london times(letter)

To The Editor London Times Sir, It is with much concern I write about the much touted industrial revolution and its aftermath. Technological innovation and use of machines have been said to be essential for business growth and economic output. However, most business leaders and policy makers seem to ignore the negative impact of the revolution with regards to the environment and workers rights. Thus, there is a need to reexamine the effects of increasing industrialization on the society. Among the negative effects that need to be addressed are child labor, the exploitation of workers, poor working conditions and the lack of decent wages in this era. During interviews, I found out that there was blatant exploitation of children by businessmen and factory owners. Children were made to work for long hours in factories and coal mines without decent wages. The explanation that the children were merely helping their families seems to miss the point that in the end the working conditions are detrimental to the development of children. Additionally, there are many accidents in these factories which endanger the lives of children; businessmen have little regard for safety as machineries are rarely replaced. In essence, the children are forced to work under strenuous conditions with no chance to negotiate for better terms; they also receive less pay than adults even for the same level of production. Thus, it is immoral to let children undergo these experiences as if the are not human beings. Most of the children I interviewed disliked working in the factories, but had no other choice. In the cotton and textile industry the conditions were much worse as factory owners could verbally abuse the children and al...