictionary.com,​ Dictionary.com, www.dictionary.com/browse/agriculture.

Accessed 6 April 2019.

Berehulak, Daniel. “Labour Force Work Under Difficult Conditions To Complete

Commonwealth Games.” ​Found​, Getty Images, 30 January 2010.

https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/

news-photo/indian-children-work-nearby-to-their-parents-at-a-news-photo/96300941.

Accessed 5 April 2019.

“Causes.” ​Causes​, 13 July 2011, ​www.ilo.org/moscow/areas-of-work/child-labour/WCMS_

248984/lang--en/index.htm​. Accessed 5 April 2019.

“Child Labor.” Edited by Eric Foner and John A Garraty, ​History.com,​ A&E Television

Networks, 27 Oct. 2009, ​www.history.com/topics/industrial-revolution/ child-labo​r.

Accessed 6 April 2019.

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u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=ccdf17cd. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019.

“Child Labor Facts and Statistics.” The World Counts, www.theworldcounts.com/stories/

Child-Labor-Facts-and-Statistics. Accessed 7 April 2019.

“Child Labour.” ​UNICEF,​ 22 May 2017, ​www.unicef.org/protection/57929_child_labour.html​.

Accessed 2 April 2019.

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"Labor Department Issues Report on Gains in Fight Against International Child Labor."

U.S.Newswire,​ Mar 25, 1999, pp. 1​. ProQuest,​ https://search.proquest.com/docview/

451056158?accountid=5056. Accessed 2 April 2019.

Mower, A. Glenn. “Convention on the Rights of the Child.” ​OHCHR | Convention on the Rights

of the Child,​ 20 Nov. 1989, www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx.

Accessed 2 April 2019.

Ortiz-Ospina, Esteban, and Max Roser. “Child Labor.” ​Our World in Data​, 2018,

http://ourworldindata.org/child-labor#current-gender-gaps. Accessed 3 April 2019.

Parker, David L. "Children Should Not Be Forced into Labor." ​Do Children Have Rights?,​

Greenhaven Press, 2010. At Issue. ​Opposing Viewpoints in Context​,

http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010309217/OVIC?u=dayt304

01&sid=OVIC&xid=0ed5ab08. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019. Originally published in ​Before

Their Time: The World of Child Labor​, Quantuck Lane Press, 2007.

Silicon, Jack. "Child Labor Is a Serious Problem in Latin America." ​Latin America​, edited by

Louise I. Gerdes, Greenhaven Press, 2009. Opposing Viewpoints. ​Opposing Viewpoints

in Context​, http://link.galegroup.com.sinclair.ohionet.org/apps/doc/EJ3010596232/

OVIC?u=dayt30401&sid=OVIC&xid=6b3328e6. Accessed 12 Apr. 2019. Originally

published as "Clock Watchers: Working Kids Keep Poor Latin American Families

Afloat, But at a Long-Term Cost for the Region," ​Latin Trade​, vol. 14, Jan. 2006, p. 20.

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Medknow Publications & Media Pvt Ltd, 2011,

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3425238/. Accessed 14 April 2019.

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“The Honorable Alexis Herman's Biography.” ​The HistoryMakers,​ www.thehistorymakers.org/

biography/honorable-alexis-herman. Accessed 14 April 2019.

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child-labor.html​. Accessed 7 April 2019.

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