More handpicked essays just for you.
Eradication of child labor
The importance of safeguarding children and young people
Introduction to childrens rights
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Child labor is inhumane and many children all over the world are being forced to work long hours without pay and in dangerous conditions. Child labor exists because of the high rates of unemployment and in countries where you find civil war. Many children work in such places such as factories, sweatshops, mines, fields, hotels, or in households as servants. Forced child labor should be illegal because it is against human rights and takes away the innocence of children who will grow up with little or no childhood. Forced child labor can be found in many places all over the world and it is mostly centralized in Asia. It is more common in societies where people are uneducated or who live in a lower class society that tends to force children to work. Despite having laws forbidding the practice of forced child labor, the number for child victims is increasing everywhere. More needs to be done to enforce laws to protect children from this cruel life.
To begin with, forcing children to work starts a vicious cycle that will affect future generations. “According to UNICEF, there are an estimated 158 million children aged 5 to 14 engaged in child labor worldwide.” Because children are forced to work, they will miss out on getting educated and that will result in them not getting jobs in the future. This will only cause more poverty and lead them to force their own children to work. It is a never ending cycle. Unfortunately, because families are living in poverty, some have no choice but to force their children to work. People who live in extreme poverty often rely upon child labor in order to earn extra income to attain basic living necessities. Sadly, many children are being forced to work beyond their physical ability...
... middle of paper ...
...e high rates of unemployment and civil war. Unfortunately, many of them are made to work beyond their physical ability and under life threatening conditions. This practice is illegal in most countries. There is a move to boycott goods and products made from countries who allow the employment of child labor from developed nations. Child labor is an inhumane practice. Childhood should be a time for children to play and be carefree, enjoying the company of other children and getting a proper education not being obligated to work and feel the stress of adults. Children are not equipped to work as adults and this inhumane practice should be eliminated. The government should enforce the law and make the violators pay heavy fines. “All such adverse practices are to be abolished once for all, without leaving its traces for future generations. -William Wordworth”
Throughout time children have worked myriad hours in hazardous workplaces in order to make a few cents to a few dollars. This is known as child labor, where children are risking their lives daily for money. Today child labor continues to exist all over the world and even in the United States where children pick fruits and vegetables in difficult conditions. According to the article, “What is Child Labor”; it states that roughly 215 million children around the world are working between the ages of 5 and 17 in harmful workplaces. Child labor continues to exist because many families live in poverty and with more working hands there is an increase in income. Other families take their children to work in the fields because they have no access to childcare and extra money is beneficial to buy basic needs. Although there are laws and regulations that protect children from child labor, stronger enforcement is required because child labor not only exploits children but also has detrimental effects on a child’s health, education, and the people of the nation.
Another example is that the children voluntarily join the workforce to support themselves.family. For example, an expert stated, “Poor children can contribute to the family income….Poor children can work to pay tuition fees” (“5 Positive Sides of Child Labor” 1). Child labor may be good for countries in poverty but in rich countries, it is the exact opposite. This is because the economy in rich countries is stable and does not rocket back and forth like countries in poverty. However, child labor is still against the laws because even countries in poverty should employ men instead of
What is Child Labor?Child Labor is work that harms children or keeps them from attending school. Around the world and in the U.S., growing gaps between rich and poor in recent decades have forced millions of young children out of school and into work. It is estimated that 215 million children between the ages of 5 and 17 are currently working under conditions that are considered illegal, hazardous, or extremely exploitative.1 Underage children work many different types of jobs that included commercial agriculture, fishing, manufacturing, mining, and domestic services. Some children were involved in illicit activities that included drug trade, prostitution, and other traumatic occupations that included serving as soldiers. Child Labor involved threatening children’s physical, mental, or emotional well- being. It involved intolerable abuse, such as slavery, child trafficking, debt bondage, forced labor or illicit activities and prevented children from going to school.
A survey done every four years says that there has been less child labor in countries such as India and Morocco than in the United States (Barta and others). Some companies overseas have strict policies against child labor; for example, a toy factory in China will not accept children for work because they feel children should not be forced to do hard labor for any amount of money. On the opposing side, in some places child labor is a huge problem such as Africa and parts of Asia. For example, in Bangladesh several under 18 workers were found working in Rana Plaza and a 15 year old worker died in a factory accident in May, according to Kate O’Keeffe of the Wall Street Journal. O’ Keeffe also writes, “There is concern that child labor will go for the worse rather than for better, especially if Western economies rebound stronger.”
