In America the typical person goes shopping for clothes for a specific brand and sometimes a specific kind of style. Generally we just look at the brand and what size the piece of clothing is. Occasionally we will look to see where it is made. Most of the time the clothing is made in poor countries with a lot of poverty. What most people don't realize is that the some of the clothing they wear was made by children working in hazardous conditions who are forced to work to support their families. In the world today there are many countries that have this problem. I chose to focus on India because it is has the highest number of child laborers in the world. The governments of India and other countries like China and Pakistan that have this problem should work together to impose penalties against the companies who are violating child labor laws.
There are many countries that have factories where there are children working illegally for low wages. The world leader in child labor is India, whose economy is rapidly increasing, partly due to the cheap price of labor. There are more than 60 million child laborers, 4 percent of the workforce, and that number is rapidly increasing (India Tribune). It is unclear how many of the millions are forced to work due to their family needing more money. Many families in India have little choice but to send their children to work. The children help their families live and eat with the wages they bring in.
Child labor has been a problem for hundreds of year. Although there have been laws enacted, many people ignore them. Children in India are required by law to be in school until age 14. They are also not allowed to work in hazardous environments. The United Nations has adopted many laws related to child labor, including one that requires countries to recognize the right of a child (History of Child Labor). Governments must protect the child from economic exploitation so the child can receive an education and mature in a proper way.