40 Days for the Poor - Day 29 - Child and Forced Labor

Here's a list put out by the Department of Labor in 2010 stating which products are most likely to be made by Child/Forced Labor. Now, I have a little bit of a problem with the child labor thing. I do think if the child is forced to work in dangerous or exploitative conditions then that is very bad and calls for reform. I, however, don't see anything wrong with children being raised to work to help in a family farm or business. I think sometimes we in the 1st world go a little overboard about things like that. We have to make sure we aren't viewing the situation through culturally biased eyes. Children are capable of a lot more than we give them credit for. We truly seem to think that if kids can't spend all day in school and the rest of the time entertaining themselves, somehow it is abusive. I differ there. But that is just a quibble; there are many, many children who grow up in terrible situations where they are exploited, endangered and robbed of all freedom because of economic conditions or because ruthless adults use them.