Child Labour: Examining Root Causes, Societal Impacts & Interventions

This essay provides a comprehensive overview of child labour, addressing its various definitions, causes, and consequences. It delves into the role of poverty, lack of education, and societal pressures in perpetuating child labour. The essay also highlights the efforts of international organizations like the ILO and UNICEF in combating child labour through various interventions, including legislative measures, educational programs, and community-based initiatives. Furthermore, the discussion emphasizes the importance of addressing the root causes of child labour, such as poverty and lack of access to education, and advocates for a multi-faceted approach involving governments, NGOs, and communities to ensure children's rights and well-being. The essay concludes by underscoring the necessity of global cooperation and resource allocation to eradicate child labour and provide children with the opportunity to enjoy their childhood and pursue education.

Running head: CHILDHOOD STUDIES
Childhood Studies

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 2
Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................3
Literature Review........................................................................................................................................3
Children’s work becomes child labour....................................................................................................3
Biggest problem......................................................................................................................................4
Children involved in the child labour......................................................................................................4
Causes of child labour.............................................................................................................................4
Efforts to combat child labour.................................................................................................................5
The minimum age child shouldn’t hire....................................................................................................5
Discussion...................................................................................................................................................6
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................7

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 3
Introduction
The problem of child labour has been affecting the human society in a wide way. It is the major
issue all over the world. There are lots of million children has been daily engaged in this situation and
meet dangerous chemical and machinery daily. These children have been tortured physical mentally and
morally and they don’t receive education and leisure which is the most important for their future. They
have been consumed into hazardous and commercial activities where they are running their future and
present as well. For a responsible and dutiful citizen should give them equal and proper opportunities and
the most important education that it must stop the child labour practices in organized and non-organised
region and provide development according to their needs (Ryngaert & Pennings, 2017). It is require
making mandatory to train nation children and educate them in the organisation. In this report the child
labour and the work they do. The child labour, its impact on the society and challenges has been faced by
the government of different countries. The discussion will be based on the literature review that how it is
affecting the society. It will also been discussed the steps that can help in eliminating the child labour
from the country. The international labour organisation and various other authors have given their reviews
for the child labour.
Literature Review
Child labour has numerous definitions that are based on the person speaking of it but there are no
such definitions that have solid and concrete in defining the child labour. According to International
labour Organization, 2018 the child labour has been defined that the children who are under the age of 18
that are doing various forms of work. The ILO states that the children under the age of fifteen doing full
time work and the place they are working is hazardous or it prevents the children’s for receiving an
education. In the view of many organizations and sources says in a broader way that it only becomes
hazardous when it prevents children from education and they work for pay (ILO, 2018).
The much cause of child labour was due to poverty, lack of education and exposure , suppression
of workers’ rights and lack of access of education to the poor (Child labour today). The major concern
that children’s right must not been stripped away and they start working for the factories and industries
dirty work. Children must been free from the worries of adulthood and parental responsibilities but they
are forced to work in the hazardous factories in need of money or parental pressure ( Naeem, Shaukat, &
Ahmed, 2011).

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 4
Children’s work becomes child labour
The children work has been defined in the broad term that stands for the worst form and beneficial
work. It also contributes in children developing at the other not every work which have been performing
by the children at the age of 18 are child work its overall depends upon the maturity and age level by do
work they learn responsibility duties gain skills. The child labour is the form of totally unacceptable. It is
a kind of work that exploit and exposes harm and danger to the children because due to the certain
conditions that are:
 Hazardous work- it’s a hazardous work for children which are danger to the life and can destroy
the life of their family
 Unconditional worst form that give harm to the children not physically but mentally as well it’s a
kind of slavery, debt bondage and forced labour (Basu, 2010).
Biggest problem
The child labour is the biggest problems, which have been facing by the biggest countries across
the world. It exist industrialized countries according to ILO 2002 estimates and have been indicating that
nearly 3% children in 10 to 14 years group in developing countries are active. The age has been
considered less than the other factors (Wright, Groutsis, & van den Broek, 2017).
Children involved in the child labour
There are 352 million children have been working according to the new global estimates in the
year 2002 and the report always indicating 246 have involved in the abolition and the strange point is that
187 million children between 5-14 years of group (Rodrigues, 2017). In a recent report of 2018, the
estimated that 152 million children have been involved in child labour.
Causes of child labour
The main and biggest cause of child labour is poverty due to the household poverty and parents
pushes their children in labour markets to earn more money for their house and family. It can say that it’s
a kind of survival that have been happening from long back generations slowly economic growth and
pressure on the children from their family because from these circumstances they are preventing children
from education as well as facilities other best skills which they should have (Anderson, 2018).
The only one factor, which always plays in the child labour, is the only poverty that depends upon the size
and structure of the family. It Depends upon the factor for eg:-
 Size and structure of the family that how many members are in the family

