The Industry of Child Labor

Child labor is a situation where young children are employed to work on firms,
homes, and hotels. The practice is common in developing countries but is limited in developed
nations where it is considered to be illegal and a violation of human rights. The history of child
labor can be traced back to the Victorian era. During this period, children were forced to work in
mines and factories. Child labor also played a critical role during the industrial revolution. In this
case, children as young as five years old were forced to work in manufacturing industries under
poor working conditions. It is also often considered as the employment of children below a
specific legal age.

United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) defines child labor as work that exceeds a
minimum number of hours, depending on the age of the child and on the type of work. Such
work is considered harmful to the child and should therefore be eliminated.

According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are over 218 million
child laborers in the world. In the Philippines alone, there are 2.4 million child laborers. It is
estimated that 158 million children aged 5-14 are engaged in child labor (UNICEF). Millions of
them were engaged in hazardous situation or conditions. Most of them become the victims of
slavery, child trafficking and prostitution.

One of the most problematic aspects of child labor is that it interrupts a childs
education and cognitive development. There are children working in full-time who do not attend
school at all, which prevent them from developing necessary cognitive skills. Even children who
work part-time while studying generally performs 12% lower than those children who can devote
themselves fully to their education. The percentage is even lower for those children who work
full-time and study.