Child Labor in the Global Economy essays

Child Labor in the Global Economy essays Child labor has been an issue of concern for decades. In recent years child labor has been brought to the forefront of media attention by activist groups who have exposed numerous large corporations, such as Reebok, WalMart, and major clothing manufacturers who outsource work to sweatshops around the world. Child labor has become a topic for international organizations concerned with its impact on globalization. Throughout history and within all cultures, children have worked along side their parents in the agricultural field, the marketplace, and around the home as soon as they were old enough to perform simple tasks (Child pp). It was not until the introduction of the factory system that the use of child labor was regarded as a social problem (Child pp). In Britain, during the late 18th century, cotton mill owners collected orphans and children of poor parents throughout the country to obtain their services merely for the cost of maintaining them (Child pp). In many cases, the children were as young as five years old are were forced to work thirteen to sixteen hours a day (Child pp). As early as 1802, social reformers attempted to obtain legislative restrictions against the worst features of the child-labor system, however, little was ever done even to enforce the existing laws limiting work hours and establishing a minimum age for employment (Child pp). Soon, non-pauper children were employed, often with the approval of political, social, and religious leaders, to work in hazardous occupations such as mining, resulting in social problems such as illiteracy, and a multitude of diseased and crippled children, thus, poor families were further impoverished (Child pp). The call for reform steadily increased through the years, and in 1878 the first significant British legislation was enacted, raising the minimum age to 10 years old and restricting employment of ...