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 5
 How many members have been working in the family
 How many are disable are in the family
 There are numbers of adult who can work from the family and for the family
(Staudinger,Finkelstein, Calvo, & Sivaramakrishnan, 2016).
No single factor can describe child labour in the family as read above.
Efforts to combat child labour
Eliminate child labour is the most important concerning topic in many international organizations
over the recent years. The worker and employer organizations have been working and taking their own
actions for eliminating the child labour on their part. If we talk about the an organizations then the
UNICEF is the one which have own child labour programs for elimination child labour such as
WHO,LOM,UNESCO,UNFPA and UNDCCP they themselves involved in the project to eliminate child
labour and which have a greater impact through their various specializations (Cho, Fang, Tayur, S &
Xu, 2018).
Many other factors are also there that have been helping to remove the child labour from the root and
giving their best and greater contributions in the abolition process of child labour
 International and national non-government organizations
 Many community based organizations
 The media ,university and the religious group
 Many NGO are particularly active in this group (Seidman, 2015).
The problem should be remove from the root because this problem of child labour had compared
with a dragon which is enhancing their root in every country not only deprives children from their
education. The opportunities shall be given to children where they have the right to complete their
childhood. They are dragged them in hell like work where they exploit abuse harass not only mentally but
physically also where they are suffering from the cruel behaviour but also mental cruelty which leads a
children after either he would thief and robber. This practice is harmful for the nation as well because
their futuristic citizen and youth have been working and moving on the unknown path aimlessly
(Srivastava, K., 2011).
The child labour can be removed if the national laws review regarding child labour
 Check the age of the employee working in the hazardous factories

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 6
 The minimum age child be should been managed according to the case (Islam, 2015).
The world poorest countries if talk about sub Saharan Africa the highest number of child labour found
here only that is 29%. These children mainly working in the industries are home based assembly
operations factories mining and fishing. The global report of world bank indicating that the child labour
had decreased from 25% TO 10% between 1960 TO 2003 but the major problem is the child labourers
remain high it’s a very serious issue over the world and it should been remove authorities should take
innovative action to kill the devil of child labour (Latest Products & reports, 2011).
Discussion
The discussion that has taken place in accordance with the literature revie2w that has analysed
that has identified that what is the child labour and the actual problems in children in working of
hazardous work. It has been identified that there are various children who work in hazardous factories. It
has been identified as worst forms of child labour that has been identified. The discussion is also based on
the various reports that have described the situation of child labour all over the society and the effect on
the society. There are number of surveys has been conducted that has given a shocking result about the
child labour. Although every nation has laws, regarding the child labour than also the problem of child
labour has been increasing day by day. The results show that poverty, lack of education has been the
major reasons for the child labour in the society. The various reports have discussed the real condition of
the child in the company that has been discussed in the case. The International labour organisation has
also given various recommendations on the child labour that are very important to eradicate the child
labour. The International Labour Organisation has also shown the estimates the percentage of child labour
in the developing and non-developing countries.
Hence the solution of these type of problem is by reducing poverty and educating the children
and eliminating the lies in making legislation, education efforts to work together to mobilize the
household resources and national resources. The legislation can only enforce but it also necessary to have
social values in the nation. It must start with who employ must consider that the type of employment they
are providing is suitable to their age. The age becomes an important factor in the organisation that has
been discussed in the literature review that it can damage a lot and can dangerous to their lives.
Although the previous research on the child labour has been analysing that a special economic
issue and the social issue requires an attention globally in reducing the high intensity of the child labour.
The efforts had opened the door in achieving second MDG: that is poverty reduction. Intervention is
necessary at all levels in the society that is necessary for the alleviation of child problems. The problem of

