Child Labor is not inherently bad

Someone sent out an article about child labor in West African gold mines today and it captured my attention and thought:

Child Labor Rife in African Gold Mines
Gold Mined by African Children Finds its Way Into Luxury Goods
By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI
The Associated Press

http://abcnews.go.com/Business/WireStory?id=5551166&page=1

Summary and analysis of child labor:
Where gold can be found using non-industrialized 'primitive' techniques, children can be found working. This is often the case in West Africa where gold can be found by digging small, but deep wells into the earth. The children in the article are responsible for beating and grinding earth that has been dug from these wells into a fine powder. They work outdoors and are sore after their work is complete, self medicating with painkillers available in the marketplace when their work is complete. In addition to the toll the physical toll their labor takes on their bodies, these children also handle mercury on a daily basis which can lead to brain damage and failure of some vital organs. I found this all to be quite sad and then I realized I had to get back to work...

Whenever I see or hear the words 'child labor' I automatically think, that is awful! - and - How could people put children to work? -and finally- That is a bad thing to do; children need an education and fun enjoying their childhood. Upon further contemplation, however, I realized that this is a purely ethnocentric reaction. In the U.S. child labor has been branded as an evil thing (I wonder how many of our goods are manufactured by children though...).

However, people living in poverty need all the money they can get and if their children want to work to help their families and to help themselves then they should have the opportunity to do so. In the United States, child labor laws prevent children under the age of 12 from working in most jobs. When children can work, employers must follow strict guidelines that often make hiring children less palatable than simply hiring adult workers. In America, the overwhelming majority of families survive without sending their children to work. However, in countries all around the world children have to work to survive. They work on their family's farms, bring their family's goods to market, and work for others to earn cash so their families can purchase basic necessities. I don't see this as a bad thing.

The problem with child labor begins with abusive child labor practices. Children are young and be taken advantage of easily by unscrupulous parties. Children who do work should be able to do so without being exposed to harsh chemicals like mercury or placed into dangerous jobs that adults themselves do not even perform. There should also be limits on the total number of hours children must work during the day. Communities with large child labor populations could fund night education for children. Families could pay a small amount to instructors or the business that employ children could do so to invest in their region's future. Children could help their families financially and also . I am sure this occurs in some cities or regions of the world and would be interested in learning about it - please leave a comment if you have a good resource.

Child labor produces a churning and ugly gut reaction in American, however, the practice aids in economic development and helps children help themselves and their families. Children should be protected from abuse, but not prevented from working at all. Ted Koppel offers valuable insight on Charlie Rose when speaking about China. He points out that the country is only now in the midst of its industrial revolution, to compare environmental industry practices in the United States to those in China shows the US coming out on top. However, comparing the US during its industrial build up to China today shows a very different picture. China is does better than the states relative to industrial build up timelines.

Child labor made sense for the United States before the country's industrial revolution and throughout. Is it any surprise that less developed countries often rely on the practice to develop their goods? Could the United States even become more lenient in its own child labor laws so children in the poorest of families could contribute positively to their family's bottom line?

PS: maybe Harvard can make a mercury replacement once they finish developing 'dirt powered' lights for sub-Sahara Africa.