History Child_labour

1 history

1.1 child labour in preindustrial societies
1.2 industrial revolution
1.3 20th century

1.3.1 household enterprises


1.4 21st century

history

child labourers, macon, georgia, 1909


child labour in preindustrial societies

child labour forms intrinsic part of pre-industrial economies. in pre-industrial societies, there concept of childhood in modern sense. children begin actively participate in activities such child rearing, hunting , farming competent. in many societies, children young 13 seen adults , engage in same activities adults.

the work of children important in pre-industrial societies, children needed provide labour survival , of group. pre-industrial societies characterised low productivity , short life expectancy, preventing children participating in productive work more harmful welfare , of group in long run. in pre-industrial societies, there little need children attend school. case in non literate societies. pre-industrial skill , knowledge amenable being passed down through direct mentoring or apprenticing competent adults.

the industrial revolution

children going 12-hour night shift in united states (1908).



early 20th century witnessed many home-based enterprises involving child labour. example shown above new york in 1912.



children working in home-based assembly operations in united states (1923).



two girls protesting child labour (by calling child slavery) in 1909 new york city labor day parade.

with onset of industrial revolution in britain in late 18th century, there rapid increase in industrial exploitation of labour, including child labour. industrial cities such birmingham, manchester , liverpool rapidly grew small villages large cities , improving child mortality rates. these cities drew in population rapidly growing due increased agricultural output. process replicated in other industrialising counties.

the victorian era in particular became notorious conditions under children employed. children young 4 employed in production factories , mines working long hours in dangerous, fatal, working conditions. in coal mines, children crawl through tunnels narrow , low adults. children worked errand boys, crossing sweepers, shoe blacks, or selling matches, flowers , other cheap goods. children undertook work apprentices respectable trades, such building or domestic servants (there on 120,000 domestic servants in london in mid-18th century). working hours long: builders worked 64 hours week in summer , 52 in winter, while domestic servants worked 80-hour weeks.

child labour played important role in industrial revolution outset, brought economic hardship. children of poor expected contribute family income. in 19th-century great britain, one-third of poor families without breadwinner, result of death or abandonment, obliging many children work young age. in england , scotland in 1788, two-thirds of workers in 143 water-powered cotton mills described children. high number of children worked prostitutes. author charles dickens worked @ age of 12 in blacking factory, family in debtor s prison.

child wages low; little 10–20% of adult male s wage. karl marx outspoken opponent of child labour, saying british industries, live sucking blood, , children’s blood too, , u.s. capital financed capitalized blood of children .

throughout second half of 19th century, child labour began decline in industrialised societies due regulation , economic factors because of growth of trade unions . regulation of child labour began earliest days of industrial revolution. first act regulate child labour in britain passed in 1803. 1802 , 1819 factory acts passed regulate working hours of workhouse children in factories , cotton mills 12 hours per day. these acts largely ineffective , after radical agitation, example short time committees in 1831, royal commission recommended in 1833 children aged 11–18 should work maximum of 12 hours per day, children aged 9–11 maximum of 8 hours, , children under age of 9 no longer permitted work. act applied textile industry, , further agitation led act in 1847 limiting both adults , children 10-hour working days. lord shaftesbury outspoken advocate of regulating child labour.

as technology improved , proliferated, there greater need educated employees. saw increase in schooling, eventual introduction of compulsory schooling. improved technology , automation made child labour redundant.

early 20th century

in 20th century, thousands of boys employed in glass making industries. glass making dangerous , tough job without current technologies. process of making glass includes intense heat melt glass (3133 °f). when boys @ work, exposed heat. cause eye trouble, lung ailments, heat exhaustion, cut, , burns. since workers paid piece, had work productively hours without break. since furnaces had burning, there night shifts 5:00 pm 3:00 am. many factory owners preferred boys under 16 years of age.

an estimated 1.7 million children under age of fifteen employed in american industry 1900.

in 1910, on 2 million children in same age group employed in united states. included children rolled cigarettes, engaged in factory work, worked bobbin doffers in textile mills, worked in coal mines , employed in canneries. lewis hine s photographs of child labourers in 1910s powerfully evoked plight of working children in american south. hines took these photographs between 1908 , 1917 staff photographer national child labor committee.

