Category: Child Labour

Child labor is illegally using children under the age of 17 to work in an industry or business. These labors tend to be dangerous to the ethical, social, physical, or mental development of a child. Additionally, work becomes an obstacle to a child’s right to education as working prevents the child’s ability to focus on school work. Children are often required to work long hours in dangerous conditions receiving very low pay and little protection causing illness.

Throughout history, children have been slaves and apprentices to complete tasks, particularly during the Industrial Revolution; the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and in the United States (Lumen Learning, The Industrial Revolution | Boundless US History). Children were quite useful as laborers considering they could fit into tiny spaces in mines and factories where adults could not fit due to their size, children were effortless to manipulate and most importantly, children could be paid less than adults for the same job. Countless children, from poor families, began working below the age of 7 in factories and coal mines. A child might work 12 to18 hours a day, 6 days a week, to earn a dollar at a factory job or in coal mines leaving them no time to play or go to school, and little time to rest. At times, children were turned over to a factory owner as parents could not support their children. Children often became sick due to the poor, dangerous conditions of labor as they were damp, dark and dirty. Later on, in the nineteenth century, several labor organizers attempted to restrict child labor and improve working conditions, however, it took a market crash to finally influence public opinion (Wikipedia, Child labour). Britain was the first to take action in improving child labor as they enforced a series of laws concerning shortening the working hours and improving working conditions, as well as, raised the age restriction at which children could work. This influenced other European countries and prompted them to adopted similar laws. Although such laws are still enforced nowadays, there are countries where child labor is still ongoing.

You might assume that child labor is banned yet it occurs every day around the world, even though we do not see it in operation. We tend to purchase child labor finished products, like t-shirts and other garments, which might have been made by a child in India who earned very low wages. These products would then have been sent to other countries where the company who owns the factory would have boosted the price up in order to make huge amounts of profit from selling each product. Another example of child labor involves the famous US footwear manufacturing company, Nike. Around the 1990s, Nike has been utilizing child labor to produce their shoes providing salaries thoroughly inferior the poverty level and seized to work overtime. Child labor is pretty common in underdeveloped countries such as African and Asian counties until today as many families are distressed and not able to support their children. These children usually work in the agricultural sector, such as fishing and, at farms plucking cotton and coffee beans.

India, in particular, is home to one of the most extensive child laborers in the world, holding over 60 million child laborers. It has been judged that nearly 30 percent of the world’s operating children are found in India. Child labor in India is chiefly due to poverty and lack of social security. As a situation, the working circumstances of the children are effectively unregulated and oftentimes are driven to work without food, receiving very low wages, resembling conditions of slavery. There are yet cases where children get physically, sexually and emotionally abused. All these struggles are due to the poor lifestyle of the Indian people. A significant real-life case of child labor in India concerns a 13-year-old Lakshmi girl who was kidnaped from her village in North-East India to work in people’s homes across West Delhi- cooking, cleaning and nurturing children in 2014. According to BBC News, the Lakshmi girl was handled very crudely; ‘I was not allowed to rest,’ she says. ‘If I did something wrong or it was not what they wanted, they hit me. If I wanted to sit down for a bit because I was so tired, they would scream at me. I was never allowed to leave the house, so I didn’t realize that I’m in Delhi. My employers told me that we are in Madras in South India.’ (Kannan, Child labour: India’s hidden shame). She also reveals to BBC News that she was sexually violated by the men who seized her and was threatened that if she told anyone about it, they would report it to everyone back home in her village and her honor would be destroyed. Certainly, there are laws imposed against abducting children, but, the law is uncertain on when they can legally work. Child labor law does not allow children to be operated beneath the age of 14, still, anyone under the age of 18 is legally considered a child. Furthermore, the government body in charge of children’s rights in India reveals they are incapable of helping; ‘Unfortunately our child labor prohibition and regulation act is totally outdated,’ says Kushal Singh, head of the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights. ‘It says children below the age of 14 cannot be employed in hazardous occupations. Does that mean in non-hazardous occupations a two-year-old child can be employed? So obviously it’s a very regressive act. This issue has been raised and now an amendment is pending in the parliament. However, it has been pending for a very long time.’ Changing the laws will somewhat smoothen the fight against child exploitation. Now, whether or not child labor in India should be forbidden is a common question asked by many individuals. Genuinely speaking, those who consider emotion, particularly empathy, believe that child labor in India should be outlawed as it has rather more harms than benefits. Children are being treated harshly, working long hours in dangerous states earning extremely very low salaries which generates sickness. Additionally, extended working hours take away children’s education time that they could spend going to school, as well as, takes away their childhood since they have no time to play. Furthermore, it negatively affects their ethical, social, physical, and mental development. Notwithstanding child labor’s downsides, some may argue, based on reasoning, that child labor should not be banned as children working can help support their families since they are poor and suffering financially. Working children could accommodate their family with more money enabling their family to pay more bills, get out of debt, and have a genuine life. Further, it furnishes the opportunity to provide food and more suitable conditions to families, plus keeps children away from criminal organizations.

In conclusion, each and every individual has their own way of perceiving things in life, therefore, leading to different decision making. Those who use emotion to evaluate whether child labor in India should be banned do not consider the cultural and economic background regarding reasoning in their decision. While those who use reasoning tend not to consider the country’s interest and the rights of humans.

Works Cited

1. The Industrial Revolution | Boundless US History. Lumen Learning, https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-ushistory/chapter/the-industrial-revolution/
2. Fried, Milton. Child Labor. The New Book of Knowledge. Grolier Online, 2014, https://www.scholastic.com/teachers/articles/teaching-content/history-child-labor/
3. Kannan, Shilpa. Child labour: India’s hidden shame. BBC News, 5 February 2014, https://www.bbc.com/news/business-25947984
4. Children & Cotton – Learning Zone for Social Studies & Citizenship http://www.newlanark.org/learningzone/childlabourtoday.php
5. Beach, Emily. Facts About Nike Sweatshops. https://www.theclassroom.com/about-5485125-nike-sweatshops.html
6. Child Labour in India. http://childlineindia.org.in/child-labour-india.htm
7. Child labour. Wikipedia, 5 February 2019, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Child_labour
8. world empires midterm 2. Quizlet, 2019, https://quizlet.com/102163896/world-empires-midterm-2-flash-cards/
9. Kale, Sailee. Causes and Effects of Child Labor. OpinionFront, https://opinionfront.com/causes-effects-of-child-labor

There is no agreed definition of child labor. Public discourse uses the phrase to refer to child time in activities that are somehow harmful to the child. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the importance of protecting children from: ‘ work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development’ (1989, Article 32). The society in general understand of child labor to activities that violate this standard. Whether the work is dangerous depends on the tasks performed in the work and working conditions (Edmonds, 2008). Children in Bolivia are engaged in the worst forms of child labor (Ages 7-14):

1. Agriculture 70.9%

• planting and harvesting corn, cotton, and peanuts
• production and harvesting of Brazil nuts/chestnuts and sugarcane
• ranching and raising cattle
• plucking chickens

2. Services 21.2%

• street work
• vending,
• shoe shining
• working as transportation assistants
• recycling garbage
• domestic service

3. Industry 7.9%

• mining of gold, silver, tin, and zinc
• construction, including heavy lifting and shoveling
• production of bricks

In 2003, the UNICEF report three types of work for they are the worst of child labor. It is estimated that 10% of all Bolivians who work in the mining industry are children and adolescents. The dangerous working conditions in the mines pose imminent threats to the wellbeing of children. Most of these are just squads of miners exploiting excavations by themselves, without any precautionary procedures or equipment maintenance. A child miner could very likely be blown up while shoveling into a wheelbarrow, as unplanned dynamiting constantly happens below the ground. Working in mines also harms the children in the long run. The average life expectancy of Bolivian miners is less than 40 years, as they are frequently exposed to toxic chemicals and dust all the time.

Similarly, an incurable lung disease by the name of “silicosis” is quite common among experienced miners. Since many children start working in the mining industry at a younger age, they are more vulnerable to asbestos particles and noxious gases due to physical underdevelopment. In addition, it is worth noting the heavy psychological toll such desperate conditions take on child miners. When the children go into mines, they understand they may not be able to come home that day, given the said hazards prevailing underground. If they do manage to survive the day, it doesn’t change the fact they probably do not have a very long life. The inescapable misfortune, in time, creates familiarity with tragedy and acceptance of death, both for the children and their families. What makes the plight of Bolivian child miners even worse is the exploitative treatment they receive (Fontana & Grugel 2017). In the UNICEF report, it is disclosed that there are occasions when children are given a minimal percentage of the minerals, they extract rather than actual remuneration. The adolescents, who mostly work night shifts in order to go to school during the day, make just $3 USD for 12 hours (Yu, 2016).

On the other hand, the second and third worst types of work for Bolivian children are sugarcane and Brazil nuts harvesting. They are both agricultural activities in nature. It is calculated that some 40,000 peasants make up the manpower, approximately one-fifth of who are children aged 9 to 13. On plantations, children harvesters are constantly exposed to dangers from snakebites, falling nuts and the misuse of machetes. Additionally, the children tend to suffer from malaria and diarrhea, due to the lack of running water, sanitary services and basic medical care. The high level of child involvement for the most part in unpaid household work in rural areas. Bolivian female children in the rural areas are engaged in unpaid household labor most intensive. Apart from the cultural reasons, it is also because women in these places are mainly expected to assume nothing more than familiar and communal responsibilities. Girls embrace on this role early in life and their school achievements are not as valued as those of boys (Yu, 2016).

