Child Labor!!!

Ok, so I live in a small town. Recently I've been seeing quiet a lot of child labor. The local chinese buffet employs 8yr old and 10yr olds as waiters, hostess, and busboys. A local bank uses people standing outside to hold their signs and dance like fools. Well now they have 12yr olds all over the streets....


So is it legal to make them perform these jobs? Is there a loophole??? WTF is going on!?

reply to post by W0mbat


Parents can sign off on their children working if they don't meet the general age requirement. Restaurants often use their children or relatives to work for free, as small business restaurants tend to be very poor. It's a tough business to get into.

As for the sign flying, my local bank does this and hires local at risk teens to give them some extra money as well as support groups for assistance.

~Tenth

This would depend on the laws of the Nation these children are employed in. Would you like to share that information so we could better understand. I'm assuming it is the USA as it generally is the center of peoples Universes but I will await your confirmation.

I used to work in a restaurant in which one of the waitresses frequently had to bring her daughter to work. The daughter (age 9) would get bored and do some of the more simple tasks (busing, drinks, bring menus...simple stuff) Her mom paid her a fair bit out of her pocket (although I think they got tipped really well as a team).
Another friend of mine would take her 18 month old son to work when her babysitter would cancel. He took menus to tables...neither kid was ever forced to do anything at all, it was choice.

Indeed its the US, no my country isn't the center of my world nor is my cultural vision limited as such. I simply forgot that I hadn't updated that part of my profile. I apologize.

I get that these kids are likely employed via family... but I mean, laws are for everyone or they're for no one (at least that's how its supposed to work anyways .)

I know how it goes too: My step-father started his own concrete business when I was twelve. He didn't have anyone he could trust or that really knew the work nearby to hire on. So me and my brothers were his first employees. Literally I've been doing concrete since I was 12. My hands are ruined with arthritis and carpel tunnel, my back hurts 24/7, and I generally feel 15 years older than I look. Though on the other side of the coin, my step-father traded his sons health for the oppurtunity to put food on the table and a roof over our heads. His business never would have taken off like it did had we not been there beside him, and I honestly can say I picked up great work ethics and morals from him. I learned a trade I can always fall back on ( though when I do I'm in pain 24/7 due to arthritis).

So the question I'm asking is: if we start bending the rules, where do we stop???

reply to post by W0mbat


I do not have much knowledge of the working laws in the USA but from a moral point of view, no child should ever have to work until they have finished their full education. That goes for every country, yes that includes you two India and China.

Originally posted by michael1983l
reply to post by W0mbat

 

I do not have much knowledge of the working laws in the USA but from a moral point of view, no child should ever have to work until they have finished their full education. That goes for every country, yes that includes you two India and China.

I absolutely agree 120%!!

If I was taught in school for as long as I worked a the contruction site I would have no doubt that I would be in college right now with a full ride. I was a smart kid, but working in construction AND school drug my grades down quick.

reply to post by michael1983l


I disagree.

I worked from the age of 12. It thought me ALOT of life lessons I would not have had otherwise. I don't think any child should be MADE to work unless they want to, but don't deny them the ability to learn hard work and the ins and out of the worker bee situation.

My children have all had part time jobs growing up as long as their grades did not suffer and again, it provided many life lessons in responsibility, budgeting, work ethic etc..

~Tenth

Twice.

reply to post by tothetenthpower


Then I guess you will just have to disagree. My reasoning behind what I say does not just come from a educational point of view. It also allows the child to develop physically, emotionally and socially without being exposed to labour. You are only a child once and your childhood should be the most stress free time of your life. Children should worry about nothing whilst their responsible parents do everything they can to nurture their development. Being exposed to a working enviroment purely on an experience only level is acceptable to me, allowing children to be paid and exploited for low labour costs is not.

I had a paper route at the age of 12

Big deal.

Hard labor isn't going to kill them, I survived those below freezing days just to make sure the people on my route had a paper.

And I had to walk for hours.

I started doing farm labor from the age of 14. It helped me pay for college. The experience also gave me a fall-back occupation, which I could rely on if/when I lost a job and needed to earn money fast.

Caring for animals is one of the most satisfying jobs there is, and is being explored as therapy for troubled youth. Caring for a horse or a herd of sheep or pigs teaches responsibility, finances, and planning. I think we'd be better off if MORE of the nation's youth were exposed to such work for an hour every night after supper, and again in the morning between breakfast and the bus-ride to school.

