Child labor

Child labor

Child labor is a global problem that many children all over the world are exposed to. It is not only an evil act but also a violation of their rights as children. The united states define a child as any citizen who falls under the age of 21yrs. Child labor involves children under the specified age in situations where they have to work. Not all work done by children is classified as child labor. It is only classified as child labor when the work is done for the purpose of making an income either to support themselves or their families. When children work to progress and nurture their skills or education, that is not child labor. Usually, older children in the homes will be required to do chores in their homes. This is not child labor as it trains them on responsibility and prepares them for life as adults. Forced labor is when a child has to work in the industries doing tasks not fit for their age, but forced by distances like poverty or political instability.

One of the factors that have been noted to be major contributors to this vice is poverty. The poverty situation in many parts of the world has denied many children their rights and forced them to engage in child labor activities. Poverty is so bad in some places that families are forced to go for days without proper meals. This forces the children to engage in low paying manual work to feed themselves and sometimes even their families. Most times, it is the parent’s failure to work hard enough to feed their families, and other times it is not the parents’ fault. In some situations, the parents work so hard but because of high poverty levels, they still don’t make enough, and their children have to join and work to get income to support the parents’ income.

The inequitable distribution of resources is another major cause of child labor in many parts of the world. Many regions have been marginalized and end up not getting their fair share in wealth distribution. When people are not given enough resources, their economic capabilities are limited, implying that they earn below the minimum wage, live in poor standards, are not able to provide basic needs for their children, and cannot access good health care. The inequitable distribution of resources creates a vicious circle of poverty. In a situation like this, marginalization of some areas and unequal distribution of resources will make children drop out of school and shutter their chances at an education. These children will later grow into adults, and because of no education, will suffer the same consequences when they start families. The poverty circle will continue.

Illiteracy has also been abundantly contributing to child labor. An illiterate parent will most likely not see the need to give their child a proper education and not prioritize school fees payments. This frustrates the children, and they start engaging in doing menial jobs. This denies them the right to an education. Another way that illiteracy can be blamed for playing a role in child labor is to deny people the chance to make a good income because they cannot qualify for professional jobs that pay better. This makes it hard to run their household and even afford education for their young ones, who are sometimes forced to work to put themselves through school, fear of being illiteracy, and living lives similar to those of their parents.

When children are exposed to child labor, it affects their lives in more ways than we care to admit. It exposes them to situations that they are not old enough to engage in; for example, the only available jobs are hardy jobs that require grownups. It is equally bad for the female children, who are sometimes forced to work in indecency situations like in bars, where they are even likely to be harmed by the drunkards that they serve there. Once a young person is exposed to such situations, their perceptions of life change. Some are forced to indulge in drug abuse to keep their minds off some events and situations.

Several measures can be employed to help reduce these cases and to wipe out the vice eventually. It is not guaranteed to work immediately, but it can be a gradual process that will eventually see that child labor cases are kept in check—one of the steps in ensuring that education is made mandatory for children under 21 years. Laws can be made to prosecute parents who do not heed to that law. This will ensure that all children spend most of their childhood and school and never get the time to engage in child labor. By the time they are through with school, they are old enough to make decisions of their own, and they have also acquired an education that can allow them to get decent professional jobs.

Now, making educational mandatory might encounter some hurdles, such as when the parents want to comply with the laws on children’s education. Still, then they lack the financial muscle to pay for education. This brings the need for the respective governments to develop policies that support such parents in these situations. The respective government agencies and ministries need to make it possible for such needy parents to get education for their children. This can be done by the government offering free education to a certain level and providing loans for educational advancements. This will make it possible for many children to acquire quality education affordably.

There is also a need for the government to develop policies that ensure equal distribution of resources. Unequal distribution of the resource is a major factor contributing to poverty, which contributes to child labor. The government should ensure that no areas are marginalized in terms of resource allocation. This, in turn, reduces poverty, and by extension, reducing child labor. This gives every citizen a fair chance at life, and every household can fend for itself and school their young without having to drop out of school due to poverty if the government keeps this in check.

To win this war, labor organizations and the government should develop strict employment laws, with strict penalties on those who break such laws. These laws would go a long way in ensuring that no company, industry, or business entity employs or assigns work to a child whose age requires them to be in school. This will make it hard for school dropouts to find work, forcing them to find ways to get back to school whether the reasons for dropping out were justified.

Suppose these solutions to child labor are applied. In that case, the vice will gradually be eliminated. The world will be a better place, with lower levels of poverty and a high population of well-educated youth ready to take on the challenges of finding problems in our everyday lives. The vicious circle of poverty will have been cut short, the circle of being born in poverty by illiterate parents, dropping out of school because of that, and the same exact thing happening generation after generation.

In conclusion, Child labor is inhumane and demeaning to children and a serious violation of their rights both as children and as human beings. It is a crime and should be treated as one. In countries where it is rampant, serious investigations should be carried out to identify the perpetrators and the reasons. It is the responsibility of every stakeholder to play their part in ensuring child labor is eliminated completely.