On July 3, 2014, a law governing children and adolescents’ rights was enacted unanimously by the Legislative Assembly of the Pluractional State of Bolivia. The code incorporated provisions that were deemed very controversial in global history of child legislation. As it stipulates, Bolivia officially legalizes the socioeconomic existence of child labor and permits children as young as 10-years-old to perform in labor, rendering the age limit the lowest in the entire world. According to a national report on the magnitude and characteristics of child labor in this country, about 28% of the minors between the ages of 5 and 17 years old, approximately 850,000, are actively economic. Of these working children, as many as 746,000 (25%) have jobs that are considered as hazardous and lethal to their health (Adam 2016).

Within this context, the country passed the Law N.548 Boy Girl and Adolescent Code, turning it into the first nation in the world where 10-year-olds working on the streets are legally institutionalized. In 1990, 1997 and 2003, the national government took a proactive role in ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), ILO Convention 1384 and Convention 1825 respectively, positioning its stance perfectly in line with the global trend to prohibit child labor. The Bolivian administration established the Commission on Children and Adolescents at both departmental and municipal levels. The Office of the Ombudsman for Children and Adolescents was also founded in most of the municipalities as an auxiliary agency aiding the local Commission. In addition, the National Commission for the Eradication of Child Labor was also created in 2002 under the coordination of the Ministry of Labor.

In 1997, Bolivia approved the International Labor Organization Convention 138 on minimum age for entry into employment. The international agreement states that a child’s involvement in the labor market can only happen after the age of 14 years old. However, the new Law N.548 goes against this convention, as it allows children below the age of 14 to be employed and even to engage in acknowledged unsafe work. Applies to all Bolivian children and adolescents up to the age of 18. It requires all levels of the state to guarantee the minors the full and effective action of their rights. Another role is assigned to the family and society, for the protection, education and development of children under equitable conditions (Yu, 2016).

The section regarding children’s rights consists of the following chapters:

• right to life, health and healthy environment
• rights to family life
• right to nationality, self-identity and affiliation
• right to education, information, culture and recreation
• right to have opinion, participation and petition
• right to employment protection
• right to freedom, dignity and image privacy
• right to personal integrity and protection against violence

A brief list of children’s duties is included in the code as well. In addition to provisions on the protection of children’s rights, the legislation contains an entire section on the juvenile justice system, which its predecessor failed to address. Appropriate penalties are imposed to cases of bullying, harassment, sexual violence and infanticide (Yu, 2016).

Since the creation, the law received responses all around the world. The United Nations, the International Labor Organization, Human Rights Watch as well as some countries such as Germany and the United States publicly expressed their condemnation of what they perceived to be a regression on human rights and called for immediate repeal of the child labor clause. The ILO disapproves of Bolivia’s legalization of child labor from 10 years old. In an official statement issued they expressed its four concerns regarding the legislation, which were directed to the self-employment at 10, the employment under a third party at 12, the labor involvement in hazardous work in the family or community sphere and the underlying viewpoint as to the inevitability of child labor and denounced the code as “a return to the times of slavery”.

In the other hand, the UNICEF point of view, arguing that premature labor participation removes children from education and therefore exposes their intellectual development and violates them innocence and right to protection and criticized the law for that it “could encourage more young children to seek jobs, stunt their education and perpetuate a cycle of poverty”. As for the Human Rights Watch (HRW), a New York-based humanitarian NGO that had even presented a petition to the Bolivian president Evo Morales in 2014 urging not to lower the minimum age of children’s employment, condemned the code as setting a bad example and being out of step with the rest of the world. In addition, the advocacy director of the children’s rights division at HWR, further expressed disappointment at the Bolivian state’s adoption of such “counterproductive measures” in a column article published on the organization’s website. In their opinion, the government has the responsibility to carry out laws that protect children from child labor rather than facilitating their involvement. In Germany, the deputy chairperson of the German Parliament’s Committee on Economic Cooperation and Development, questioned the approach of the Bolivian legislature, arguing that no politician can resort to child labor as a systematic solution for poverty, not even temporarily (Fontana & Grugel 2017).

At the same time, ironically, Bolivian working children celebrated the victory of the regulation of child labor as a courageous recognition of their rights and contribution by the state, and a promise to provide them with institutional protection in terms of income, health and education. The group that pushed the formulation of the code expressed their appreciation and gratitude to the Bolivian government for respecting the national reality rather than surrendering to international opinion. Moreover, the working children vigorously defended their state in the face of enthusiastic censure from the international community. Calling the opposition insensitive and condescending (Fontana & Grugel 2017).

In conclusion, when a child spends time in activities that are somehow harmful to them is considered child labor. In other words, work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education, or to be harmful to their health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development. It is divided in three forms: agriculture (farming), service (selling on the streets) and industry (mines). Child labor has been a worldwide important topic, that’s why Bolivia decided to create a law to mitigate this problem. They created Law N.548 Boy Girl and Adolescent Code in July 3, 2014. This code is governing children and adolescents’ rights. It was enacted unanimously by the Legislative Assembly of the Pluractional State of Bolivia, it allows children under the age of 14 to be employed and even to engage in acknowledged unsafe work. Requires the state to guarantee the minors the full and effective action of their “rights”.

Bolivia thought that by doing this regulation it would eliminate the controversy, but its was all the way around. Organizations publicly expressed their condemnation of what they perceived to be a regression on human rights and called for immediate repeal of the child labor clause. They thought is “a return to the times of slavery’’. Ironically, the children celebrated the victory of the regulation of child labor as a courageous recognition of their rights and contribution by the state, and a promise to provide them with institutional protection in terms of income, health and education. This code is very contradicting and abusive for children who are not completely develop to be working in hazardous conditions. The law does not protect the child’s life on the contrary, it puts the child in even more risk for allowing them to work at such young age. Even though, Bolivians children participated on writing the code, there is no justification that permits laboring in conditions that are risking their life and the labor average age. Finally, any child labor needs to be abolished.

References

1. Adam, I. (2016). Child Labour in Bolivia: Violations of human and children rights in Bolivia. Retrieved from: file:///C:/Users/Rafael/Downloads/Child_Labour_in_Bolivia.pdf
2. Asamblea Legislativa Plurinacional. “Ley 548 Código Niña, Niño y Adolescente.” Estado Plurinacional de Bolivia, July 17, 2014.
3. Edmonds, E. (2008). Defining child labor: A review of the definitions of child labor in policy research. Retrieved from: file:///C:/Users/Rafael/Documents/Child%20labor%20assay/Defining_Child_Labour_En.pdf
4. Fontana, L., Grugel, J. (2017). Deviant and Hyper-Compliance: The Domestic Politics of Child Labor in Bolivia and Argentina. Human Rights Quarterly 2017, 39(3), 631- 656. Retrieved from: https://eprint.ncl.ac.uk/file_store/production/245228/E0958E92-0D70-4594-A4BB-B900C0E7CDCD.pdf
5. Unicef. (1989) FACT SHEET: A summary of the rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Retreive from: https://www.unicef.org/crc/files/Rights_overview.pdf
6. Yu, J. (2016). Understanding the legalization of child labor: a Case study of the Bolivian Child and Adolescent Code Reform. (Dissertation). University of Miami. Retrieved from: https://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/oa_theses/642/?utm_source=scholarlyrepository.miami.edu%2Foa_theses%2F642&utm_medium=PDF&utm_campaign=PDFCoverPages

Introduction

In the U.S., the prevalence of child labor trafficking is increasing at a substantial rate every year, with little being done about it. According to the International Labor Organization, between the years of 2005 and 2012, the amount of reported human trafficking victims increased from 21.0 million to 40.3 million victims worldwide. Of those 40.3 million, 24.9 million were victims of labor, and approximately ⅓ of those labor workers were children (Sweileh). Child labor trafficking can be defined as a person under 18 years old being recruited and exploited for the purpose of performing laborious tasks (Greenbaum, Yun, Todres). The child labor trafficking industry has been documented in generating billions of dollars in the U.S. alone (Author of Committee of Homeland Security). These cruel and inhumane ways of generating money should not be supported. Unlike adults who are labor trafficked, children have a more dependent nature on adults, they do not have as much courage to speak out or escape their current situation, and they are not as aware of their surroundings, thus, further complicating any efforts to thwart child labor trafficking initiatives (Freedom Network USA). In addition to this, a lack of enforced labor regulations such as job safety, health standards, eligibility for job, and identity requirements make child labor trafficking a relatively feasible scandal to perform (Allen, Straight). Considering all of these issues, child labor trafficking is a detrimental issue to be solved in order to keep the children in the U.S. safe.

