Child Labor exploitation; the campaign to save societies’ soul

A major cause of concern over the course of history has been child labor; it is an issue that has been prevalent in the world for centuries. What has changed over time is the way it has been handled by different countries. Early in the 19th and 20th century it was a growing cause of concern during the industrial revolution, as wages for adults were rising factory owners preferred to hire children as they would take less wages and work for more hours. This was controlled by acts that regulated child labor in Europe. According to the Factory Act of 1833, children below 9 years of age could not work at all, whereas working hours of older children was moderated and schooling was mandatory. However, now that there is an increase in competitiveness among developing countries, factory owners in Asia and Africa are resorting to hiring children for work. This has led to child labor exploitation in countries like India, Pakistan, China, Nigeria and Somalia where children are not only made to do work, but they have to do so under conditions that harm their physical and mental growth. Through the help of developed nations the United Nations has come up with a convention against child abuse and exploitation that could solve this problem through mutual agreement by all the member countries. However, this solution has not worked yet as children in developing countries are still waiting for the opportunity to break out of poverty and get educated, this is mainly because developed nations are keen to only provide aid but not follow it through to the end where they can make sure it reaches the right hands.
There is no set definition for child labor as it differs around the world depending upon the laws enforced against it. According to the International Labor Organization (ILO), child labor is work that hampers the