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 7
child labour is multidimensional and there must been a collective action of government organizations that
accomplishes more to curb the prevalence of child labour. To reduce a problem a strong partnership is
require between the government, private sector and local communities. The involvement of government
in continuing decline in the child labour has been accomplished by the public policies that have a support
to the goal. The government around the world must have provided with special assistance and substantial
financial support to these children. The goal must been to focus on rapid increase of economy so
employment opportunities can be generated that can reduce the poverty and result in reduction of child
labour. Moreover, the child labourer must have been provided with education, training and social
treatment. The children who are growing must not suffer from the work hazards. Hence, it can be said that
it is necessary to have a poverty alleviation that is the main cause of child labour. It must been interest of
international goal to commit for higher resources to achieve the goal. The society does not have the
change to stability unless the children shall be given the hope, respect and dignity.
It shall be beyond the capacity of many countries to eliminate the child labour. However it is
necessary for the countries that the most intolerable forms of child labour that must been minimized if it
cannot been eliminated. Thus, the governmental and non-governmental organization should do an
investigation process of the exploited child labourer.
The literature review suggests that the child labour has been a major problem and it must been
reviewed that the age of children that are working are vary less for these works. The criteria must been set
that minimum of age should be implemented for the types of work. The age is an important factor of
capacity of child and the level of mind to do the work.
The discussion is that even though the children are working but there is no decrease in the
poverty and the organisation misuses them as they have been paid very less wages for the type of work
they are working is just 10-15% of that.
There are millions of children around the world that are doing extremely hazardous work
that in harmful conditions by putting their health, education, personal and social development.
The full time work has from an early age. The second is dangerous workplaces and has been
analysed that by using hazardous machinery or the toxic chemicals. There is very long working
hour and these are also the issues that has taken place in the literature review. The discussion on
these types of issue is also the big concern and government must make laws to consider these
types of issues. The governments are required to make amendments in the current laws that have
been made as many organisations are misusing these laws for the benefit of their companies. The

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 8
child labour is majorly due to poverty and the discussion can be end if poverty has been
removed. The problem of child labour can be resolved various reasons that has been discussed in
the case. The countries have to make proper plans that how they can remove poverty from their
country so that child labour can be stopped. The government should impose high penalties on the
organisation that employ child labourers in their factories and especially for hazardous work.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it can be said that the child labour is the big problem that the whole world
is facing these days. The rapid expansion of child labour can be analyses due to poverty, lack of
education and some other factors. The child labour has been the major topic that has been
discussed in the case. In the report, it has been analyses that the children who are working in
hazardous factories and whose education has been prevented to do so are the major concern.
There are various surveys that has shown the child labour rates and that analyse there is the need
to take action and make laws to eradicate child labour. There are various policies and steps have
been discussed in the report to eliminate the child labour. However it can also been analysed
from the report that the child labour is not possible for all to countries to rapidly eliminate and
therefore it is necessary to first eliminate the hazardous child labour. It is also been analysed
from the report that the expansion of economy that leads to employment that will help in
eradicating poverty results in eliminating child labour. It is required that government, private and
other social welfare organization work together to eradicate the child labour. It can be concluded
that governments has to make strict laws so that these types of activities can be stopped. The
international labour organisation has also issued various guidelines and has stated the real
condition of labour all around the world. The index has showed the real index of child labour in
the societies.

CHILDHOOD STUDIES 9
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