In industrial areas, children started work on average at eight and a half years old. Most of these young workers entered the factories as piecers, standing at the spinning machines repairing breaks in the thread.

Many workers in the late 1800s and early 1900s spent an entire day tending a machine in a large, crowded, noisy room. Others worked in coal mines, steel mills, railroads, slaughterhouses, and in other dangerous occupations. Most were not paid well, and the typical workday was 12 hours or more, six days per week.

Most workers only get 13-15 US dollars per month. The above number is based on the official minimum wage.

Forms of extreme child labor existed throughout American history until the 1930s. In particular, child labor was rife during the American Industrial Revolution (1820-1870). Industrialization attracted workers and their families from farms and rural areas into urban areas and factory work.

In 1883, Samuel Gompers led the New York labor movement to successfully sponsor legislation prohibiting cigar-making in tenements, where thousands of young children worked in the trade. The first organizational efforts to establish a national child labor reform organization began in the South.

1938

Although the Keating-Owen Act was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Woodrow Wilson, the Supreme Court ruled that it was unconstitutional in Hammer v. Dagenhart 247 U.S. 251 (1918) because it overstepped the purpose of the government’s powers to regulate interstate commerce.

It would take the Great Depression to cause a decrease in child labor. High unemployment lead to jobs being filled by adults that were previously held by children. New machinery also played a part in cutting child labor.

Massachusetts

Child labor was finally ended in the 1930s. In response to these setbacks, Congress, on June 2, 1924, approved an Constitutional amendment that would authorize Congress to regulate “labor of persons under eighteen years of age”, and submitted it to the states for ratification.

The most sweeping federal law that restricts the employment and abuse of child workers is the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Child labor provisions under FLSA are designed to protect the educational opportunities of youth and prohibit their employment in jobs that are detrimental to their health and safety.

Canadians might categorize child labour as something that happens in the dark corners of far off places, but the reality is, child labour remains a rampant issue today, both at home and abroad.

Since the 1970s, Nike, Inc. has been accused of using sweatshops to produce footwear and apparel. It was built on the business model of finding the lowest cost of labour possible which led to child labour and exploitation.

A new report by risk analysis firm Maplecroft, which ranks 197 countries, identifies Eritrea, Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Myanmar, Sudan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Zimbabwe and Yemen as the 10 places where child labor is most prevalent.

The principle of the effective abolition of child labour means ensuring that every girl and boy has the opportunity to develop physically and mentally to her or his full potential. Its aim is to stop all work by children that jeopardises their education and development.

Here are a few tips for helping end child labor:

1. Educate yourself.
2. Contact retail stores, manufacturers, and importers.
3. Buy fair trade and sweatshop-free products whenever possible.
4. Grow more of your own food.
5. Share your time and money.
6. Contact local, regional, and national legislators.

“The Child Labor Coalition (CLC) exists to serve as a national network for the exchange of information about child labor; provide a forum and a unified voice on protecting working minors and ending child labor exploitation; and develop informational and educational outreach to the public and private sectors to combat …

Child labour is a global issue that prevents children from fulfilling their potential. Child labour is a violation of children’s rights – the work can harm them mentally or physically, expose them to hazardous situations or stop them from going to school. Not all work done by children is classed as child labour.

About 160 million children ages 5 to 17 around the world are engaged in child labor, working in jobs that deprive them of their childhood, interfere with schooling, or harm their mental, physical, or social development.

Child labour can result in extreme bodily and mental harm, and even death. It can lead to slavery and sexual or economic exploitation. And in nearly every case, it cuts children off from schooling and health care, restricting their fundamental rights and threatening their futures.