When a child is born, people expect parents to take care of their child until the child can take care of himself. In some families this happens, but in others the child is forced to work, a practice that is called child labor. Child labor is work that harms a child or prevents him or her from attending school. Some might think that child labor only happens overseas, but it actually happens here in the United States as well. In an article written by the Child Public Education Project it states that “The International Labor Organization estimates that 215 million children aged between 5 and 17 currently work in conditions considered illegal, dangerous or extremely exploitative” (page 1) . Child labor is caused by increased unemployment and poverty; Poor families rely on their children also working to meet basic needs. The United States has many laws that try to prevent child labor. For example, a child under 18 cannot work in dangerous jobs, and there are different regulations on how many hours a child can work when working and going to school. Even though laws exist, child labor still continues illegally. Child labor needs to be prevented more because it does not provide education to children, harms them emotionally, and they can be injured or harmed while working. The most meaningful thing you can give a child is an education. If someone cannot read or write in today's society they will not be triumphant. If a child works between the ages of 5 and 17, when is there time to go to school? The Child Labor Education Project writes: “Long hours of work on a regular basis can harm children's social and educational development. US teens working more than 20 hours a week reported more problem behaviors, sleep deprivation and more likely to drop out of school”