Child Labor Essay

Imagine yourself forced into having to work long hours for a very low pay, regardless of a minimum wage or an overtime pay. You must work many hours, but do not receive benefits. This unfair act has been happening for many years. It is currently in the act at this very moment. Many people are unaware that even though they do not agree with this, they are supporting this cause. Child labor has a part of our lives because we buy their products. Child labor is currently active in third world countries. Because we live in a society that neglects outside norms, we tend to forget about other countries, specifically third world countries. We are not aware of the unstable and unjust acts that are happening to these children. American consumers should be more aware of child labor in third world countries and its issues such as unsafe working conditions, physical abuse, and lack of education. Working in hazardous environment is dangerous to helpless children because it will cause damage to these children. These hazardous conditions may include the use of unsafe machineries and the present of unsanitary working environments. Child labor started during the Industrial Revolution and still exists in Third World countries today. Various garments we see today in stores such like H&M, Gap, and Old Navy, have been questioned with their connection with child labor. Many of the clothing that we purchase from these department stores, are made from other countries. If we pull out our t-shirts for example, and check the tag, many are “Made in China” or other third world countries. This shows that many of our products are made overseas. In the 1700s-1800s, the Industrial Revolution started to adopt a new form of labor. Businesses stated to use machinery, in order to create better companies. Even though machines were available, human labor must be present in order to keep an eye on these machines. In today’s society, many people are still working in these types of conditions. Most of these acts are present in third world countries. Many of these companies employ young children. Society as a whole is unaware of the unsafe working environments that these children have been placed in. Working with machinery is unsafe for children. Many of these children have been physically hurt due to these hard labors. Many have had lost arms and legs and other ligaments due to the machines. Also in some cases, children would get physically injured. Many of their tiny hands and fingers would be crushed by machinery because of simple mistakes. Also, according to Freethechildren Campaign, again, many of these child labor acts are present in Asia, mainly Southeast Asian countries. Many dangerous jobs include making matches. This was a complication for the children because the job requires the children to be placed in unsafe situations. To make matches, the children must dip the matches into chemical phosphorus, which is a highly toxic material producing flammable hydrogen gas. This highly toxic gas would penetrate into these children’s’ respiratory system which would make them hard to breathe. By inhaling the gas into their system, eventually these children are risking their lives. Freechildren Campaign states, “Over 250 million children, almost nine times the population of Canada, are being forced to work in order to survive. This is happening all over the world mostly Africa and Asia.” According to ILO (International Labour Organization), an article from Who.int, studies show almost 250 million children, about one in every six children aged 5 to 17 on the face of the globe, are involved in child labor. 179 million are trapped in the “worst forms” of child labor and most are to work in the most hazardous locations. About seventy percent of these children work at locations exposing pesticides, machinery or tools. (ILO). Mostly children are exposed to these horrible working conditions. They do not receive protection or care if they were to receive injuries. ILO

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