Child labour is a reoccurring topic of discussion in today’s society as there are many children who experience child labour across the world. According to the ILO, about one in six of the world’s 1.2 billion children aged 5-14 are involved in production either for the market or for their families. Most of the world’s working children are in sub Saharan Africa, Asia and the Pacific. Nearly 59 millions african children are working and nearly 77 million Asian/Pacific children are working. Although child labour has decreased since the past, it still occurs today and awareness needs to continuously be made to reduce the endangered children lives even more. Throughout this blog, I will discuss the negative effects that working children experience as they do not get to experience play in their childhood, they are at risk for their safety and it has adverse effects on their education.
Play
Social scientists refer to play as the most serious and significant of all human activities’. I remember my childhood consisted of playing with friends and toys, using my imagination to explore the outside and the only thing that was exhausting was playing tag. Working children do not get the luxury to spend their childhood like my own. In contrast, they work long hours everyday trying to make incomes for their family or do tasks such as house work, taking care of siblings, collecting water, etc. Play has a huge significance on childhood as its focus of interest is to target how children learn and how they can develop other methods of learning. Play has a great impact on children’s psychological and cognitive development while they gain skills through social interactions. Working children ultimately miss out of their daily fun because they are slaving away by helping support their family. Put yourself in a child’s shoes from sub Saharan Africa. Imagine you never had the chance to experience the opportunities you had from your childhood to play with all your toys and equipment you had accessible. How would you feel and how would this change who you are today? Everyday, children across the world skip out on their playtime which can take a toll of their overall development in the future.
Safety and Health Regulations
There are about 86 million children working in hazardous conditions which is known as ‘the worst form of child labour.’ This includes work that has detrimental impacts on ones safety, physical or mental health, moral development or excessive hours of work. The International Labour Organization (ILO) identifies bonded labour, illicit activities, armed conflict, prostitution, pornography and trafficking to be the worst types of child labour. It is likely working children will have negative affects directed towards their long-term development. Working children encounter physical health complications due to the exposure of health hazards, resulting in a higher demand for nutritional needs, leading to the danger of malnutrition. A Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported higher risks and injuries for youth workers in farming. Some dangers include vulnerability to heat stroke, pesticides/toxic use and musculoskeletal trauma. This puts the children at risk in an unsafe work environment harming their health and well being.
Education/Academics
The education system establishes the skills and knowledge that children will need to enter the workforce. Furthermore, schools play a crucial part in creating children’s views of the world and where they fit in it. Work inflicts on child’s academics as their attendance is interrupted due to their long hours of work. Some children do not even have the opportunity to go to school and this can negatively effect a child’s ability to learn essentials skills such as reading and writing. Schooling also plays a major role in children’s socialization to develop personal and communicational skills. Working children may miss out on their opportunity to go to school which may effect their ability for future employment.
Video Links
Wells, K. (2009). Childhood in a global perspective. Cambridge, UK: Polity Press.
