Children for Hire is a harrowing look at child labour in Canada. Nearly 1 million young people across the country have part-time jobs. For kids in school, a heavy workload can jeopardize their studies. But much more than education is at risk: working teens are vulnerable to exploitation, crime and injury. Some even die on the job. This video features the stories of adolescents who have suffered severe injury or who have lost their lives due to faulty safety standards, exploitation by unscrupulous entrepreneurs, farm accidents, inadequate training, or just youthful inexperience. Employers need to take more responsibility for the safety of their adolescent workers--but kids themselves also have to learn to say no to workplace demands that threaten their health and safety. Children for Hire promotes education as the most effective method for raising awareness of what's at stake when young people enter the world of work.
1994, 44 min 39 s
National Film Board of Canada Production
© All Rights Reserved, 2007
