What Is Child Labor? Childhood Activities And Development (Research Paper Sample)

Child Labor
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Child Labor
Introduction
Child labor is a growing problem that is persistent in the developed and the developing countries. It involves the employment of minors who are below the legally allowed age and use of these children in businesses and industries. The work that these children do may be very difficult and highly demanding and thus considered inhumane for the young children. Engaging children in such labor exposes them to morally reprehensible and sometimes hazardous working conditions that, with time compromises their health and personal development. Among the works that children do, not all may be considered to be reprehensive or fit for elimination. However, tasks that interfere with their childhood activities and development need to be eliminated since they constitute to child labor. What Is Child Labor?
Child labor can be defined as the work that children are engaged in and in a great way deprives them of their potential, vital childhood experiences, dignity and that to a great extent compromises their mental, physical and their social development. The nature of child labor that children engage in is harmful to children and greatly affects their schooling and learning opportunities. Such activities make children leave school to go work or in some instances, the children attempt to multitask and combine heavy work and schooling.
Child labor is advanced at different levels and comes in several forms. According to International Labor Organizations (ILO) (2014), there are extreme extents of child labor where underage children are separated with their families, enslaved, and forced to work in environments that pose a great threat to their wellbeing. They are desperate and fend children are forced to take care of themselves, and due to the hardship that the child labor poses, these children end up in the streets to fend for themselves. Therefore, since not all jobs constitute Moreover, the working hours, the nature of work that children undertake and the working conditions that these children are exposed to amounts to child labor.
The mere participation of children in constructive tasks that compliment schooling and are considered helpful for their growth may not constitute to child labor. The inclusion of children in undertaking minor tasks at home, helping with house and farm work, helping in business or doing other activities to boost their net worth without interfering with their school work, social, physical and mental growth may not be considered as child labor. These helpful activities may be conducted during holidays and in other appropriate hours. Such activities act as valuable lessons that prepare children for greater adulthood responsibilities. They are essential for their responsible growth and makes the children make a contribution to the family basket. Reasons for Child Labor
Child labor thrives in many countries and a majority of children get involved to fend for themselves. The struggle for survival and the greater need to add to the family income contributes greatly to child labor. Therefore, poverty is to blame greatly for the act where the children who work do so and contribute to about 905 of what families earn as income (Scanlon, Luiza, Lynch, & Scanlon, 2002). This has the implication that, as long as there is abject poverty in most countries, then child labor will continue to counter poverty affecting many families. The children born in poor families work for money aimed at supporting the family.
Most children from developing countries lack access to the free, acceptable and compulsory education. According to a 2009 United Nations Report, educating children cost about $10 to 30 Billion, which explains the reason why approximately 75 million of school going age were not enrolled in school (Child Labor Public Education Project, n. d.). Failure to be engaged in school subjects the children to different forms of exploitation amounting to child labor. In addition, in most third world countries, there is non-availability of schools for the children to attend. Moreover, the few schools that are available are inaccessible to the young children. As a result, such children result to hard labor at the expense of schooling (UNICEF, n. d.).
Child labor is common in several industries. According to Child Labor Public Education Project (), the existing laws that ban child labor plus the code of conduct designed to control the act are often violated by players in several sectors. For instance, most of the cases of child labor are reported in the agricultural sector in activities comprising of fishing, hunting, and general farming activities. The demands for labor, and cheap labor in this case draws majority of children to work in the sector. The key players in agriculture sector force children to work tirelessly thus exposing them to conditions that are unsuitable for children. This hinders the children from participating in other activities that are suitable for their wellbeing.
Child Labor in Business
Several key players in business have failed terribly in attempts to combat child labor. Indeed, such business and large organizations have well stipulated internal rules to control child labor. However, such are violated and children exploited as they provide their cheap labor for less pay. Nestle company has been on the limelight as one of the companies where child labor violations are rampant. According to Doherty and James (2012), Nestle, whose cocoa comes from Ivory Coast, is cited to be one of the companies where child labor is rampart. Child labor has been rampant in the Nestle’s cocoa supply chain for years. In their report, the growing of cocoa in Ivory Coast was done by 87 percent of children under the legal working age. This implies that child labor is a persistent problem and major business players violate child labor laws for their gain (Doherty &James, 2012).
Uzbekistan, Asian leading exporter of cotton is cited as one of the greatest violators of child rights. According to the Doward of the guardian (2012), the Uzbekistan’s government force adults and young children to participate in picking of cotton during the harvest season with the aim of meeting the production quotas. The children providing labor are greatly threatened, tortured and some detained for noncompliance. The forced labor in Uzbekistan involving minors is a good example of child labor meant foe building great business empires. NGOs and Other Organization on Child Labor
Being a great dishonor to children, child labor has been conde...