Political Implications

The most prevalent law implemented in the U.S. to combat child trafficking is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This act was implemented in 2000 in order to prosecute traffickers, prevent further trafficking, and protect victims of trafficking (Elzbieta, Micah). The information provided in this research appears to be valid as the research was conducted at Georgetown University which was funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, which indicates that the federal government endorses their cause. Despite its implementation, TVPA has only identified a few victims compared to the large, estimated amount in the U.S.. This can be due to U.S. policies still being lenient on labor regulations such as recipient’s eligibility for a job and identity requirements. Lack of border control and regulation is a significant enforcer of child labor trafficking (Allen, Straight). With more border control, traffickers can be caught before any labor operations can be carried out and any harm on the child can be done. The Unaccompanied Refugee Minor is a government program following federal guidelines in helping trafficked victims get proper care and education (Elzbieta, Micah). Despite the attempt, a government program to help victims is not helpful unless victims can actually be identified. In its attempts to fight this epidemic, the U.S. is attempting to work with other countries to catch perpetrators. This, however, proves to be difficult due to the varying standards in different countries about what is considered acceptable and what is not. In the U.S., what would be considered an underaged trafficking victim would be considered a labor worker in another country (Greenbaum, Yun, Todres). The research of these three authors appears to be justified in the sense that their sources are derived from the United Nations and various U.S. federal programs. From the perspective of the U.S. government, officials hope to implement policies to train healthcare providers more specifically in dealing with human trafficking survivors in order to help healthcare providers sympathize with their trauma and make treatment easier (Burke, McCauley, Rackow, Orsini, Simunovic). This research from the Texas Medical Center appears reliable because the citations consist of sources from medical centers, the United Nations, and government reports, which all conducted their own research and are government funded. In addition to training health professionals, training law enforcement to catch and approach child laboring facilities is detrimental to the stopping the further continuation of this issue (Walts). The author, Katherine Walts, who works for the Center for the Human Rights of Children appears to have credibility. Her citations show all of her information was retrieved from government program reports and recently administered federal laws. The government aspires to stop all occurences of human trafficking as it is their duty to ensure the safety of the American people and everyone within its borders. They want to implement laws and policies in hopes of making it more difficult for human trafficking operations to be carried out. Traffickers may view these policies as a nuisance to their operations and may try to find ways to overcome their new obstacles, however, victims will most likely be grateful for the government’s work and their release from bondage.

Ethical Implications

Children partaking in forced labor trafficking are often subjugated to working in difficult conditions such as an unclean environment, a space with dangerous machinery (inexperience in handling equipment often leads to death), abusive employers, and a lack of basic necessities. Victims are often exposed to heavy amounts of mercury, dust, and pesticides which can lead to severe consequences on their health, leading to instances such as poor growth and acquiring diseases. Children also experience trauma due to severe mistreatment by traffickers. Due to factors including but not limited to lack of family, physical abuse, and health deprivation, victims could also acquire mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and PTSD. Such mistreatment leads these victims to have stunted development of their cognitive ability and limit their abilities to perform in school and in all aspects of life (Elzbieta, Micah). The U.S. has recognized the immoral nature of specifically child labor trafficking as taking advantage of vulnerable kids who cannot defend themselves. Cultural barriers such as language and coming from poverty prevent children from having the capacity to speak up against their situation. From the viewpoint of traffickers, they believe their main purpose for trafficking is to receive money by any means possible, no matter how cruel or inhumane the deed. Actions by the traffickers may be driven by their nature of greed or the strict pressures from a boss to get a certain job done in as little time as possible for as small of a cost as possible. Children in poverty want to look for work in hopes of earning money for their families to obtain more prosperous lives. They are ignorant, vulnerable, and desperate, and do not believe the “labor employers” they speak to would cause them any harm- making them the perfect target for traffickers to take advantage of. Rather than using threats and force, traffickers rely on using coercion and deception to get the children to agree to work for them (Sweileh). Working at the An-Najah National University in Palestine, Sweileh’s report appears to be very well researched, citing over eighty sources, ranging from government reports to medical research. However, her research is quite broad, pulling statistics from research done all around the world, which may not be as credible. Parents are also often seen as culprits, selling their children to earn another source of income for the family. Parents who sell their children to who they believe are “labor workers” tend to live in poverty and see their children as another pair of hands that could bring money home to them (Allen, Straight). The research performed by Allen and Straight lacks some validity. While some of her research comes from the United Nations and other federal programs, she also contains some sources from news outlets such as ABC News and the New York Times. Since news outlets only report news and do not actually perform research, information may get skewed or “lost in translation”, thus, making the information not very credible. Children and parents hope for greater political and religious freedom in the U.S. along with the promise of more opportunities to make their lives more prosperous, which is what leads them to unknowingly fall into the trap of a human trafficker.

Conclusion

Child labor trafficking is an unresolved epidemic in the U.S.. The prevalence of the issue in the U.S. signals an urgent need that change in policy must take place to ensure the problem is no longer pervasive. The research concludes that policies such as border control, identity inspection for minors, and training health professionals more proficiently are the best ways to ensure the damages from child labor trafficking occur no longer. It is essential to the current and future safety of the children of the U.S. that the issue of child labor trafficking is terminated.

Works Cited

1. Allen, Elizabeth D. Straight, Patricia P. “Natural Disasters as a Magnet for Forced Labor: The United States and Japan Case Studies”. Vol 5, Issue 2. Global Studies Journal. 2013. p115-125. Ebsco Host. Dec. 16.
2. Author of Committee of Homeland Security. “Combating human trafficking in our major cities: field hearing before the Committee on Homeland Security, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, second session, March 20, 2014”. United States Homeland Department of Security. 2014. Galileo Search Engine. Dec. 16.
3. Burke, Mary. McCauley, Heather L. Rackow, Anne. Orsini, Bradley. Simunovic, Bridget. “Implementing a Coordinated Care Model for Sex Trafficked Minors in Smaller Cities”. Vol. 6, Issue 1. The TMC Library Health Sciences Resource Center. 2015. Journal of Applied Research: Informing Policy for Children at Risk. Dec. 16.
4. Elzbieta, Gozdziak. Micah, Bump N. “Victims No Longer: Research on Child Survivors of Trafficking for Sexual and Labor Exploitation in the United States”. Institute for the Study of International Migration. Mar. 2018. U.S. Department of Justice. Dec. 16
5. Freedom Network USA. “Child Trafficking for Labor in the United States”. Freedom Network USA. Apr. 2015. Freedom Network USA. Dec. 16.
6. Greenbaum, Jordan V. Yun, Katherine. Todres, Jonathan. “Child Trafficking: Issues for Policy and Practice”. Vol. 46, Issue 1. Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics. 2018. p159-163. Galileo Search Engine. Dec. 16.
7. Sweileh, Waleed M. “Research trends on human trafficking: a bibliometric analysis using Scopus database”. Vol 14, Issue 1. Globalization and Health. Nov. 8. 2018. Ebsco Host. Dec. 16.
8. Walts, Katherine, K. “Child Labor Trafficking: The Hidden Crime”. Vol. 5, Issue 2. Social Inclusion. 2017. p59-68. Galileo Search Engine. Dec. 16.

ABSTRACT

My research is all about child labor in Pakistan. What is Child Labor? And what is the price of child labor in Pakistan. Mainly children work in small ages because of their family’s poor economic condition. Also there is no concept of education. As the child grows, their parent thinks he should work for some money, so that they can live and eat. Also according to government research, there are average 8 persons in the home of child’s who is working as labor. They usually live below the poverty line.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The project is about a very controversial topic child labor. This report say world-wide downside of kid labor and the way completely different countries area unit exploiting youngsters by creating them work for extended hours and gaining profit additional out of it. Child labor could be a three-D issue and also the organizations concerned in condemnatory it have their own views, objectives and interests. With no intentions of demystifying this complex, one would focus on difference between child labor and child work, and possible consequences of deliberate or unapprised exercise of the two terms interchangeably. Child labor reflects the violation of kid rights resulting in exploitation and deprivations of every kind. Child work reflects social inequity and insecurity, death of social security networks, magnitude of poverty, paucity of opportunities for health and education and financial independence. The report also states the reasons behind child labor like a very common reason poverty and lack of education. It additional talks regarding alternative ways to prevent this downside. In the end of the report it is stated that child labor is curse and it should be finished from its root to make the world a happy place to live.

Introduction

Who is a Child?

Worldwide shows characterize kids as matured 18 and under. Singular governments may characterize ‘kid’ as indicated by various ages or other criteria. ‘Tyke’ and ‘youth’ are additionally characterized diversely by various societies. A ‘tyke’ isn’t really portrayed by a fixed age. Social researchers bring up that youngster’s capacities and developments change so much that characterizing a kid’s development by schedule age can be deceiving.

Child Labor

Tyke work is the work of youngsters at standard and continued work. ‘Kid work’ is; as a rule, work for kids that hurt them or endeavors them somehow or another physically, rationally, ethically, or by blocking access to training. UNICEF characterizes youngster work as work that surpasses a base number of hours, contingent upon the age of a tyke and on the kind of work. Such work is viewed as unsafe to the youngster and ought to thusly be dispensed with. There is no all around acknowledged meaning of kid work. Shifting meanings of the term are utilized by global associations, non-administrative associations, worker’s organizations and other intrigue gatherings. Journalists and speakers don’t generally talk what definition they are utilizing and that frequently prompts perplexity.

Causes of Child Labor

Children’s begin work when they are excessively youthful, or take on work that is perilous, for some reasons. Youngsters in creating nations do as such in light of the fact that they and their families need the additional salary. To be sure, many end up working unpaid for their managers in return for their board and hotel. Conversely, kids in industrialized nations, look for work for very various reasons, for the most part to establish money related autonomy from their folks. Here we center on kids who are crashed into the universe of work by neediness. In any case, notwithstanding for poor families there are choices to make about what work Children’s should take on. Guardians once in a while wish to open their kids to threat, however may see no option. Very regularly, the two guardians and youngsters are unconscious of the dangers included.

