Brutal Child Labor
By Kade Norton
Jobs Children Did In Factories
- Coal Mines where- children did things like pushing heavy coal tubs.
- Chimney Sweeps- where children had to clear ash and soot from the chimneys.
- Factory Worker- where children would work in the factories with machines helping un jam them and try to prevent them from having problems.
- Scaring Birds From Fields- where children scared away birds from farmers crops.
- Farm Worker- where children would help with farm work.
Hours, Food And Working Conditions
- There diet was terrible. Potato pairings and rotten vegetables were sometimes the dish of the day.
- There was dreadful working conditions. For example, in the coal mines it was completely dark causing permanent eye damage to children because of the strain on the eye.
- They worked 12 to 18 hours a day. The normal work week would be Monday through Saturday from 6am to 8pm.
- They barely got enough food and were usually always hungry.
Accidents that often Happend
- Some children would get a limb stuck in machinery and it would be ripped off or skinned and most likey result in death.
- The tiredness of children was believed to cause accidents
- In the textile industry, working at a drawing frame could get your whole body crushed.
- Many children that had to work at high heights would accidentally fall and die as there is no safety wires like there is today.
Punishments Children Faced
- Some children were starved as a punishment.
- Children coming into work late could be beaten or fined.
- Children that made a small mistake would also be fined or beaten.
- Children could also be kicked out for good and make no more money.
Efforts to Improve/Stop child labor
- The society of the prevention of cruelty to children was created in 1891.
- Chimney Sweeps act and chimney regulation act of 1840 made it illegal for someone under age 21 to clean chimneys.
- There were laws that were passed over a period of several decades that slightly improved the working conditions and treatment of children.
- 1847 the ten hour act cut the time of women and under eighteens to work ten hours a day and 58 a week.