We were poor when I was a child, I worked at a hardware store for years after school and on Saturdays. Great pocket money, did not hurt me one bit!

There is a great difference between earning some decent pocket money or being forced into a coal mine for little reward.

Get the Government out of it and put it back to the parents. And, yes, be ready to step in where cases of abuse happen. Otherwise you may as well cover your kids in cotton wool and leave them in their bedrooms.

Oh, wait, yea, that happens a lot as long as there are computer games. Let the children live a little.

P

I agree it can benefit letting the work as children, but I honestly believe a good parent can find creative and fun ways to teach the same ethics and morals while not loading the stress of labour on the child. The childs brain is developing and using a great deal of energy. Their body is developing too, and as I believe some work can benefit, a lot of work can do harm as I pointed out I have serious premature arthritis from construction work. Also, I was never paid a dime for my work directly, I was always told "you ate dinner tonight didn't you?? That was your pay" which I understand is the trade off, but I mean it seems like the responsibility of raising myself was placed on my shoulders very early on. ALSO, once he did hire on a few men, I continued working for him forr free doing the same work he was paying others $10/hr for...

I think a child should be constantly fed knowledge through many different channels. Maybe a summer job of mowing some lawns, but nothing like digging ditches, wheel barrowing 200yrds of concrete, pin driving for forms for hours into weeks. During my summers I worked ^rom about three hours before sunrise til about 6-8 at night. I remember some jobs where we stayed all night til the next sunrise just to squeeze the time out of the job. And my old man treated me at 12 the same way he treated grown men who worked for him. Degraded, demoralized, desensitized, and drove into the ground until we were reaady to choke his ass out and leave him on the job... lol

My point being, with all the work kids do, have done in the past in these blue collar states and families I think the children would benefit more from a better focus on the importance of education. Its almost like were training children to believe work is more important than knowledge and understanding. We alreaady teach very little in highschools, then to have the child either barely there to help with the family, or so damn exhausted they can't stay awake in class to concentrate on the studies for the day.... it just seems to defeat the idea of school anyways.

reply to post by W0mbat


I hear what you are saying, really. But the fact is, if you are a poor kid you have to work. period. I posted that I used some of the money for college, which is true. It is also true that I helped buy groceries and school clothes when my father was out of work or not getting enough pay to provide for us.

My mother also needed an operation while I was in college, so I spent the summers working to help pay for her care. My folks were never ugly or disrespectful about it. I bitched sometimes, because I wanted to buy myself a guitar, instead of buying milk and eggs and ground beef. But I would have given the money anyway. I cannot imagine not helping them out. That's how you can tell you are a real family.

Rich kids play video games.

Come to think of it, my kids don't play video games. We don't have an xbox or playstation for them. They've never complained, or threatened to call CPS. All of them are athletic, from playing outside.

EDIT TO ADD:

For 200 generations, kids have been doing chores. picking berries, watching livestock, helping in the kitchen. Sewing and threshing. TO act like they are suddenly such delicate creatures that we need to wait on them hand and foot is to disrespect them. And to "protect them" from activities they enjoy.

My kids would rather spend a summer on a real farm than they would to spend the summer at Disney. They've said so, unanymously.

No child should be made to work to the point of exhaustion or even extreme tiredness. But chores wont kill them, either.

Originally posted by tovenar
reply to post by W0mbat

 

No child should be made to work to the point of exhaustion or even extreme tiredness. But chores wont kill them, either.

edit on 6-1-2013 by tovenar because: (no reason given)

this is the point i was trying to make.

i never once said they are too delicate for physical activities.

my stand on this is:

children do benefit from chores and light work, but like all things it should be balanced and persued with moderation. If we are to create a better country we MUST focus on better education for our youth.

There's a point where the scale tips and we've started simply indoctrinating the child to believe manuel labor is beyond the importance of a great education.

Growing up in a family owned business, my sister and I spent alot of time there, we loved it usually. LOL, well, it was a toy store, but we did work too, tagging, stocking, gift wrapping, etc. and as we got older working with customers.

I learned sooo much that came in very handy in my adult life and work career. If the kids are given age appropriate duties and the parents are sensative to the kids happiness and education, I think this can be a positive experience for kids.

reply to post by MountainLaurel


Agreed

I bet getting to "work" in a toy store as a child AWESOME