The main causes or reasons for creating child labor are:

Over Population:

The vast majority of the Asian and African nations are overpopulated. Because of constrained assets and more mouths to bolster, Children are utilized in different types of work.

Illiteracy:

Uneducated guardians don’t understand the requirement for an appropriate physical, passionate and psychological advancement of a youngster. As they are uneducated, they don’t understand the significance of training for their youngsters.

Poverty:

Numerous a period destitution powers guardians to send their youngsters to dangerous employments. Despite the fact that they realize it isn’t right; they have no other alternative as they need the cash.

Urbanization:

The Industrial Revolution has its own negative side. Numerous a period MNC’s and fare enterprises in the creating scene utilize while specialists, especially in the piece of clothing industry.

Unemployment of Elders:

Seniors regularly think that it’s hard to land positions. The industrialists and manufacturing plant proprietors think that it’s beneficial to utilize kids. This is so in light of the fact that they can save money and concentrate more work. They will likewise not make association issue.

Orphans:

Children’s conceived without any father present, kids without any guardians and relatives frequently don’t discover anybody to help them. Consequently they are compelled to work for their own living.

Willingness to Exploit Children

This is at the base of the issue Even if a family is exceptionally poor; the rate of tyke work will be low except if there are individuals willing to misuse these kids.

Family Background:

Families separate for some, reasons, leaving the family unit shy of pay. Once in a while separate from abandons one parent caring for a larger number of kids than she or he can stand to nourish. Separation is now and again realized by abusive behavior at home, which additionally legitimately drives kids to leave home when they are as yet youthful. The demise of either parent accelerates monetary calamity for some family units. Families additionally lose their employment because of cataclysmic events and human emergencies that leave individuals dejected and power youngsters to begin gaining.

Myths on Child Labor

According to UNICEF (1997), there are four myths that surround the issue of child labor and these are the followings:

• Child Labor is just an issue of creating nations found in the area of Africa, Asia and Latin America. This might be required because of the predominant monetary states of these nations; still pockets of youngster work can be found in very industrialized nations, for example, US and so on.
• Child Labor will never be disposed of until neediness vanishes. UNICEF brings up that tyke work ought to be disposed of reliantly of neediness. Indeed, even the least fortunate nations ought to give a valiant effort so as to decrease the quantity of kid work cases.
• Child Labor just works on fare enterprises. Just a little part of youngster work cases work in fare enterprises, just about 9%. Most tyke specialists can be found in the casual segments of society, out in the lanes, work in agribusiness or covered up in each home — a long way from the eyes of work overseers.
• The best way to wipe out child work is for the administration and buyers to present authorize and blacklists. This won’t generally help at all and will simply make the issue most noticeably terrible. In like manner, it doesn’t give an enormous effect since parts of child work cases are found in that division. An extensive technique that underpins and creates nearby activities and gives choices is the main appropriate seen by UNICEF ought to be done so as to battle child work.

Facts & Figures of Child Labor in Asia & Worldwide

According to estimates by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in their report of June 2006, the numbers of children working aged 5 to 14 is:

• Globally 190 million
• In Asia 122 million
• In sub-Saharan Africa 50 million. In fact 26 percent of all children work here.
• In Latin America 5 million.
• In the rest of the world 13 million.
• Across Africa, there are an estimated 80 million child workers, a number that could rise to 100 million by 2015.

Effects of Child Labor

• Child labor deprives a child of a proper childhood.
• He suffers physical and mental torture.
• He becomes mentally and emotionally mature too fast which is a dangerous sign.
• Child labor creates and perpetuates poverty.
• It condemns the child to a life of unskilled, badly paid work.
• Ultimately this leads to child labor with each generation.

Policy Approaches to tackle Child Labor

Improve Incentives

• Make school participation progressively open—more schools, adaptable tutoring
• Reduce or take out school charges
• Eliminate oppression young ladies in school
• Improve instructive quality—educating, materials
• Improve essential administrations—for instance, access to clean water

Remove Constraints

• Reduce poverty
• Social safety nets
• Cash or food linked to participation in education
• Improve access to credit
• Better labor market functioning

Protection and Rehabilitation Services

• Remove kids from perilous and most noticeably terrible types of youngster work
• Enforce wellbeing and security and other work norms
• Provide access to training and wellbeing administrations
• Offer professional preparing and other recovery

Legislation

• Introduce and enforce child labor laws
• Introduce and enforce compulsory education laws

Conclusion

the children are working as a labor in school going age for the survival of their families and to full fill the basic necessities. People don’t know the importance of education. That’s why most of children remain illiterate. It is not just responsibility of government we are also responsible for that.

• Child work is reviling to our general public just as our economy.
• The fate of the network is in the prosperity of its youngsters.
• It is required to spare kids for social injustice and instructive hardship

Recommendations

• Awareness raising activities should be arranged so that people are informed about children’s rights to education and leisure.
• Microfinance programs so that families have sufficient income and can keep their children out of paid work.
• Provision of health and educational services for working children should be ensured.
• Ensuring that children orphaned by AIDS are still accorded their rights and are equipped with skills that will help them as adults
• Plan works to raise awareness of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
• Poor people should provide such opportunities to get themselves out of poverty, and prevent and stop all types of exploitation of children.
• Providing all children with access to education is every government’sresponsibility, as well as a practical response to preventing child labor. Free, compulsory, relevant and good-quality education services should be given.
• Laws and regulations against child labor must be in place and rigorously enforced by governments should be in manner.
• Civil society and media engagement can change attitudes and it can condemn child labor. It can also help in raising awareness of its harmful effects on health and development will help alleviate children’s vulnerability to abuse.
• Relevant school curricula and vocational training programs can be adapted to students’ circumstances and will increase their school attendance.
• Social programs to support families in need and help them find alternative income to replace their child’s employment will help prevent child labor. Such support is also needed for child-headed households, orphans and children’s.
• To create awareness on the different aspects of child labor issue and start campaigns on children’s for the implementation of children’s rights.
• Family size ought to be little since Poor families will in general have morechildren, and with substantial families there is a more noteworthy probability that kids will work and have lower school participation and finish.
• Family size ought to be little since Poor families will in general have more children, and with substantial families there is a more noteworthy probability that kids will work and have lower school participation and finish.
• Governments need to give assets for Schooling and to furnish great quality and significance climate with no expense to poor families.
• Base programming without anyone else impression of what establishes safe/unsafe/age proper/instructive work.
• Target and center coordinated bundles of fundamental administrations on urban poor families.
• Disabled youngsters must get need consideration because of their specific powerlessness to misuse in the most noticeably awful types of kid work in the city.
• Expand instruction administrations to make them open to working youngsters.
• To give need thoughtfulness regarding promptly killing the most exceedingly awful types of kid work with proper projects.

References

1. www.unicef.org.com
2. Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child ‘The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006’ http://www.sparcpk.org/publications/sopc_2006.pdf
3. YesPakistan.com staff writer ‘Policy considerations for ending child labor inPakistan’http://www.yespakistan.com/people/child_labor.asp
4. http://images.google.com.pk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.ha mariweb.com/Images/Articles/Lab our3%252013-
5. http://www.mi nnpost.com/globa I post/2009/05 /15/8833/hope Jo r pa kista ns_c hi Id_worke rs http://www.s pa rcpk.org/ne ws_ june_need.php
6. Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child ‘The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006’ http://www.s pa rcpk.org/p ublications/sopc_2006.pdf

Introduction

Over 250 million kids from ages 1-16 are getting tied into child labor (Maki,2018) Luckily, there are many teen activists looking to help these children. Like Craig Keilberger, he opened “Free the Children”, a non-profit organization devoted to stop child labor, and it has helped millions of kids to this day. Or Iqbal Masih, escaped from being in child labor himself, and got assassinated for telling the world what he had been through. Many of our favorite companies use or have used child labor as well. Many of these companies are very surprising, and it shows just how many people still use child labor.

Child labor is a serious problem and many people overlook it, but it must be stopped. Child labor happens all over the world, from places like America, to places like India and China, all the way across the world! Yet, in all of these places it is illegal. People are breaking the law for reasons like the companies not wanting to pay adults, the parents needing help funding the family, and families moving around a lot and the kids not being able to go to school, so they work on fields to stay occupied (“Child Labor”, 2019). But the kids needing to stay occupied is no excuse to use child labor. They definitely would have been able to figure something else out, like homeschool.

How it all started

Child Labor started during the 1700-1800, the same time as the Industrial Revoultion (Lee, 2019). This happened because during the Industrial Revolution people needed more workers so they decided to use children. However, that is still not ok. Those people thought that there was nothing wrong with it, but doing that led to a serious problem in today’s generation.

People decided to use children in factories and mines because they could fit into the smaller places, and once one person did this everyone wanted kids to work for them (Lee, 2019). This is what caused child labor to grow, and very quickly. No one thought it was a problem, so it all just continued, and it still has not stopped.

Thus, child labor is not ok, and yet still so many people still do it today. People do not realize how much pain they are causing to families and kids. Even if they have done something that makes someone mad, or borrowed money, that does not entitle them to their child.

