Child labour

<o:p></o:p>

On this photo we can see a very young girl; she seems to be about eight years old, in a textil factory. The little girl is wearing scrubs, presumable factory’s uniform. She is barefooted whereas the floor is covered with scraps. She isn’t moving, she is standing<o:p></o:p>

 upright, sounding like she was frightened. Besides, she doesn’t seem happy since she is not smiling, we can even say that she is sad-looking, perhaps because she is alone, but probably because she has to work. This girl represents the child labour. The photo had been taken in 1908 but this phenomenon began long before and runs on nowadays.<o:p></o:p>

Child labour has increased a lot during the Industrial Revolution, in particular in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region> where the Revolution has begun in 1780’s ies. Indeed children participated at economic activity: the age of beginning of working decreased and the apprenticeships were privileged. This labour force was numerous. The work hours were prolonged during this time, the working time was very long and children worked as much as their parents! Sometimes, they even slept on their workplaces! Moreover they began working very young, from the age of six or eight!<o:p></o:p>

In <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Great Britain</st1:place></st1:country-region>, the Industrial Revolution’s cradle, this phenomenon went on about eighty years.<o:p></o:p>

The children’s working conditions were very bad: they had to do the hardest and the most tiresome jobs as in mines and factories. In mines, they worked in the dark, from dawn to evening. The job was hard: they carried coal on their back; they cleaned few accessible parts of machines…<o:p></o:p>

Lots of accidents or crumbling occurred in factories and mines and attracted people’s attention. After in 1833 the Factory Act limited the child labour, and little by little laws have come to an abolition with the compulsory schooling.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>Nowadays this phenomenon still exists in the occident but it is illegal and no usual.<o:p></o:p>

But it is very present in ecomically developing countries. We can quote examples of children who are soldiers in <st1:country-region w:st="on">Russia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Colombia</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on">Mozambique</st1:country-region>, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Afghanistan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, Tchad … These children are forced to kill. They are enrolled very early because of poverty or civil wars, but kidnapping is important. There are case of prostitution and pornography as in <st1:city w:st="on">Manila</st1:city>, <st1:city w:st="on">Bombay</st1:city> or <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Bangkok</st1:place></st1:city> and in a lot of other countries. Children are kidnapped, sometimes they are less of 5 years old, and they have to prostitute in sexual tourism’s trade.<o:p></o:p>

Children are exploited as workers in factories too: we can talk about forced working and traffics: drug trafficking, arms dealing … <o:p></o:p>

Laws are established and signed, but lots of countries prefer ignore its. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

This phenomenon shocks me hugely. I think it is scandalous to exploit innocent people and harmless children. These jobs prevent children to have a future, to go to school, and sometimes even kill them! Like children who are soldiers, these “jobs” may be very dangerous!<o:p></o:p>

Children are often not paid or just a little and in a lot of cases they are forced to work!<o:p></o:p>

 Charlotte Ducomet 1ere S10