24 Heartbreaking Photos Of What Child Labor In The U.S Once Looked Like

 

Did you know that children as young as 14 can apply for their working permits in the U.S.?

Any child worker under the recommended age is considered illegal and goes against the U.S.’s strict child labor laws. Despite these regulations, it might surprise you to learn that over 200 million children around the world, under the age of 10, are still being put to work in 2016. Of that number, more than half of these children are slaving away in hazardous work environments such as factory jobs or other places where they are forced to operate advanced machinery.

While child labor in the U.S. has become an almost silent issue, during the height of the Industrial revolution, putting your son or daughter to work was the only option for staying afloat during tough economic times. Children as young as three put in long days for very little pay. And while schooling was an option for many of these kids, their parents were living below the poverty line and needed them to work to help set off living expenses.

Check out food stamps  program a service offered by the government to improve living standards of the poor people across states depending on the eligibility criteria where such laws exist.

These 24 heartbreaking examples of child labor from the early 20th century showcase the struggle of children who were forced to grow up too fast.

1. Most child workers put in 10 hours days, six days a week, and would bring home just $1.50 a day.

2. When children turned three, they were considered old enough to work in the fields and pick fruit.

3. Most supervisors didn’t care if you were a boy or girl, the work still needed to get done, whether or not you were fit to complete the task.