Iqbal Masih

Iqbal Masih had a very hard life. He had to go through the tourture of child labor and spoke for what he belived in. Sadly, he spoke his mind he got assassinated, and because of Iqbal’s tragic story he has inspired many others to do the same as him. Iqbal has inspired many others to stop child labor, and that make a huge difference in our world.

Iqbal Masih’s Story

Iqbal got into child labor the same way most of the children he worked with got in. His parents had to pay of their debt because of his brother’s wedding. His brother got married and his family was not very privileged, so they took a loan from the local carpet company when Iqbal was only four years old (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). He was a very young boy and twelve dollars was a lot of money back then. His parents had no other choice but to give their son up to the horrible thekedar.

However, Iqbal got very little food, and the one bowl of rice he got a day that he did get he had to pay off as well, this made it impossible to work off his debt (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). The important thing about this is that he had to work for so long to pay off the original debt, but the fact that the thekedar would make him pay for the food was outrageous. The thekader definitely knew what he was doing, he just wanted more kids to work for him for longer periods of time.

The debt Iqbal had to pay off was originally twelve dollars, but it kept growing by the day. Even though Iqbal worked twelve hours a day he only earned two cents each day (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). This matters because Iqbal would have had to work for at least 6 more years to pay off his parents debt. It was not his debt to pay, and yet he still had to work.

He worked in a very small room, with very little light, and there were about 20 other boys there, making it very cramped (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). This is important because, not only were they working in harsh conditions, but they also had to resist the urge to talk to each other. If they did talk to each other they would get harshly punished and the punishments got worse by the day.

If they tried to escape and got caught they would get thrown into a pot of boiling oil, if they were working to slow they got whipped on their bare backs, and if they began to doze off the carpet masters would cut their finger and yell at them saying, “Do not get blood on the carpets!” (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). This matters because these punishments are very harsh and left scars on the boys for life. Not only was the thekedar illegally keeping them and forcing them to work, but he was also abusing the children, and their parents were aware of this.

Iqbal Escapes:

Iqbal finally escaped that horrid carpet company using a pamphlet about children’s rights (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). We can learn from this that just being able to read a little piece of paper can be very helpful. Iqbal was one of the more privileged kids there, because he was able to read and write. He used the pamphlet to his advantage. He knew it would not be smart of him to show it to thekedar, so instead he kept it a secret. He got ideas from the pamphlet and used them to help him escape (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). It was not easy but Iqbal had done it! He had finally escaped.

Iqbal had decided to share his story with the world. He told the whole world what had happened to him and how the thekedar treated him. He knew it was a huge risk sharing his story, but he felt he had to do this, so the thekedar could be stopped. Iqbal was boarding a train at the mere age of 12 years old and then it happened, someone had shot him (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). This makes one wonder about why someone would want to kill him. The thekedar had a motive but was very evil to have done that.

He was rushed to the nearest hospital, but the doctors could not save him. His mother and many other people suspect it was the thekedar, but it is not confirmed, meaning his murderer is unknown (Iqbal’s Brief Biography, 2019). This means that thekadsar’s cannot be trusted, because not only Iqbal’s mother suspect, but many other people also do, but do have any actual evidence to back them up.

Iqbal lived an honorable life, and still inspires many people today. He spoke his mind, and got shot for it. The person who shot him thought they could stop people from speaking their minds, but he did the exact opposite. Killing Iqbal encouraged others, in a way, to speak their minds because they never wanted anything like this to happen again.

Craig Keilberger: Teen Activist

Craig Keilberger was just a normal 11 year old boy who was reading the newspaper, when he sees an article about Iqbal Masih, a recently assassinated 12 year old. Craig got interested and started looking deeper into Iqbal’s life. He noticed he was a teen activist and when he heard abiut Iqbal’s tragic story Craig wanted to speak up and help stop child labor. So, he became a teen activist.

A teen activist is a teen, someone our age, who sees a problem in the world. They take action to help put the problem to a stop and most make a huge difference in the world. Some activists even inspire others, just like in this case. Iqbal inspired Craig to become an activist. If Iqbal had not spoken up for what he believed in Craig may not have even became an activist.

Craig becomes an Activist:

Craig started off small. At first he just spoke his class about it, but then Craig thought bigger. Craig decided to start a petition. He collected 3,000 signatures and sent a letter to the prime minister of India about stopping child labor ( Rysavy, 1999). Craig had started taking bigger actions, and they were definitely making a difference.

Even though, the prime minister refused in the beginning, Craig then told people about the incident, and the minister was shamed. He then sent a letter back to Craig saying that he would look into stuff. He then started to give public speeches informing people about the problem of child labor. Eventually, after all of this hard work, Craig became a big activist.

Free the Children:

After all of this happened Craig’s name was all over articles. Craig and Mark Keilberger created an organization called ‘Free the Children’. This organization has helped children all around the world and The brothers travel around the world together to see the conditions of the children in labor. In one of his travels to India Craig met a girl named Muniall on the streets. She was about the age of 8 and was sorting needles when Craig had found her ( Rysavy, 1999). Craig asked her exactly what she was doing and she quietly replied saying that she was sorting the needles from the plastic, so her boss would not hear her and punish her ( Rysavy, 1999). She did not have any protective gear on and was at risk of getting disease. But sadly, she could not do anything to help herself.

Muniall was not the only kid Craig met. He also went to labor camps and met many other kids as well. Some of them had never stepped foot outside the camp and did not even know what school was (We Movement, 2016)! Seeing this made Craig sad, but also motivated him more to help the kids. He was very determined to put child labor to an end, so he booked mre speeches. He was speaking publicly at many places, and it seems to be helping.

To this day, Craig and Mark are still working hard to help their organization grow, and make child labor smaller. Craig had a passion and he followed it. He got really into helping child labor come to an end. That one day when he read the newspaper changed his life completely. He has also made such a big difference, and we can all thank him.

Companies that use Child Labor

150 billion dollars have been collected in child labor fines.CITE That means so many of out favorite companies may have used child labor, and luckily got caught. Many of these companies are very surprising like, Apple, H&M, GAP, Hersheys, Nestle, Mars, and Ferrero Roche. Some of the most popular companies have used child labor, especially chocolate companies.

Apple

3,000 high school students were forced to assemble the Iphone X in China (Vega, 2017). These students were told this would count as their volunteer hours for school, but in reality they were just being forced to work. Once they had figured this out, it was too late and they were not able to get out of working.

These children spanned from the ages of 17-19 and worked for 3 months after school everyday (Vega,2017). This makes one wonder, about how it could have been any group of kids that they could have targeted for this. The people working at Apple in China knew exactly what they were doing, but did not seem to care.

H&M

H&M factories in Myanmar are forcing kids as young as 14 to work 12 hours a day (Butler, 2016). This matters because it is taking a toll on these kids life and it could have happened to any one of us. It is against the law and this just shows some of the most popular brands still have things to hide.

14-17 year olds have been working these long hours from 2013-2016 (Butler, 2016). This is important because these children have been working for three years straight everyday, and their parents were aware of it. Their parents were ok with it and did not speak up for their children.

Chocolate Factories

Millions of kids are working on cocoa farms with a chainsaw two times their size cutting open cocoa beans that are 3 times their size (Rivero, 2004). This makes one wonder about how hard it must be to work on cocoa farms. They have to carry things that are so much heavier than they are and are expected to be able to even though they don’t get fed enough to build up that strength.

Companies like Hersey’s, Mars, Nestle, and Ferrero Roche all use child labor because it is cheaper payment to kids (Rivero, 2004). This matters because almost three times a week we take at least a little bite of chocolate. This means we are giving in to child labor by buying these products.

Overall, companies using child labor is very wrong and sadly, many of us unknowingky give into it. These are companies that we would never suspect to do something wrong because they are so popular, so we just assume they are trustworthy. We need to be more aware of how much child labor is happening around us, so we don’t give into it.

Final Thoughts and How you can Help

In conclsion, child labor is something that happens way to much all around the world. It is a very serious problem, and yet no matter how hard we try we just cannot seem to get it to stop. Many people our age are trying to help solve this problem, but there is more than one way to help stop child labor.

To help solve problems like this, you do not have to be an activist like Craig or Iqbal, but you definitely should not be a “bystander” like a lot of people are. There many ways you can help make an impact on stopping child labor like, writing a blog, so people are more aware of the problem. You can also post on social media about it, and create hashtags like, #stopchildlabor or #childrensrights.

It would help even more if you made a dsignated social media account about stopping child labor where you can post pictures about it, or gain followers. Gaining followers is a good thing, and not for the popularity, but if you gain followers on spcified child labor account that means more people are aware of it.

Other than using social media, you can also help stop child labor by donating to organizations that help stop child labor. “Free the Children” is the organization that Craig and Mark Keilberger have worked so hard to create. Just one small donation of five dollars can help so much.

Lastly, a really great way to help stop child labor is to stop buying stuff from brands that use it. If you do buy products from the brands that use child labor those companies will be making a profit from forcing kids to work, and you will also be giving into child labor.

Creating hashtags, or social media accounts can also inspire other kids who might become big child labor activists. Take Craig for example, all he saw was one article about Iqbal and what happened to him and he has made a huge difference today.

