Hardly anyone could be unaware of Tom Sawyer and his mischievous behavior that amused young readers. Also, hardly any young reader had in mind the issue of child labor back then in the days of childhood. I was one of those children whose focus was on the witty mind of Tom rather than hardships that he experienced. When readers grow, their focus shifts and they notice new context in the same content.

Likewise, I noticed the load of injustice of a child being placed in the unhuman circumstances. My interest on the issue rose and I took a children literature course where I got insights not only into the issue of child labor during the Victorian era but also the alarming insights into the modern state of the issue presented in the literature. Having passed the course, I understood that, with time, literature examples that describe this social problem have not vanish. This signifies the disturbing relevance of the issue nowadays. The children literature course became the starting point in my research activities. My aim is conducting an interdisciplinary research in order to track the multifaceted proof of relevance of the issue as well as how it was reflected in various sources and how it progressed.

I will review such areas as literature, economics, history, human rights, cultural politics, etc. While reviewing the literature, one point of interest is whether female authors describe this social crisis differently from the male authors. Another focus is the way the issue of child labor is reflected in the literature and whether written pieces helped to solve the problem. More importantly, the research will include the data on the current state of child labor and measures taken to fight it presented in literature texts, legal documents, pieces of art, etc.