Labor from the Childen
Read more about this cruel injustice, Kinsley Reedy
Children at a Factory
Jobs Children Did in Factories
- The dirtiest jobs were given to the children instead of the adults.
- A child could work the machine, clean the factory, or clean the machine. The jobs these children had to perform ranged from cleaning to fixing and more.
-They not only worked in the factories but also in coal mines. These children could be a domestic servant, pick pocket, or a hat maker as well.
Hours, Food, and Working Conditions
- Large, heavy, and dangerous equipment they used would cause injuries to the children very often.
- One example of the awful conditions these children worked in was in a mine. One of the children who worked in there said it was hard to see, you had to walk crouched over for long periods of time, and coal dust was thick in the air so it was hard to breathe. In addition to those conditions there was also constant loud noise and rat infection.
- They had tiny portions of disgusting food that was provided by the factory or they had to pack their own meal.
Accidents that Happened Often
- When an accident did happen these children were abandoned with no medical attention and left to die.
- When children would clean a machine, the boss would usually keep it running so it won't slow down production, they would have to crawl under there and they unfortunately would have something cut off.
-Hands of these kids would get stuck in machines and they would not stop them.
-Chimney sweeps could get stuck in the chimney having a long, slow painful death
Children Being Beaten
Punishments
- The children were treated cruelly and had no safety precautions. In addition, punishments could be almost anything
- They would beat the children down physically and mentally with abuse.
-Children would be beaten or fined for falling asleep, making a mistake, or being late for work even if only a couple minutes.
- One example of a punishment is they would put a neck weight on a child and they would have to walk up and down the aisles of the factory to make an example for the other children.
Accidents that Happened Often
Working Conditions
Efforts
Efforts
- Parliament passed the Factory Act in 1833 limiting hours of certain ages of children.
- In 1842, the Mines Act banned girls and boys under the age of ten to work in mines. A child had to be at least 15 years of age to work machinery in a mine.
- In 1850, all workers could not work longer than ten and a half hours since the Ten hour Act has been put in place.
-The Children's Bureau was setup by the government activists, this made it that someone had to monitor children at work and take responsibility.