All in all, there are many ways you can help stop child labor, or make people more aware it or the companies that use it. So many people have been working are to stop it, making it illegal, giving speeches, and much more. Sadly, it just does not seem to stop. Luckily, we have activists like Craig Keilberger and Iqbal Masih to hopefully stop, or minimize it. If everyone tries their best to donate, post on social media, or make articles about this topic we will definitely complete the goal of these two activists.

According to The International Labor Organization (ILO), an estimated 170 million children are engaged in child labor around the world (Moulds, n.d). Although the situation is improving over the years with a 30% decline in child labor between 2000 and 2012, the century old battle against child labor does not seem to be ending soon with the rise of fast fashion. Fast fashion, a term used to describe inexpensive clothing produced rapidly by mass-market retailers in response to latest trends, is currently at its pinnacle due to the growth of social media marketing and ease of e-commerce. In fact, the fast fashion industry has generated approximately $585 million in revenue in 2018 and is expected to grow over the next decade with the growth of rising economies in Asia-Pacific. In order to meet the demand for affordable clothing, many large brands as well as independent indie brands seek out cheap labor and outsource their manufacturing processes in developing nations.

In the case of Bangladesh, one of the world’s biggest producers of Ready-Made Garment (RMG), poverty is the main reason children work in fashion mass production chains. Out of 150 children being interviewed, 78% were unwillingly forced into child labor due to poverty (Siddiqua, 2015). These children often work under unsustainable and exploitative conditions that compromises their health resulting often in death or a colossal medical bill (Moulds, n.d.). In particular in the cotton production industry, children are preferably hired because their small hands are suitable for picking cotton without damaging the crop. With the rise of fast fashion, ignorant consumers are indirectly supporting and exacerbating the use of child labor in low cost garment production.

Two organizations World Vision International and Fair Wear Foundation (FWF) currently aim to alleviate this issue through various initiatives. World Vision International is an Evangelical Christian humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organization that works with children, parents, and their communities to tackle the causes of poverty and injustice. They raise funds through charity to fund their projects around the world helping underprivileged communities, such as ones found in Bangladesh. FWF on the other hand, is a European non-profit organization (NGO) working to improve workplace conditions in the garment and textile industry. It is governed by labor unions, NGOs, and business companies who help FWF ensure that its member companies adhere to the FWF Code of Labor practices in their supply chains around the world including Bangladesh. FWF currently has about 130 brands pledging against the use of child labor.

Whilst there are many organizations working against the use of child labor, the factors contributing to this issue are much more complex and deeply rooted. However, providing education and strengthening policies within communities, the government as well as employers seem to be the best course of action in protecting children against exploitation.

Education for Children of Primary School Age and Adolescents

World Vision aims to implement the Bangladesh Child Protection Project which seeks to reduce child labor and associated violence (World Vision International, 2016). To achieve this, the organization will create child -friendly learning and recreation centers for young children. The program will aid selected families by providing vocational training and addressing health concerns and child protection issues. The core of the project depends on educating children and their immediate families in order to empower them with the tools to protect themselves and improve their economic situation which often impedes them from enrolling in school. Based on research, the likelihood of children leading better lives increases with the level of education both them and their parents receive (Kumar, Saqib, 2017). Especially with the rapid growth and urbanization of Bangladesh, being literate will likely increase the chances of families getting better jobs and escaping the poverty cycle (ECOSOC,2016). The organization also aims to help families and communities understand better the dangers of child labor in order to build safer environments for children. Local and government authorized child protection committees will be mobilized to supervise child labor (World Vision International, 2016). This will help communities learn to report child labor and other abuses as well as direct child survivors to social services available.

One concern would be the fact that due to the low income of most families, families are compelled to send their children to work for short term gains instead of choosing education (Siddiqua, 2015). The project attempts to solve this problem by providing monetary support to families who send their children to the learning centres, thereby encouraging children continually receive education and avoid the risk of child labor. That being said, such a method requires a lot of funding which World Vision does not have. They have a limited amount of funding which is required for building the learning centres, as well as other logistical needs. The project aims to implement the project within four years with a few indicators in mind to measure the project’s success. The longevity and sustainability of the project is not guaranteed as after the project ends, the community might revert to their old ways since there are no more incentives for them.

An improvement to this challenge could be to create a collaborative system with not only the local communities but with existing NGOs working on similar projects or area such that a consistent pressure is exerted on local authorities and organizations for them to uphold the humanitarian rights and standards against child labor (Seidman,2008). Whilst a monitoring scheme according to Seidman is not the perfect solution, some form of monitoring will still help promote accountability and responsibility of communities involved. Besides that, World Vision should also place emphasis on educating employers about the rights of children. Out of the 25 employers interviewed, only 8 of them are vaguely aware of the existence of the rights for children (Siddiqua, 2015). Even if they were aware of its existence, most of them chose to neglect the rights because the consequences are not severe enough for them to abide by the law. World Vision has to actively engage with the government and strengthen policies in order to overcome this challenge. Social and environmental criteria in supplier evaluation needs to be broaden to encompass a broader set of protective laws for laborers. New criteria, as mentioned by Winter and Lasch, such as housing conditions and home worker conditions needs to be explored in order to increase the quality of working conditions of laborers (Winter & Lasch, 2016).

Promoting Social Accountability Amongst Businesses Directly Involved In Supply Chains

As mentioned in the introduction, one of the main factors contributing to the use of child labor in the RMG industry of Bangladesh is the demand for low cost clothing from fast fashion. In order to counteract this, FWF ensures that the brands under its foundation implements the FWF Code of Labor Practices in their supply chain. Also known as The Fair Wear Code, eight labor standards based on the conventions of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and the Universal Declaration on Human Rights are followed. The eight standards are: freedom in employment; no discrimination in employment; no exploitation of child labor; freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining; payment of a living wage; no excessive working hours; safe and healthy working conditions; and finally legally-binding employment relationship. FWF works on the basis that the brand selling clothes is also responsible for both the environmental impact of the product and the labor conditions in which the products are made in. FWF ensures that the accredited brands adhere to their code through a multi-level verification process of factory audits, complaints process and verification of company management systems. Transparency in the workplace, the company, as well as the organization is emphasized to encourage full accountability from brands and their supply chains. FWF’s initiative has proven to be effective over the years with a membership growth of nearly 700% between 2003 and 2012 (Fair Wear Foundation, n.d).

Despite the achievements FWF have accomplished, one concern however, is the alarming rate at which clothes are being manufactured and thrown as well as the sheer number of indie brands who do not adhere to the Codes of Labor Practices in order to reduce costs. These brands are unlikely to seek an alternative way of production unless the consequences are severe. One improvement FWF can make is broadening their scope of social advocacy to beyond fashion brands. In other words, educating consumers about their purchases, reminding them that their actions can contribute indirectly to the exacerbation of child labor in developing countries. As seen in the research made by Seidman, boycotting a brand can be a useful method to enforce social accountability and responsibility on fashion brands (Seidman, 2008). In addition, FWF can advocate the benefits of sustainable fashion as a way to encourage indie brands to seek out better alternatives when choosing their manufacturing suppliers. For example, based on a case study made on the role of corporate sustainability in a large Scandinavian clothing and apparel company (SCAC), the concept of sustainability is seen as a deterrent against the negative impacts that may arise from unsustainable practices rather than a means of marketing or “adding value through attracting customers” (Lueg, Pedersen, M. M., & Clemmensen, S. N. ,2015).

With the efforts of organizations like World Vision International in education and Fair Wear Foundation in strengthening social advocacy and policies, there will likely be continued improvement in the situation. However, there are still many hurdles to overcome and improvements to be made in order to take a further step in reducing modern child slavery. As Alexis Herman once 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.” Tackling the issue of child labor is necessary for not only fashion brands but also the general public. We need to take responsibility for the way we are consuming fast fashion in order to encourage brands to seek better alternatives in the production of clothing (Caleca, 2014). Education is crucial in raising awareness of such an issue and much of the world can learn from Scandinavian countries who are already actively adopting the use of sustainable fabric and ethical labor. Together with the efforts of governments, NGOs, and the general public alike, we can work towards a future without child slavery.

References

1. Caleca, A. R. (2014). The effects of globalization on Bangladesh’s ready-made garment Industry. The high cost of cheap clothing. Brooklyn Journal of International Law, 40(1), 279–320. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=as n&AN=102500784
2. Fair Wear Foundation. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.fairwear.org/ Kumar, Alok, Saqib, & Najmus. (2017, July 01). School Absenteeism and Child Labor in
3. Rural Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1P4-1912118278/school-absenteeism-and-child-labor-in-rural-bangladesh
4. Lueg, R., Pedersen, M. M., & Clemmensen, S. N. (2015). The role of corporate sustainability in a low-cost business model – A case study in the Scandinavian fashion industry. Business Strategy and the Environment, 24(5), 344-359. doi:10.1002/bse.1825
5. Moulds, J. (n.d.). Child labour in the fashion supply chain. Retrieved from https://labs.theguardian.com/unicef-child-labour/
6. Seidman, G. (2008). Transnational labour campaigns: Can the logic of the market be turned against itself? Development & Change, 39(6), 991–1003. https://doi-o rg.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/10.1111/j.1467-7660.2008.00525.x
7. Siddiqua, R. (2015). Socio-economic condition of child workers: Bangladesh perspective. ASA University Review, 9(1), 31–58. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com.proxy2.library.illinois.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=asn&AN=116350648
8. United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). (2016). United Nations Children’s Fund. Country Programme Document Bangladesh. Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org/about/execboard/files/2016-PL10-Bangladesh_CPD-ODS-EN.pdf
9. Winter, S., & Lasch, R. (2016). Environmental and social criteria in supplier evaluation – Lessons from the fashion and apparel industry. Journal of Cleaner Production, 139, 175–190. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.07.201

In 1870, the federal census published, for the first time, statistics of child employment in the United States, and each succeeding census has done the same thing. During this time, there has been a growing national consciousness about the extent of child labor. There have been many discussions about its resulting evils and plans for reform, but the process of banning child labor in the United States was an extremely difficult one. It was only made possible by significant changes in public opinion and clever politicking.

