Child labor is the use of children in industry or business, especially when illegal or considered inhumane. When we look into why child labor happens we can look into a few areas such as the employers, the family, and also the broader community context. We can also look at the family situation and see that most of the time the family is struggling and has to go in debt for a variety of reasons such as needing medicine for a sick family member or for food. The family then is forced to pay off their debt so the children are often sent away to work it off or to make more money. For these children who are forced into labor, it is almost impossible for them to get help and get well, and if they escape they could end up dying on the streets, orjust get caught and taken back to where they work then punished. This is due to a severe lack in resources for these children and a lack in knowledge of children’s rights.
Also it is not always an easy message to developing countries to believe that child labor is wrong, this only adds to the fact that children have no one to help them if they do happen to reach out and try to be empowered. Poverty is undoubtedly a dominant factor in the use of child labor; families on or below the poverty line force their children into work to supplement their household’s meager income. There are many other factors that conspire to drive children into employment, none of which is unique to any one country or any one family’s circumstances Only when we fully understand these reasons can we begin to address the problems associated with child labor such as cuts in social spending particularly education and the health services have a direct impact on poverty.
With little or no access to schooling, children are forced into employment at an early age in order to survive Child labor may not even be recognized when children work as part of the family unit. This is particularly common in agriculture, where an entire family may have to work to meet a particular target and cannot afford to employ outside help. Children may also be expected to act as unpaid domestic servants in their own home, taking care of the family’s needs while both parents work.
Children may also be sent into hazardous jobs in favor of parents, who can less afford the time or money to become ill or injured. Employers often justify the use of children by claiming that a child’s small, nimble hands are vital to the production of certain products such as hand-knotted carpets and delicate glassware -although evidence for this is limited Young workers are unaware of their rights and less likely to complain or revolt. In many countries, the legislation is simply not effective enough to support these workers. Although Child Labor is wrong, families are only letting there children continue with only for survival.