Victorian England and the Abuse of her children.
Charles Dickens was not only a man who wrote about but had also experienced first -hand the hard cold reality of the abuse of children. You can rarely open a Dickens novel without having your heart bleed for the poor tortured souls who were the children of his time.
Child labor in Victorian England was synonymous to the much despised word slavery. Therefore, children were exploited, tortured and neglected even to the point of death. Because they were considered cheap labor the demand for their souls was extremely high.
Moreover, these children were saddled with unimaginable responsibilities such as mining, factory work, street sweeping, clothing and hat makers, farmers, servants and most heartbreakingly prostitution This labor force comprised of children sent out not only through the urging but often insistence of the parents and guardians to slave away in factories and workhouses. Subsequently sold out by the very ones who should have been protecting these most vulnerable members of their society. The exploitation of children was part of a gruesome system which robbed children of their youth, health and often ultimately …show more content…
In fact until 1833 when the Factory act was established children under the age of 9 had been not only allowed but often forced to work in factories. Children would spend as many as 14 to 18 hours a day working in dangerous situations within the factory industry. Because of their diminutive statures they were the ideal candidates to send into the tight spaces around or even under machinery often while the machines were running so as to not hinder production by shutting them off. Children as young as 5 years old would crawl out of the chimneys covered with soot and blood only to be rinsed off with salt water and sent back up again to finish the
Charles Dickens was not only a man who wrote about but had also experienced first -hand the hard cold reality of the abuse of children. You can rarely open a Dickens novel without having your heart bleed for the poor tortured souls who were the children of his time.
Child labor in Victorian England was synonymous to the much despised word slavery. Therefore, children were exploited, tortured and neglected even to the point of death. Because they were considered cheap labor the demand for their souls was extremely high.
Moreover, these children were saddled with unimaginable responsibilities such as mining, factory work, street sweeping, clothing and hat makers, farmers, servants and most heartbreakingly prostitution This labor force comprised of children sent out not only through the urging but often insistence of the parents and guardians to slave away in factories and workhouses. Subsequently sold out by the very ones who should have been protecting these most vulnerable members of their society. The exploitation of children was part of a gruesome system which robbed children of their youth, health and often ultimately …show more content…
In fact until 1833 when the Factory act was established children under the age of 9 had been not only allowed but often forced to work in factories. Children would spend as many as 14 to 18 hours a day working in dangerous situations within the factory industry. Because of their diminutive statures they were the ideal candidates to send into the tight spaces around or even under machinery often while the machines were running so as to not hinder production by shutting them off. Children as young as 5 years old would crawl out of the chimneys covered with soot and blood only to be rinsed off with salt water and sent back up again to finish the