household enterprises

factories , mines not places child labour prevalent in 20th century. home-based manufacturing across united states , europe employed children well. governments , reformers argued labour in factories must regulated , state had obligation provide welfare poor. legislation followed had effect of moving work out of factories urban homes. families , women, in particular, preferred because allowed them generate income while taking care of household duties.

home-based manufacturing operations active year-round. families willingly deployed children in these income generating home enterprises. in many cases, men worked home. in france, on 58 percent of garment workers operated out of homes; in germany, number of full-time home operations doubled between 1882 , 1907; , in united states, millions of families operated out of home 7 days week, year round produce garments, shoes, artificial flowers, feathers, match boxes, toys, umbrellas , other products. children aged 5–14 worked alongside parents. home-based operations , child labour in australia, britain, austria , other parts of world common. rural areas saw families deploying children in agriculture. in 1946, frieda miller - director of united states department of labour - told international labour organisation these home-based operations offered, low wages, long hours, child labour, unhealthy , insanitary working conditions.

21st century

incidence rates child labour worldwide in 10-14 age group, in 2003, per world bank data. data incomplete, many countries not collect or report child labour data (coloured gray). colour code follows: yellow (<10% of children working), green (10–20%), orange (20–30%), red (30–40%) , black (>40%). nations such guinea-bissau, mali , ethiopia have more half of children aged 5–14 @ work provide families.

child labour still common in many parts of world. estimates child labour vary. ranges between 250 , 304 million, if children aged 5–17 involved in economic activity counted. if light occasional work excluded, ilo estimates there 153 million child labourers aged 5–14 worldwide in 2008. 20 million less ilo estimate child labourers in 2004. 60 percent of child labour involved in agricultural activities such farming, dairy, fisheries , forestry. 25 percent of child labourers in service activities such retail, hawking goods, restaurants, load , transfer of goods, storage, picking , recycling trash, polishing shoes, domestic help, , other services. remaining 15 percent laboured in assembly , manufacturing in informal economy, home-based enterprises, factories, mines, packaging salt, operating machinery, , such operations. 2 out of 3 child workers work alongside parents, in unpaid family work situations. children work guides tourists, combined bringing in business shops , restaurants. child labour predominantly occurs in rural areas (70%) , informal urban sector (26%).

contrary popular beliefs, child labourers employed parents rather in manufacturing or formal economy. children work pay or in-kind compensation found in rural settings, urban centres. less 3 percent of child labour aged 5–14 across world work outside household, or away parents.

child labour accounts 22% of workforce in asia, 32% in africa, 17% in latin america, 1% in us, canada, europe , other wealthy nations. proportion of child labourers varies among countries , regions inside countries. africa has highest percentage of children aged 5–17 employed child labour, , total of on 65 million. asia, larger population, has largest number of children employed child labour @ 114 million. latin america , caribbean region have lower overall population density, @ 14 million child labourers has high incidence rates too.

a boy repairing tire in gambia.

accurate present day child labour information difficult obtain because of disagreements between data sources constitutes child labour. in countries, government policy contributes difficulty. example, overall extent of child labour in china unclear due government categorizing child labour data “highly secret”. china has enacted regulations prevent child labour; still, practice of child labour reported persistent problem within china, in agriculture , low-skill service sectors small workshops , manufacturing enterprises.

in 2014, u.s. department of labor issued list of goods produced child labor or forced labor china attributed 12 goods majority of produced both underage children , indentured labourers. report listed electronics, garments, toys , coal among other goods.

maplecroft child labour index 2012 survey reports 76 countries pose extreme child labour complicity risks companies operating worldwide. ten highest risk countries in 2012, ranked in decreasing order, were: myanmar, north korea, somalia, sudan, dr congo, zimbabwe, afghanistan, burundi, pakistan , ethiopia. of major growth economies, maplecroft ranked philippines 25th riskiest, india 27th, china 36th, viet nam 37th, indonesia 46th, , brazil 54th - of them rated involve extreme risks of child labour uncertainties, corporations seeking invest in developing world , import products emerging markets.