Academic English - Essay Example

Introduction Child labor in past decades has been one of the main ways in which the government and society has worked toward higher amounts of production. The industrial revolution and the surrounding society began to implement different concepts that allowed children to work and which created a space for them to be a part of the industry from an early age. The response was a backlash in children working, specifically because of issues with health, safety and the progression that children weren’t able to move through because of being in a labor force situation. The different areas of recognition that came from the child labor movement have proven that there are no circumstances in which child labor is an acceptable cause. Since it moves against the child’s natural physical and mental development, it is a detriment to the child to be forced to move into a labor situation and to not have the needs of a child that is growing in society. Why Child Labor Is Used There are several companies that find it acceptable to use child labor, specifically because of the surrounding circumstances and economy. For most, this leads to a different level of reinforcement that provides the economy with more manufactured goods. More importantly, adults that aren’t able to work are able to allow their children to work under certain circumstances to support the family and the needs that are a part of the household. The main reason why child labor is continuously used is to help a family to move out of poverty and to better the circumstances in which the family is living in. More importantly, some countries have established roles with children that are based specifically on roles that the children should hold. Traditional ideals of the women’s role in society, implications of what the child is to do after they have gone through school and educational factors all influence the decision of the family to move a child into the labor force as opposed to helping them to go through the extra schooling that is required for the betterment of their cognitive development (Siddiqi, Patrinos, 2004). The several reasons behind child labor expand into the need for survival which is depicted by the family and those that are in the surrounding environment. In many countries, the concept of schooling and cognitive development is considered as secondary and isn’t as pertinent to the economic needs that are within the household. The traditional role of the household sees the aspect of child labor as one that is expected and which is a part of the upbringing of a child. Rather than considered child abuse, most that are in this situation are forced into the area of child labor because of extreme poverty. More importantly, most that are faced with the concept of child labor in the household do so as an accepted means that is within society, with corporations and others in the work field reinforcing the concept of child labor for the betterment of society and the needs of stimulating the economy. With others unable to work, this provides new and alternative means for the country to work into higher means of production (Basu, Van, 1998). Implications of Child Labor Even though child labor is an accepted means that is within society, there are several implications that are a part of this particular role of children, as well as consequences that society faces when moving children into the labor force. One of the main considerations that are a part of the consequences of child labor is based on the lack of educational value that results from the children moving into the work force. Children who decide to move into the work force will initially do so on a full time basis. The result is that the amount of education that they receive diminishes by an average of two years. More importantly, the children that move into the work force are not able to graduate from high school, which leads them to staying in the same work force throughout their lives, which continues to bring the impoverished situation on the family. The lack of cognitive development is not only from the last two years of school. More importantly, a child that is still going to school and which is working full time is not able to concentrate on developing cognitively through the educational concepts that are a part of the different programs in the school (Psacharopulos, 1996). The lack of education not only hinders a child during the labor force, but also for the onset of a child’s life. The inability to receive the proper educational development is one of the reasons why child labor shouldn’t be considered an approved concept within society. One of the considerations that have been used with the development of child labor is based on the need to have extra household within the family, specifically with those who are living in poverty. The main reason why most children go into the labor force is because of the circumstances of the family and the poverty that is faced within the household. However, the need to save the family from these circumstances by moving into the labor force creates a cycle that lasts through generations. The children that are working are doing so for less than the desired amount for the family. While there is still a contribution to the family, it is not enough to move the family out of poverty. More importantly, the child that learns to work in one arena from an early age won’t be able to move out of poverty later. The constraints that this puts on the economy, as well as the situation of the family and the child create more complications and become a hindrance to those that are in society and are facing poverty (Ranjan, 1999). From looking at this viewpoint, it can be seen that child labor is not acceptable, and instead becomes a hindrance to the family and the economy over a period of time. Not only are their complications with the economy and with cognitive development, but also a hindrance to a child’s growth when working for the home at an early age. The situation that most children are brought into is one that is based on industrial labor and the demands of factory work. The environment and conditions that a child is faced with is one that is not conducive to their health or to the work needs that they have. For a child, this becomes an even stronger hindrance as the lack of proper health treatment can hinder their growth and physical development (Dessy, 2000). Many that are looking at child labor consider the implications of health from the viewpoint of industry that the child is working in. Many of the labor situations are related to farming and manual labor that requires more movement from the children. However, this can have the same effects with health and may show in later stages of development from the children, leading to complications with their overall physical health and development (Grootaert, Patrinos, 1999). The several problems that arise from health show that child labor is not a component that should be a part of society and leads to hindrances of a child’s development. Conclusion The complications that are a part of child labor show that it is not a conducive way to help with society or to eliminate poverty. While families have noted that child labor is a way to overcome poverty and to find an alternative means to assist with the family, it leads to several long term hindrances. The lack of physical and cognitive development, as well as the cycles back into poverty from children who work in the field of child labor is some of the many reasons why it is not an acceptable means for assistance with the family through monetary means. Banning this method of development will help to create new situations for families and the means that they have for their family and overall assistance to overcome poverty. References Bassu, Kaushik, Pham Van. (1998). “The Economics of Child Labor.” The American Economic Review (88), (3). Dessy, SE. (2000). “A Defense of Compulsive Measures Against Child Labor.” Journal of Development Economics (20), (15). Grootaert, Christiaan, Harry Patrinos. (1999). The Policy Analysis of Child Labor: A Comparative Study. UK: Binghamton Valley. Psacharopoulos, George. (1996). “Child Labor Versus Educational Attainment: Some Evidence from Latin America.” Journal of Population Economics (10), (4). Ranjan, P. (1999). “An Economic Analysis of Child Labor.” Economic Letter (64), (1). Siddiqi, Faraaz, Harry Patrinos. (2004). Child Labor: Issues, Causes and Interventions. Human Capital and Operations Policy. Read More