One of the fundamental rights, surely, of every child is to be counted, to have the community of which he is a part know something about him, and have his record kept where those interested in his protection and care, in his health, his schooling, his vocational training, may find out what they need to know in order to aid his progress or check his wrongdoing.
=Every Child Should Have Social Protection.=--In the next place, the demand of every child must surely be for community protection against those who for greed or evil purpose would exploit his life.

The first law passed for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which aimed even at parents who did not act a parent's part, was the Magna Charta of child rights.

After that the door was opened for all manner of protective legislation for the benefit of the young.

Yet we still have many men and some women whose business it is, and a very profitable one, to debauch youth or despoil children.
Surely the time has come when all decent people should unite to abolish such evils.
=Child-labor.=--In the field of child-labor we have model laws, not always well enforced, laws that aim to keep inviolate for childhood at least a few years of schooling.[10] We have health laws which aim more and more at reducing the diseases of children and making it possible for all to share in the power and joy of normal existence.
Yet, although something has been done for the child who would otherwise be at work in factory, shop, or sweated trade at home, there are, it is said, still "Two Million Overworked Farm Children." In the South, in some sections, the little black children still pick cotton for the little white children to weave in mills.

In the North undersized and mentally undeveloped youth still testify to industrial exploitation even where laws against child-labor are on the statute books.