Throughout history, children have worked. Cavemen enlisted the help of their children in finding supplies and hunting. Centuries later, children worked as apprentices, servants, or even regular laborers, and there was much concern over the “idle child.” People felt that working class children who weren’t fully engaged in some form of work during the day would grow up to be unproductive and useless. The Puritans took this belief one step further – they believed that work was the only way to ensure that one lived a happy and moral life.

Child labor started becoming popular when people came to the realization that children were economically valuable to their parents. Farmers eagerly anticipated the birth of new children who could labor and keep things running smoothly on their farms for their entire life, and this also became true in urban environments as the Industrial Revolution began.

The entire pitch and tone of children working changed in the 1800s, as a result of the Industrial Revolution. The cold and calculated view of children as mere units of economic input grew harsher as an entirely new style of manufacturing was introduced. Mechanized work was becoming the new normal, and it needed more people to man machines. The workforce needed for these kinds of jobs didn’t have to be especially skilled, so children were perfect for these jobs. They were easy to manipulate, so they could be given little to no money at all, could be overworked, and could be misused, all without them retaliating, or, in many cases, even realizing this.

At this point, with the thousands of new child laborers in the United States, the economy of the United States was booming, and Americans wanted to keep it that way. For this reason, the amount of child laborers in the US increased, and they were treated even more harshly than before. Some children were paid no money at all, and the ones who did get paid got meager sums of money that went to their parents. They were also at a high risk for injury due to the heavy machinery and cutting equipment that was around them. Many people weren’t even in their teens before one or more of their limbs got taken off.

In 1900, the census showed that about 1 in 6 children were engaged in some form of gainful employment, with 18 percent of them being 10 to 15 years of age. This statistic shocked Americans. Four years later, in 1904, the National Child Labor Committee, or the NCLC, was formed as a combination of several smaller anti-child labor groups. The NCLC broke into two halves, with one focusing on the northern states and the other focusing on the southern ones. This launched a huge campaign that included investigating working conditions and trying to persuade legislators to end child labor. This campaign was beneficial to the NCLC, but their greatest triumph was hiring a man named Lewis Hine. Hine was a sociologist and teacher, and his skill with a camera was extremely beneficial to the anti-child labor cause. In the early 1900s, without the Internet or any form of rapid communication, it was difficult to prove that the thousands of children who were engaged in child labor were doing so unfairly and in harsh conditions.

After all, in this time period, it was very common for children to work. It was accepted, and it was hard for people to understand that the working children were being treated unjustly. This wasn’t surprising, as the child labor happened in underground mines and behind the closed doors of factories, so people weren’t familiar with the conditions. For this reason, when Lewis Hine was finally able to take and distribute photographs of children and their working conditions, the entire country was shocked. Hine’s work influenced many people to join the anti-child labor cause. With the newfound support and popularity of the cause, the American Department of Commerce and Labor founded its Children Bureau, but legal issues were coming. From 1915 to 1917, a number of efforts were made to eliminate child labor in dangerous industries, but they were struck down for being “Constitutionally unsound.”

The first law Congress passed was the Keating-Owens Act. It prohibited the sales in interstate commerce of goods made by minors under a certain age threshold or minors who had to work for an unreasonable amount of time. However, like many other laws regulating anything relating to child labor, this act was struck down by the Supreme Court. In 1924, the NCLC attempted to pass an amendment to the United States Constitution. This amendment would allow Congress to restrict and regulate the work of minors. Technically speaking, this amendment is still pending. This is because, to pass an amendment, it must have the approval of at least three-fourths of the states in the US. The amendment wasn’t able to get support from three-fourths of the US states.

In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act, otherwise known as the FLSA, was passed and signed into law by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The act guaranteed a minimum wage, regulated overtime work, and prohibited the use of laborers in oppressive labor. While this certainly had an effect, a more cynical take on the end of child labor in the United States was that it was no longer as profitable to employ children. As time wore on, the machinery in factories became smarter and more efficient, so they required less supervision. In 1929, when the Great Depression hit, all available jobs were needed by adults. There was simply not enough room for children in the workplace.

Great strides were made to end child labor in the US, but many people could argue that these changes were made only when it was economically convenient to end child labor. Regardless, the elimination of child labor saved thousands of lives.

A child is legally defined as a human being or person who is under the age of 18, in majority’s perspective a child is someone who is not yet capable to decide on their own and still under the guidance of parents, they were supposed to enjoy their childhood and create dreams for their future. They are our younger generation who holds the future of our nation that is why we should mold them to be a better citizen, help them to build their dreams, and guide them towards their future. That is why eliminating child labor should be one of the focuses of social and economic development.

Child labor is one of the issues that are relevant in today’s world. The history of child labor started way before but only came to light during the 1700s and 1800s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, there is a huge increase in the numbers of child labor cases and most of the victims are children age 5-14. Child labor does not only exist in poor countries but almost every country in the world disregard how rich the country is. This type of issue is hard to resolve simply because it is a problem that evolves with the world. It is a continuous cycle that is hard to break and the ideas for solutions are stagnant. Strict implementation of law and cooperation from the people can be a possible solution but every action should be equipped with a good plan.

Children who are under child labor are commonly engaged with physical labor, most hazardous, that includes agriculture, mining, and factories, it is where most of them normally spent anywhere from 12-19 hours of work which is considered hazardous for the health, children don’t even spend more than 7 hours in school, even adults have an average of 10 hours in everyday basis. These children don’t even receive proper wages and often maltreated and abused while working. There are laws established to protect exploitation when it comes to working but in some parts of the world these regulations are poorly implemented and that left these children suffering.

When do we consider a child is under child labor?

We need to establish that not every child or minor who is working will be covered by the child labor law. There are certain conditions to consider that a minor is illegally working. Some exception includes children who are child artist, children who are under the age of 16 is working as a theatrical actor provided that they should have working permits, family duties, children who work inside the family’s home or engaged in household chores, supervised training, children who are working with parents or adult supervision, and works that are part of cultural practices. In other countries, underage are allowed to work as long as they are not forced into it and on condition that they follow the rule served by the government against child labor, working at a young age are viewed as a representation of independence that is why part-time jobs for teenagers are commonly seen. For an instance, it is cultural norms in Western countries for a teen to leave their home at the age of eighteen or for some are even younger because they already reached a certain age when they can be responsible for their selves. These types of conditions are mainly because of cultures. Around the globe, we do exercise different traditions and cultures, rules and values and most importantly we have different laws that are established to protect our rights.

Almost every country in the world recognized a law that will protect every laborer under their government, aside from government; there are also various organizations that aim to protect the rights of workers and laborers around the globe, including children. One of the most well-known organizations that deal with this kind of matter is the International Labor Organization; there are 187 state nations under their organization that help hand in hand in promoting social justice and recognizing human labor rights, including the protection for child laborers. Another organization that is very well-known in their advocacy for children protection and continuously helping to improve the welfare, health, and education of the children in need is UNICEF (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Funds), these organizations are creating various ways to help these children in need.

According to ILO (International Labor Organization), child labor is any work assigned to a child that is dangerous to their physical, mental, social, and moral aspect, having a job that can obstruct them in receiving education, obliging them to leave or withdraw from school at an early age, and a job that is combined with long and heavy work. The minimum age convention (C138) established by ILO is a convention that can protect against children exploitation, the convention comprises that any job that is performed by children under the age of 12, non-light work for children aged 12-14 and dangerous or hazardous work done by 15-17 years old is considered child labor, it also established national policies to eliminate child labor.

In ILO’s (International Labor Organization) current statistic update in Word Report in child labor, there are 265 million children working around the world, it is 17 percent of the world’s total numbers of children population. Based on the data gathered the region with most child labor cases is located in Sub-Saharan Africa compared to the rest of the region covered by the survey. The country with the highest rate of working ours is Pakistan, this survey covered children aged 7-14.

In UNICEF’s survey for the percentage of children aged 5-17 involved in child labor which includes the region of the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern and Southern Africa, West Central Africa, and other least developed countries. The statistics show that the Middle East and North Africa got the least proportion while Sub-Saharan got the highest percentage in comparison to other regions included in the survey.

In connection with the assessment, there is almost an equal number of boys and girls who are involved in child labor. The conducted survey also includes the percentage of gender differences when it comes to working activities that are carried out, with girls are more likely involved in unpaid household services.

