Children At Work :: Essays Papers

Children At Work Autonomy, Responsibility and Child Labor-Introduction and Conclusion Child labor has recently become a genuinely touchy subject throughout the creation. Well known corporations and clothing and sporting goods distributors that have for decades been taking advantage of cheap labor in third world countries are seeing their names and images tarnished by allegations of squirt labor practices and obscene working conditions. Child labor is nothing new to the world. It has been a part of al more or less every society in recorded history. From ancient times, children have been a part of the economic survival of their families, particularly in industries like the farming and crafting industries. What stiff confusing is the exact definition that separates child labor from just children doing work. Child labor is meant to define unfair, abusive work whereas work is an important part of the sculpting of most children. There is no question in society that some f orms of labor are acceptable and some are not. Children may work without being ill-treated and in many countries and even some American cultures, it is both necessary and integral that children perform some laborious duties. The line between work and child labor is most commonly drawn where normal tasks are replaced with exploitative tasks and children are expected to do things that go well beyond the borders of inhumane. An example of this overstepping the boundaries is the next text taken from an actual court case in 1833 following an investigation into the practice of child labor during the British industrial revolution project you ever been employed in a factory? --Yes At what age did you first go to work in one? --Eight How long did you continue in the occupation? --Four years Will you state the hours of labour at the period when you first went to the factory, in ordinary times? --From 6 in the morning to 8 at night. Fourteen hours? --yes With what intervals for refreshm ent and rest? -- An hour at noon. When Trade was brisk what were your hours?--From 5 in the morning to 9 in the evening 16 hours? --Yes With what intervals at dinner? --An hour During those long hours of labor could you be punctual, how did you awake?-- I seldom did awake spontaneously I was most generally awoke or lifted out of bed, sometimes asleep, by my parents.