Child Labor      Child Labor, refers to the economically active population under the age of fifteen years old, who are employed in various industries (Grootaert, 2). Recently, child labor has become a large topic of debate; however, in most cases, it is very unfavorable. The perception that globalization is leading towards the exploitation of children, is becoming an important problem for international business. In my opinion, child labor should be eradicated. It is not only harmful to the health of children, but it takes away their chance for an education, and simply takes away their childhood.      The International Labor Organization estimates that 250 million children around the world, between the ages of five and fourteen, work. Out of the 250 million, 120 million of them work fulltime (ILO, 5). Child labor is common in industries such as agriculture, domestic services, carpet and textile, quarrying and brick making, and also prostitution. Some children work in factories and other workplaces in the “formal economy;†however, many work on farms or in homes. Child labor has many hazardous effects on the health of children. Some children work in areas such as stone quarries, tanning leather, and electroplating metals. All of these working conditions endanger the health of the child. Children in different occupations face different fatal diseases. Silicosis, which is caused from working in stone cutting, brick factories, granite and slate factories is one such disease. Tuberculosis, is also another disease endeared by children in pottery related industries. Another very big problem, because of poor living conditions, is malnutrition.      The lack of education for working children is also another very serious problem. Child laborers work for most of the day, and in some cases 16 hours a day. There is no question, that education is a major contributing factor to the overall development of the child. Yet, because of the long working hours, children are deprived of time for education. Some children are more or less slaves, controlled by their employer to work all the time. In other cases, the parents are even responsible for child labor, because they give priority to labor and making money, over education. Some children must earn the income for the entire household (Grootaert, 3). Asi... ...). However, developing countries including Brazil and India, which have very high rates of child labor, rejected the proposal. But the rate of child labor is still dropping. In 1996, Brazil had 3.3 million child laborers. Soon after, international pressures, forced President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to create an anti-child labor initiative. This program basically paid parents to send their children to school. By the year 2000, the amount of child workers decreased to 2.5 million.      Today, child labor is still decreasing, but it seems almost impossible to eradicate. Child labor is ethically wrong and immoral; and yet, there are still businesses that choose to turn their heads away. Works Cited: Bachman, S. L. “The Political Economy of Child Labor and its Impacts on International Business.†Business Economics Jul. 2000: 1-4. Buckley, Stephen. “The Littlest Laborers: Why does Child Labor Continue to Thrive in the Developing World?†Washington Post 16 Mar. 2000: 1-5. Grootaert, Christian. “Child Labor: an Economic Perspective.†International Labor Review 136. 1995: 2, 3, 7. International Labor Organization. 1996. 20 Jun. 2001.
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What did the Impressionists aim to do Discuss their subject matter and their distinctive painting method - Essay Example
The main aim of impressionists was to objectively record the world with respect to the protean effects of light and color. The Post-Impressionists, however, intended a better ambitious expression of light and color. Impressionists were initially considered as painters of mere impressions who are unable to create a well composed and finished painting. However, their special way of depicting the world received recognition later. An Impressionist paints outdoor sceneries and landscapes. They work for short period of time. They stop when light changes and resume their work when light become similar on another day. The Impressionist way of painting is done by making new advances in color. Color is packed in collapsible tubes that are portable. New ranges of colors are available, for example, some are less fugitive compared to others. Impressionist’s way working initially alienated the public though it gained great impression in some minds. The Thames below Westminster†is an example of nature painting that has the typical impressionist characteristics. It is a misty London landscape painting. The scene of London drowned in mass of fog captured the artistic heart of Claude. The special impressionist technique, the smear effect of brush touch, is recognizable in this painting. The less contrast of white and black and the balance between two main colors constitute the typical impressionist characteristics. Grey and beige color balance in the painting forms a smooth texture of mist perception. The Water-Lily Pond (1899) also has typical impressionist character of painting nature. The simple design of this painting, the lake and the close-up view of the bridge, makes it special. The painting shows an early summer day, leaves of fresh green color. The lively brushstrokes and application of pure color makes the painting a special impressionist painting. Seurat’s Bathers at Asnieres (1884), the celebrated painting of the young artist Georges Seurat (1859-1891) shows some special impressionist characteristics. The usual pattern of impressionist paintings is visible in this painting. The open-air light effects, that are special characteristics of impressionist works, are found in this painting. According to impressionist ideas, the actual color of an object can be modified by various effects like sunlight, atmospheric light and juxtaposed colors. The technique of modifying color is visible in this painting. The painting is an example of the color theory of impressionists. It also shows an outdoor scene that is very common in impressionist paintings. A Wheatfield, with Cypresses 1889, the celebrated Vincent Van Gogh painting exhibits several characteristics of the paintings of impressionism. The painting shows nature, that is found in several other impressionist paintings. The equable balance of Impressionism, found in this painting, is cleanly replaced by an emotional disturbance. Calm objectivity is replaced by a special expression of intense feeling. The variety and freedom employed in the use of brush and the juxtaposition of near-primary colors makes A Wheatfield, with Cypresses 1889 a typical impressionist painting. The sunny landscape and the cypress trees also characterize the impressionist works. Van Gogh's Long Grass with Butterflies (1890) is another painting that shows the characteristics of works of the impressionism period. Nature scene and the color contrast visible in the painting makes it an impressionist painting. For capturing the constantly changing effects of light on |