child labour

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Child labour

The industrial revolution began in Great Britain during the 1700's. Industry grew rapidly with the development of power-driven machinery and new methods of production. By the mid-1800's, the Industrial Revolution had become widespread in Western Europe. From this child labour began.

Child labour is the employment of children as wage earners. It became a serious social problem during the Industrial Revolution in Britain during the 1700's, and the problem spread to other countries as they became industrialized. The problem first began when children, many below the age of 10, were employed by factories and mines. The children were forced to work long hours under dangerous and unhealthy conditions, and their wages were very little.

Social reformers began to condemn child labor practices because of their bad effect on the health and welfare of children. The most effective attack on the evils of child labour may have come from Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist (1837-1839). The book was widely read in both Britian and the United States.

Gradually, countries passed laws to correct the abuses of child labour. Children still work today. In Canada, Britain, the United States, and many other countries, most working children are teen-agers who hold part-time jobs. Their working conditions are carefully regulated by law. However, in Asia and other parts of the world, millions of boys and girls still hold full-time jobs. In some countries, children under 15 form a larg...

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