What are the major world problems of the present world? What is child labor? Are children supposed to be working like adults? Is it good? Read the following essay below to find out more about Child labor and its impacts.
Essay on Child Labor
Laborers are an important backbone to any developing or developed country. Labour can be defined as the physical and mental works used to produce any kind of good. Such people who indulge in labor work are known as laborers. Only due to them a country can develop, infrastructures, roads and services can be built. As a child, one may also want to be an adult, do work, and earn. But such physical and mental toll cannot be handled by a child. A child is to grow and learn assisted by adults for a bright future not to work in factories or houses. This is why child labor is a controversial topic.
Children working under someone or management doing any work that puts physical or mental toll is child labor. Young minds are not supposed to work in factories or be doing house chores in someone else’s family. Mostly, children below 15 years of age who are found to be working can be referred to as child labor. While children helping out adults in their work and doing house chores is a praiseworthy thing to do, it should not be harming their development and education. Most countries have already reinforced laws regarding children being employed in a job and international laws to protect children from labor.
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While most countries have laws, there are still some who have their way around the system. Places ranging from a local tea shop to large-scale factories, there have been instances of cases of child labor. Children are innocent beings and can be easily tricked into slavery and labor. Cases of child labor include drug trafficking, labor, slavery, or even worse, prostitution. Child labor is a taboo that should be realized by everyone. Even after many years child labor still does exist in parts of the world.. Trafficked children have no escape to child labor and work under the traffickers.
Some reasons for child labor is a compulsion, not something done willingly.
The most widely spread reason for child labor is poverty. Poverty is the state of life where one cannot even fulfill their own basic needs. Such deprivation leads to parents sending their children to work. Even though the pay might be small, it’s still a feasible way to earn. People suffering from poverty cannot afford food let alone give their children a quality education. This also again has another long-term effect as less educated people will have fewer job opportunities.
Poverty gives rise to other problems too which lead to an increase in child labor. Education is very important, even to adults we never stop learning. Education provides a person awareness, gives them proper reasoning to problems and other qualities that help them lead lives. Without education, it is not possible to acquire jobs or start their own as they don’t have a better foundation. Sex education is also important teaching. Lack of such sexual measures and contraceptives also lead to more birth which is already taxing for poor people.
Social evils like gender-based discrimination are also due to the lack of education. Every person is born equal and has equal rights, but conservative-minded people do not understand it. this is why education is important. Without education and awareness, such evils shall always exist.
Children are just in their developing stages. They are in no condition to work like adults. Even their payout is less for doing jobs for some tasks that require the same amount of energy to adults. Effects of child labor are mostly long-term. The physical toll on young children can deform their shape, size, and growth. The workload may also make them handicapped and give physical injuries that cannot be healed easily. It can remain a scar throughout one’s life. Mental toll makes them dumb, they cannot think properly and have poor mental capacity.
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Child labor also leads to psychological effects such as forced maturity. Children are robbed of their childhood and ultimately go on to become unhappy adults. Unhappy adults are another pillar lost to the country too as they cannot contribute to the society and country well. Trafficked children aren’t accepted back by society too. Victims of sexual abuse are discriminated against. As adults, it is difficult for them to fend for themselves and hence gives rise to poverty again.
Child Labor is another social evil that needs to be eradicated as soon as possible. The first step to ending child labor is to be educated oneself. When one is educated they can educate others and like that everyone is educated. Spreading awareness is another solution too. It spreads knowledge about the harmful effects of child labor and its consequences. The government should not passively but actively implement rules and then enforce them accordingly.
Products and services that in one way or other include child labor should be stopped and given proper punishment accordingly. The media should be the one actively making people aware of child labor. More children should be sent to schools and government, INGOs, NGOs alike should help uplift living standards for poor people.
If we all come together and work against child labor, we can slowly eradicate it and grant children a better childhood so they can grow up to be a citizen that contributes to the welfare of society and the country altogether.