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Child labour: A hidden form of child abuse
Author(s) -
Reddy Nandana
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
child abuse review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.569
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1099-0852
pISSN - 0952-9136
DOI - 10.1002/car.2380040307
Subject(s) - child labour , globe , poverty , indigenous , population , elite , world economy , development economics , political science , economic growth , psychology , sociology , economics , engineering , law , work (physics) , mechanical engineering , ecology , demography , neuroscience , politics , biology
There is a widespread but hidden area of child abuse: child labour. One‐fifth of the world's population is linked with child labour; yet it receives very little or no attention throughout the world. Where is our sense of urgency? Poverty is the repeatedly cited reason for child labour. This is an oversimplification. The origins of the problem are multi‐faceted. involving such variables of development as culture, human rights, economy, population, indigenous people and environment. It is the existing paradigm of development, determined by the elite, which is responsible for the problem of child labour. Obviously, the shift from the ‘need’‐based economy to the ‘want’‐based economy has taken a heavy toll of children the world over. We need to forge partnerships of different groups across the world, especially in light of the increasing integration of countries across the globe and because child labour is re‐emerging and assuming wide proportions in the developed countries. As we tread the path to a new paradigm of development, we must remember to walk in step with the children. For we have a lot to learn from them, and tomorrow is their concern, as it is their future.