Child Labor

Child labor at the cost of the child's future is now common in the developing and poor countries.50 million children are engaged in manual work in these countries.

Firstly,the children in the developing countries from poor families cannot study.Their parents cannot afford their school and study expenditures.The poor families are normally very large, and the bread earner is a single male head.The children,of the ages ranging from eight to fifteen,get employed in car workshops,filling stations,restaurants,bakeries,shops of different kinds,offices of firms and companies,student hostels,private homes,etc.

Secondly,most of the parents of the working children are illiterate and ignorant.They think that school education would only be decorative and impractical.The children are either not sent to school,or they are taken out of it to be assigned to mechanics in workshops or foremen in factories to be trained for a "practical" future.

Thirdly,the successive governments of most of the developing countries have failed to utilize state funds and resources for the uplift,education and training of the masses.

Fourthly,the advanced countries do not care to spend even some of their resources and knowledge for the betterment of the poor.They provide aid and funds to the rich of these countries for the so-called "development purposes."The funds are misused or stolen by the leaders and no kind of social reconstruction is possible.

Child labor can be brought to an end when large-scale social and economic reforms take effect in the developing countries.In the first place,education should be made common and the literacy rate should be raised at all costs.Professional schools for workshop training,tractor and car repairing,welding,computer operations and industrial and agricultural activities should be set up.

In the second place,the feudal system in the developing countries should be brought to an end.If it happens,the big landowners will not be able to keep the laborers and farmers uneducated and backward.The need for child labor will evaporate.

In the third place,the uneducated city people should be provided suitable job opportunities and facilities of education for their children.