Here’s why banning children from working is pure evil:

I grew up in a poor neighborhood where many families were even worse off than mine. Sometimes, when I looked for my neighbor friends to go play, they weren’t home because they were working at the supermarket three blocks away, bagging groceries at the cashier line. I joined them a few times because there wasn’t much else to do, but for them, it was something a bit more serious—it was a small but important source of income that they gave to their mothers. It was easy work, and customers appreciated it and tip them for their help.

Then, one day, someone decided to prohibit all forms of child labor. A few years later, the streets were full of kids cleaning car windows, others tried playing violin, singing on the sidewalks or simply asking for money, activities that noone find valuable.

The sense of pride my friend once had from earning a few pesos by providing a useful service had now been replaced by a naturalized shame of relying on pity from strangers.