The workhouses and the exploitation of children

 THE VICTORIAN WORKHOUSES

the workhouses presentation

The exploitation of children during the Victorian Age

During the Victorian Age the exploitation of children was one of the most serious social problems. Poverty was very widespread and that was the reason why poor families sent their children to work at a young age.

 They usually worked in the streets as shoeshines, newspapers sellers, flower sellers or street sweepers, but one of the hardest jobs was chimney sweeping. Due to this awful job, children developed bad health conditions such as cough, sore eyes, lung cancer, deformed back and ankles.

Others were employed in factories or mines where they worked almost all day treated like beasts. Of course the salary wasn’t enough in relation to the amount of work. In addition, children couldn’t have the possibility of going to school, so the majority of them weren't able neither to read nor write.

The lucky ones became domestic servants or apprentices to respectable trades. Sometimes they worked even more than miners but, at least, their working conditions were better.

Finally the most vulnerable, like young orphans, were usually enrolled in criminal gangs and involved in several robberies.

To conclude, we can say that the situation was very demeaning and looking back at it we should consider ourselves lucky for the right to live our youth and, especially, to study.