ILO’s convention 182 (C182), the convention comprises the worst form of labor for children this includes slavery and trafficking, one of the most commonly associated issues with child labor, according to Freedom United, a community that strongly supports the advocacy to end modern slavery, one in four victims of human slavery are children that mean that there are estimated ten million children around the world who are oppressed and victims of modern slavery. Convention 182 also includes debt-bondage and forced labor, two forms of abuse that are correlated; there are places where children were used to paying for family’s debt by forcing them to work and exposing them to abuse and maltreatment. If there is something that is worse than everything mentioned it is prostitution where children are sexually exploited and used for pornographic activities, another form of child labor that is stated in convention 182 is the use of children in compulsory recruitment in armed conflict. In UNICEF’s record in relation to compulsory recruitment, in 30 countries with conflicts, there are 300,000 child soldiers including children under the age of 10, these jobs are likely to harm the health, safety, and morals of the children.

Children became easy prey because they are too young to know grievances in this world and they are not properly familiarized with their rights provided by the law to protect them. Among the reasons, those who are desperate and vulnerable are most likely to be trapped with false promises of better living but instead provided with worse situations than what they have been through.

The problem with child labor does not only rely on the people who hire children to work, but also a responsibility that a parent should shoulder. Putting food on the table is not a child’s responsibility neither providing for their family. Parents should be responsible for their children and provide the best life they can live with the proper guidance towards their future. In an article published by International Labor Organization the main reason for the huge number of child labor cases is because of family difficulties most of the children cannot handle the pressure and resort to working to provide for their families, aside from this, another major reason is the inequality that they receive from the society. Economic deprivation in relation to child labor has a major impact, if only children were given enough support for their basic needs especially education there would be a huge decrease in the percentage in child labor cases.

There are various campaigns and movements to fight for children’s right to live in a safe and secure world. Supporting these campaigns will help those children who are in need, but we need a better plan to end this kind of abuse. We need to educate the children of today who are not exposed to the issue that these types of problem exist in society so that they can be fully aware and avoid situations where they can be a victim of child labor. Lack of awareness and knowledge towards this matter is also one of the contributing factors in the increase in the number of cases, some businesses are not aware of the regulations when it comes to hiring underage employees, the government should strictly implement these rules and regulations. There are various ways to help children but we need a solution that will break the cycle of child labor, a solution that has a continuous effect in society and relevant to other issues in the world, the key to that is proper education. If all children have access to proper education they can improve their judgment and avoid unwanted circumstances, education can mold their abilities, skills, and capabilities and that can provide them better opportunities in life.

Summary

In general, children who are forced, maltreated, abused, and oppressed by working are considered child labor. In most cases, child labor is a product and the creation of poverty. It is the root and cause of early withdrawal in school and the main reason why these types of issues exist and still boosting the cycle of child exploitation that breaks their grip on human rights. In certain cases due to poverty children are left with no choice but to work to provide for their family when the law is properly implemented these families will not only live in poverty but also starvation.

Childhood is one of the most important parts of human life it is when you should be enjoying life, learning things, building dreams and everything will be okay. But unfortunately, not everyone is given the same privilege. Working as defined is not a bad thing for children simply because it will be their building foundation on what will they become in the future, assigning tasks from household chores is basically teaching them responsibilities and preparing them for bigger things in life. This can be possible if everyone was given the same opportunity, in reality; there are more than what we see in the news. People nowadays normalized children who are working to provide for their family thinking that these types of circumstances are praiseworthy, who would not admire a person who at a young age is already capable to provide for a family?

We need to be fully aware that there are children out there who are continuously battling for their rights and fighting to survive.

Introduction

Indigence is the major cause for child exploitation. It involves intolerable abuse like enslavement, forced labor and any other unlawful activities. Grown-up are always paid more than kids since there are no trade unions for kids. Child labor is any activity that is unhealthy to kids or keeps them from attending school and this affects their growth due to poor health.

Thesis

Child labor is any activity that is unhealthy to kids or keeps them from attending school and this affects their growth due to poor health.

The lowest age that kids should be allowed to work is 15 years. This is just for tasks that can be done quickly and easily but for risky tasks the age is extended to 18 years.

Extreme forms of child labor are enslavement and other illegal activities that endangers child’s well-being like white slavery and drug trafficking. Child labor has many adverse effect. Discordant working environment generate complications like impetuous aging, malnourishment, and drug dependency. When children are employed they are exploited by their employees and work in humiliating environment, undermining all the principles and rudimentary privileges based in humanity. Kids who work are denied education thus becoming illiterate adults.

In places like South Asia, kids are forced to work as house workers and also in companies to pay for family depts. In North America kids are victims of white slavery and are humiliated more by drug traffickers.

Stronger inspection systems is needed, stronger laws, especially in informal economies where the majority of child labor exists. There should be public perception campaigns to enlighten public on effects of child labor. Employers should stop recruiting children below the recommended age and assist those kids found in child labor.

Conclusion

Child labor is a wild wide drawback that needs a global solution. It is everyone’s responsibly to save kids from child labor. This will aid the kids go to school and be educated, this will help them achieve their life ambitions.

References

1. Freedman, Russell, 1929-2018. Kids At Work : Lewis Hine and the Crusade against Child Labor. New York :Clarion Books, 1994.
2. Hindman, Hugh D. Child Labor: An American History. Armonk, N.Y.: M.E. Sharpe, 2002. Print.
3. Victor. “Essay on Child Labour: Meaning, Causes, Effects, Solutions.” ImportantIndia.Com, 27 Feb. 2019, www.importantindia.com/25558/child-labour-meaning-causes-effects-solution.
4. BS. “Child Labour.” Humanium, 4 Oct. 2017, www.humanium.org/en/child-labour.

Because the world developed, the industry in the United States had to change to catch up the development of the world. Thus, the industrialization era appeared and revolutionized the old industrial ways. However, there were many problems occurring in the process of the industrialization. The problem was closely related to the workers during their jobs. Therefore, the progressive era fixed these problems that the industrialization brought and made it better.

The first point that was mentioned is that the progressives improved the damage from the workers’ strikes over the working conditions. The workers complained about the hours for labor being too many. The work was commenced at 5 o’clock in the morning and continued until 7 o’clock in the evening with a half hour for breakfast and three-quarters hour for dinner. Therefore, it impacted a lot on the workers’ health. The pregnant women were still working at the machines until a few hours before their babies were born. This was the problems with the working conditions of the workers. The bad conditions inside the factories was worse than the stress of the long hours they had to be there.. They had to work in the machine whose temperature was almost 110 or 120 degrees, it was humid, steamy, gluey without fans. Instead of fans, there were foreman working about, fuming and blowing, their voices liked dogs barking at other dogs. From the conditions of the workers, it led them to get some injuries, such as becoming blind or deaf( Working in the Sweatshops). The workers worked with the dangerously broken stairway, windows few and so dirty, hardly light. Moreover, the gas jet burning by day and by night and they drank no fresh water with mice and roaches.They had the low-wages that was from 1 to 1.5 dollars with the worst conditions. Because of the bad treatment, they created many strikes on the street or in front of their companies in order to be treated better than before, had comfortable wages for whole families. Based on the problems, the progressive era reforms helped make more opportunities for women to work. It protected the workers from the dangerous condition during their working time. It also had already pressurized the factories in order that the factories fixed some of the machines to decrease the injuries and increase the wages for the workers. Progressive also persuaded some states to pass laws limiting the workday to tens hours.

During this time of development, the industrialization caused many problems including the treatment of the workers. One of the worst problems was when the Triangle Shirtwaist Company caught on fire in New York City in 1911. The fire killed many workers in a short amount of time. The reason that many workers died in the short time was because the owners of the factory were locking the door during the working time, so the workers could not exit from the room when the fire occurred. Because of the door opened inward, they could not open it and survive if having a lot of people in front of the door. Moreover not only the number of died people but also the damages had to bear. From the company fire, the workers felt scared for their lives while working at the unsafe offices. The progressive era came up with many options to fix this problem. They were particularly active in creating the safety standards. The attention was devoted to the dangerous nature of the works. They updated the workers on escaping the fire and also. Many states also adopted workers’ compensation laws, which set up funds to pay workers who were hurt on the job including women or children. Besides, most of factories had to be on the first floors in order to escape the fire easily. The progressive era required the fire escape in the factories and companies.

At the time, the children would not have gone to school because of their limited finance. Most of the children went to work at the coal mines, textile factories, or selling newspapers. They had no rights and did not make much money for working for a long time. The children had to work when they were too young; sometimes as young as 6 years old. Furthermore, they worked many jobs including the dangerous work like working in the coal mines. They could get many injuries while working, so they would not grow up normally as regular children. Because of working too soon, they did not go to school do the children could not read or write the words. The fact was that one out of every six children (1,118,000 total) under sixteen years of age in the United State were at work in factories and mines in 1880. The progressive era tried to help children have a better life. They got some right for the children when they working. Many laws restricting child labor were passed. In 1902, Florence Kelley helped form the National Child labor Committee, which successfully lobbied the federal government to create the U.S. Children’s Bureau in 1912. Only the 13 and older could be at work in the factories and the coal mines. Moreover, the progress established the Keating-Owens Act for child labor and it was passed by the Congress.

In conclusion, the progressive era fixed many problems of the industrialization made during the developing of the United States. They also helped the workers have the many rights and opportunities they have now. From these things, that made the workers improve their lives for the better.