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Child labor involves employing minors in continuous work, often in dangerous or exploitative conditions. The definition varies across cultures, but the United Nations defines a child as anyone under 18. Child labor laws were first passed in the 1800s, but the tradition of children working on family farms or businesses persists. While some countries allow minors to work under certain circumstances, laws limit their working hours and conditions to prevent exploitation and ensure education and socialization.
When persons under the age of majority are employed in continuous work, this practice is considered “child labour”. The definition of child labor can be difficult to pin down, because different cultures have different definitions of ‘child labour’ and ‘supported labour’ and this can make it quite difficult to formulate and enforce laws designed to eliminate child labour. Opponents of the practice of hiring children argue that child labor is exploitative and often very dangerous.
According to the United Nations, a “child” is any person under the age of 18. Specific employment laws may consider people under the age of 16 for legal purposes and in some countries the limit can be even lower, around 12 or 14. Statistics on this type of work usually focus on children aged between the ages of five and 14, because many countries where child labor is a problem have laws that allow people to work full-time after age 14.
The supported job could be any form of full-time employment, from farm work to factory work. Child labor tends to involve mechanical tasks such as manufacturing, farming and cleaning, although children may also work in other industries, such as the sex industry. To be considered child labour, rather than mere work experience, the child must generally be unable to attend school due to working hours and the working conditions must be harsh or dangerous.
There are several problems with child labor. The first problem is that minors are not allowed by law to make choices for themselves and, in many cases, children work because they are forced to, not because they want to work. In some cases, the children used for manufacturing and other tasks are actually slaves sold by their parents for such work. Children who are not slaves may receive minimum wages for their labor and are often forced to hand over the wages to family members rather than keep them for themselves. Furthermore, working children do not have the possibility to go to school, to socialize with friends and to live a normal life.
Children have worked on family farms and businesses for centuries, and historically it was common to apprentice children as young as eight. Apprenticeships were quite popular, as they gave children the opportunity to create a career for themselves by training with knowledgeable people, and everyone from doctors to weavers learned through apprenticeship systems. The tradition of encouraging children to engage in family farm work or help out with family businesses persists today in many regions of the world.
The use of children as workers became a problem in the industrial age, as factories began to spring up to make goods that had historically been made at home or by craftsmen. With the rise of factories has come a variety of workplace issues, ranging from the length of the working day to workplace safety, and children have often been documented in factories doing grueling jobs such as weaving and tailoring. The children also worked in dangerous environments such as mines. The first child labor laws were passed in the 1800s, reflecting the social unease over employing children in factories.
While child labor is a very serious problem, many countries have taken steps to allow people under the age of 18 to work under certain circumstances. In many societies, work is seen as valuable experience and a contribution to society, and the availability of part-time work and apprenticeships for people under the age of 18 is seen as important. In these cases, the minor must generally obtain a work permit, and his working hours and conditions are limited by law to prevent exploitation and ensure that the minor has time to go to school and socialise.
