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In the west, during the Industrial Revolution, the use of child labor was commonplace, particularly in factories. In the United Kingdom during the Victorian era, a series of Factory Acts were introduced to gradually restrict the hours that children were allowed to work, and to improve safety. Today, similar laws have been enacted by most wealthy countries and forced child labor is often considered a violation of human rights. In poorer countries, child labor may still be accepted, where families often rely on the labors of their children for survival. Photo credit: Lewis W. Hine (1910) |