The Lion's Pride Volume 11 (Winter 2019) | Page 23

every country should take all steps possible to end the problem of child
labor.
The term “child labor” often refers to child laborers who are
constantly recruited, which in most cases makes them incapable of going
to school and experiencing childhood, threatening them physically and
mentally. Child labor is very common and can involve working
factories, in mines, in prostitution, in agriculture, as assistants in the
parent's business, having a personal business, such as selling food, or
doing other physical labor. The most inappropriate forms of child labor
involve child abuse and child prostitution. Less controversial and usually
legal (with some limitations) include farm work during school holidays
(seasonal work). As Edmonds and Edmonds (2010) explain: “There is
no universally accepted definition of child labor. Some researchers view
the phrase as referencing all non-school, non-leisure activities of
children. Others define “child labor” as referring to activities that harm
the child in some sense.” Although some child labor might be
acceptable, many categories of child labor are clearly harmful and thus
unacceptable.
Looking at history, we find that besides developing countries,
developed and large countries like the United States have had this big
social problem:
The Progressive Era brought increased public concern for
child welfare and, with it, a nationally organized effort to