Child Labor Laws Protect Children from Being Exploited.

Child labor laws are a fairly modern concept. 500 years ago, you would have been hard pressed to find someone who had a problem with putting a child to work. It used to be seen as a way for the child to become an adult and learn a trade to make a living from. But this all changed with the industrial revolution, when most work stopped requiring skill. The kids could go to work all day and not learn a thing. They could come home with a miniscule amount of money, and possibly one less limb. These changes in the very basis of employment have caused for a lot of concern over the well-being of children who go to work, and therefore resulted in child labor laws.

Child labor laws are different in every country. In some less developed countries, we see almost no child labor laws. This is why some large corporations seem to be attracted towards setting up factories, also known as sweat shops, in these countries. These countries have a slight economy boost from putting kids at work, and therefore the laws aren’t likely to change. Often they see no reason to change, since it seems like a perfectly natural thing to do.

In countries like the United States, child labor laws have been put in place, and are heavily enforced. These protect children from being exploited, and allow them to live the lives of normal children. Some children are allowed to have jobs once they reach a certain age, but they can never be given a job against their will. The working conditions for the jobs are always very ideal, according to the laws. The child will only have a certain number of things that he can do, such as mowing lawns or raking leaves. They are meant to teach work ethic rather than to earn a living.

Fortunately, as Americans we live in a country that has seen the backwards ways of putting children at work. Now we can enjoy freedom for our children, and focus on helping other countries to see the evils of it. We can also make efforts to protest the corporations that use these sweatshops the most.