Child Labour

Children in Society- Child labour
Child labour is an issue that affects children all over the world and whether we like it or not, it contributes in great extent to the world’s economic development. People tend to think of it as an issue related to the past, pictured by young chimney sweepers or children working down in mines or in mills or in more recent times, in under developed countries, children working to survive and provide for their families. However, research reveals that in contemporary Britain this is still an issue, as children still perform arduous labour and British multinationals are either directly or indirectly involved with exploitation of children around the world. (Lavalette, 1999) But what is it meant by child labour?
According to the International Labour Organization (ILO, 2010) child labour can be defined as harmful work undertaken by children that keeps them from fully experiencing their childhood, granting them poor or no access to education and disrupting their healthy growth and development. ILO (2010) estimates that globally around 215 million children are considered “child labourers”, meaning that these are children living very different lives from what is expected of the modern and universal concept of childhood.
This concept of childhood is one that indicates that children should be protected from the cruelties and worries of the world have access to education, grow to be successful adults and at the same time enjoy the wonders of being a child. (Holt, 2013) However, this is not always the case. Children all over the world work and in most cases they are not given a choice. In many deprived areas of the world, even the smallest wage a child can get, can make a difference between life and death. (Gifford, 2009)Therefore working is for them the only chance of survival. Some children are not given a choice as they are forced by their parents and carers. This may be because they are abused or were abandoned. This will force children...