Criminal, Criminological, and Practical Aspects of Child Labour (Part 1)

Authors

  • Nino Gobejishvili Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

Keywords:

freedom of labor; forced child labor; labor capacity; labor in family farms.

Abstract

The ranks of fighters for the defense of the idea of freedom of labor were formed as early as the time when man acquired the ability to truly comprehend the consequential possibilities of labor. However, with the realization of the greedy nature of man, neither the economic opportunities growing with geometric progression nor the modern digital age turned out to be satisfactory. From the point of view of human history, when the bell of the Industrial Revolution rang out from England to the whole world[1], resulted in a decrease in the demand for hired manpower, as industrialization directly increased the demand in the market quickly and cheaply through labor machinery. However, it is difficult to say how the above-mentioned approach can be applied to vulnerable members of society, whose completeness largely depends on the standards and requirements offered to them by the same society - the labor rights of minors were not only protected, but even non-existent in the era of industrialization, the[2] traces of which modern humanity has not yet erased from the unified consciousness.

 

[1] Industrial Revolution Causes and Effects, Britannica, <https://www.britannica.com/summary/Industrial-Revolution-Causes-and-Effects> [01.03.2026].

[2] Wague C., Warrier P. N., Is there any relationship between child labor, crime rates and country income per capita?, International Review of Business and economics, Vol. 5, Issue 1, Article 2, <https://digitalcommons.du.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1160&context=irbe> (02.01.2021) [01.03.2026].

Author Biography

Nino Gobejishvili, Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University

Ivane Javakhishvili Tbilisi State University, PhD Student of the Faculty of Law, Criminal Law

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Published

2026-06-30

How to Cite

Gobejishvili, N. (2026). Criminal, Criminological, and Practical Aspects of Child Labour (Part 1). Journal of Law , (1). Retrieved from https://jlaw.tsu.ge/index.php/JLaw/article/view/11877

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