Conclusion
"Our legacy is an incredibly strong one where we have played a role in helping million and millions of American children and their families to have hope, opportunity, and futures" -Jeffrey Newman, current president of the NCLC
Current Activities
"Compared to conditions in 1904, when the National Child Labor Committee was founded, gratifying progress has been made. Still, child labor has not vanished from America. The NCLC is still carrying out its mission to combat violation of child-labor laws, and to promote the rights and dignity of children and youth" |
"We played an active role in not only creating child labor laws, but also in promoting opportunities for teenagers as they move into the world of work. Especially for inner city youth as they try to develop opportunities for their lives which start off often well behind many others" -Jeffrey Newman, current President of the NCLC (Student Conducted Interview)
Child Labor Today
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The fight against child labor still exists in many industrialized and developing countries around the world. However, due to the NCLC's efforts to change the perception of child labor, many observers no longer simply accept child labor as a necessity, but acknowledge it as an evil that needs to be eradicated.
“Today a worldwide fight against child labor continues. According to the International Labour Organization, an estimated 250 million girls and boys between the ages of five and fourteen are exploited in sweatshops, farm fields, brothels, and on city streets. Most working children live in developing nations, but hundreds of thousands live in industrialized nations" |
The leadership and initiative of the National Child Labor Committee set a powerful example for child labor movements around the world through its highly effective public exposure campaign. Its legacy is established as not only the eradication of child labor in the United States, but also in its role in creating a national opposition to child exploitation.
Thesis:
The leadership of the National Child Labor Committee piloted the social reform movement against the exploitation of children. By harnessing the power of propaganda to influence public opinion, the NCLC changed society’s perception, thus allowing for the passage of national legislation prohibiting the labor of children. The legacy of the NCLC lies not only in ending child labor, but also in establishing a precedent for future federal regulation of labor. |
Niharika Boinpally and Divya Pakianathan
Senior Group Website Word Count (Student Composed): 1166 Process Paper Word Count: 484 |