Child Labour In the past few years, a great deal of attention has been drawn to the global problem of child labour. Virtually everyone is guilty of participating in this abusive practice through the purchase of goods made in across the globe, usually in poor, developing nations. This issue has been around for a great length of time but has come to the forefront recently because of reports that link well known American companies like Wal-Mart and Nike to the exploitation of children. Prior to this media attention, many Americans and other people in developed nation were blind to the reality of the oppressive conditions that are reality to many.
Think about the cotton in your shirt, the sugar in your coffee, and the shoes on your feet, all of which could be products of child labor. Child labor is a practice that deprives children of their childhood, their potential, and their dignity and includes over 200 million children worldwide who are involved in the production of goods for companies and industries willing to exploit these kids for profit. Although most countries have laws prohibiting child labor, a lack of funding and manpower means that these laws are rarely enforced on a large scale. However, even for a first-world country like the United States, that has a large number of state and federal law enforcement officers, child labor is still a problem because priority is given to crimes that are more violent or heinous. Child labor must be made a priority issue because it is a global plague whose victims are physically and psychologically scarred, lack a proper education, are impoverished, and whose children are doomed to the same fate if nothing changes.
Child labor refers to work that is mentally, physically, socially or morally dangerous and harmful to children; interferes with their schooling by depriving them of the opportunity to attend school; obliging them to leave school prematurely or by requiring them to attempt to combine school attendance with excessively long and heavy work (International Labor Organization). Child labor has been a big problem ever since the Victorian Era. Many counties worldwide have used and still to this day use child labor. Though there are many laws that have been implemented against using children to work, many countries tend to ignore them. In my paper I will be discussing countries where child labor is present, push to stop child labor, companies that use child labor, the effects on children, and the reasons for child labor.
The child laborer can work in different fields. Some are engaged in agricultural labor, manufacturing, mining, domestic service, types of construction and also begging on the streets. Some are engaged in more dangerous conditions such as armed conflicts, commercial sexual exploitation, drug trafficking and also organized begging. These forms deprive children from freedom and human rights. Moreover, they certainly engender harmful effects. Children may receive no payment; they just take advantage of being fed and having a place where to sleep. They don’t have any protection in case they get sick or injured.
The next time when you are out on your shopping trip, chances you may have support a business that exploits children. It is very disturbing and heartbreaking to learn many children are chained to looms for 12 hours a day because families need to have their child bringing home a small amount of moneys. Child labor has always been a difficult subject to address, the topic have become much more complicated and prolific.
By Nadira Faulmuller, “The main case for children doing work is poverty- ‘Their survival and that of their families depend on it.” Without the income of children, some families could be in extreme danger. If people are are refusing to buy products made by children, some families could be in extreme danger. Not buying the products those children make could result in the loss of jobs
Children should deserve what that should have and got enough of education in their childhood. Second reason why I think that child labor
In the US, child labor is illegal, but in some countries, child labor is a way of life. Kids, almost every one of them in second or third world countries need a job like this, because if they don’t, they won’t survive. Products made under child labor should not be boycotted, because children in some countries could need the job to get money for their families, there is no bad behavior or crime, because of them working and these jobs prepare the kids for adult life. Products made under child labor should not be boycotted, because children in some countries could need this job to get money for their families if they are in poverty or just need some extra money for food or their house. “The main cause for children doing work is poverty.”
Education is essential for every child, but child laborers definitely can’t get education just like any other child. Also, some children miss long periods of school or drop out, because they obligated to contribute to their families financially. Furthermore, children laborer work usually from 12 to 16 hours, and this leads to skipping school and proper education. Child labor could enable them to find better paid jobs in their adult lives, also child labor robs them of their interest in learning. Child laborers should have the right to be educated, so they can have a future out of poverty.
If a child has a part-time job, they can learn the value of money. So I believe that the issue of child labour is not simple. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report argued, children’s work needs to be seen as having two extremes. On one hand, there is the destructive or exploitative work and, on the other hand, there is beneficial work - promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest. ‘And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.’
Without education children are unable to succeed and break the cycle of poverty therefore being unable to provide for there own family and forcing there own children into the workforce like generations before.6 Child labour often continues the cycle of poverty because children are overworked and economically exploited because they are paid at the lowest rates.7Child labor violates the basic right to a primary education and economically exploits children therefore promoting the cycle of