Why does child labor exist?
Child labor is a cause and outcome of poverty. Household poverty forces children into child labor so they can earn money for their family. Child labor slows down economy growth and social development. This prevents children from getting an education and skills that will get them a future of good work and opportunities. Age, gender, ethnicity, social class and deprivation affects the type of work that children do, and decides if they will work or not. Family decisions connecting to child labor is also determined by the size of the family. Child labor can be an opportunity. A child from a poor family might not be able to go to school. A girl might not go to school either because of her work at home. Other reasons this may exist is because of traditions, child abuse and lack of school, health care and day care. People say that child labor will end, once poverty is over. Child labor takes away the adults job and so the adult’s pay will lower down in that industry. When children work, they have no education and have no chance of escaping. Illiterate child labourers usually become super poor and illiterate adults put their kids in the child labor work so they can have the money. This cycle will continue child labor. Child labor also happens because companies want to make big profits by underpaying the children. At the countries where there is child labor, they do not stop it. Some countries ban trade unions so no one can protect the rights of these children.
A boy carries black and ashy wood to a pile, so the wood can be used to make a building.