During the nineteenth century, children were particularly susceptible to abuse in factories and work camps. Although the law did not allow girls under 12 and boys under 14 to work in industry, many did - and for a fraction of the standard wages.

Union pressure helped bring about the Royal Commission on the Relations of Labour and Capital (1889). While the Commission results did little to improve conditions for workers generally, interviews like those recorded below so appalled Commission members that they directed the federal government to ensure stronger enforcement of laws regarding child labour.