The Evil Supplier of Everyday Goods

Taylor Livelli

English 1106

3/14/17

Paper 1

The Evil Supplier of Everyday Goods

Child Labor

               Since the Industrial Revolution, child labor has become a prominent human rights issue in areas all over the world. Progressive countries such as America created laws under the FLSA (Fair Labor Standard Act) that prevent the practice of child labor; however, these laws do not prevent the purchasing of products that are produced using child labor. Child labor has become a prevalent issue all over the world because there is a lack of knowledge about ways to prevent it.

Charles Dickens, a classic author from the United Kingdom, was one of the greatest voices against child labor. Dickens used children as his characters in order to represent the exploitation and unfair practices he faced as a child. He wrote of the hardships faced during the Industrial Revolution, and he chronicled the toll this revolution took on the children who had to endure it. His fictional novels Oliver Twist and David Copperfield reflect his own experiences with child labor. Dickens was withdrawn from school at the age of eleven, and he was forced to work instead of receiving an education. He uses his characters to create the isolated feeling he felt as a child forced to work. Dickens highlights the issues still faced by children today. He emphasizes his opposition to child labor through his beautiful works of art.

Because of the work of Dickens and many others who faced the brutal effects of child labor, society can bear witness to child labor practices that have occurred for hundreds of years all over the world, and that have stayed consistent in many places today. Child labor is defined by the Internal Labour Organization as, “Work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development” (ILO, 1). The United Nations created the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in order to state all rights that belong to a person that cannot be taken away. In Article 4 the declaration states that, “No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade should be prohibited in all forms” (The UN, Article 4). Child labor is a direct violation of this human right as it is defined as human trafficking, or a form of slavery. This is especially applicable when the child is forced to work against his/her will or without the proper wage compensation. The declaration also states that, “Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit” (The UN, Article 26). This right is stripped from children while they are forced to work in poor conditions for long hours that prohibit them from attending school. Their inability to attend school strips them of the basic rights they are born with, given to them by our guiding organization. It is illegal to invalidate these rights and to prevent children at the youngest age from their entitlements (Cochrane, 2).

[pic 1]

This pie chart shows the unprincipled practice of child labor and the absence of compensation for these young workers. More than a half of these workers aren’t paid for the services in the workplace. They work against their will or in exchange for necessary items such as food and water. Schultz and Strauss compiled this graph in 2008 in order to highlight the unfair practices of labor in countries all over the world. These children often work for their families or their local community without their consent, and they are mistreated their whole lives (Herring, 1).

Child labor involves risky working conditions, which poses as a potential threat to a child’s health and safety. They are sent into dangerous work conditions in place of their parents, who see it as too much of a financial risk to work themselves. Accidents are far more common with children for a multitude of reasons, such as inadequate training and supervision, illegal work, and a lack of experience. Agricultural child labor is known as the most dangerous work conditions compared to the rest (Cochrane, 2).  Children are exposed to a dangerous amount of pesticides while working with plants, which may cause severe illness. The machinery used to work in agricultural settings is sharp and dangerous, causing children to hurt themselves in various ways. The conditions in fields are unsanitary due to factors such as a lack of bathrooms and clean water, which both cause illness. These children experience exhaustion and malnutrition, with a lack of money to feed themselves or stop working. The restrictions and supervision for this type of work is even less than for those children working in factories, which results in the death of numerous children on the job. The ILO estimates that around 22,000 children are killed a year because of child labor. The children range from ages 5-17, making them more susceptible to injury than adults that can handle the brutal work conditions set up for them in a field, mine, factory, etc. (Cochrane, 1).  These working conditions put children at risk every day in order to ensure the distribution of goods from these countries, helping the economy of the producing countries, as well as the consuming countries, who purchase these goods at a very low price.

By forcing children to work, they are being deprived of an education. Because children work long strenuous hours, they are unable to attend school in their communities. This contributes to the vicious cycle of child labor. These children are unable to learn and pursue greater opportunities in either their countries or more developed ones. Because of this, their families continue to live in poverty, and all family members are forced to work hazardous jobs for low wages or even no wages at all. When denied an education, children tend to perform at a 12% lower rate than other kids their age (Herring, 2). These conditions will continue on for the descendants of these children, preventing them from attaining a better standing in society. This also contributes to a higher rate of crime in these countries, due to high rates of poverty (Herring, 1). This contributes to the idea of the vicious cycle that child labor causes, condemning these children to a poor quality of life, along with the rest of their families.

       In addition to their cognitive development, the children who are forced to work are also impacted socially. They are unable to interact with their peers in social settings, which prohibits them from learning proper social interactions. Problematic social behaviors can lead to aggression, drug use, and other crimes. If the children are allowed any education at all, they are more likely to withdraw from others if they are not succeeding socially (Chen, 1). Without forming personal relationships with others, these children can live a meaningless life, possibly leading to mental illness. These children cannot develop healthy emotions, and are more susceptible to depression. Living in isolation can have a severe impact on the mental state of these individuals and their social wellbeing (Chen, 1).