The Children Yearn for the Mines is a phrase that captures the harsh realities of child labour all over the world. For centuries, children have been forced to work in harsh conditions due to various reasons such as poverty, war, displacement and crimes.
Child labour still exists, despite being ruled as a punishable crime in many countries. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), an estimated 15 million children in Nigeria are under child labour and half that number trapped in hazardous work. However, section 59(2) of the Labour Act of 1990 clearly states that a person under 15 years of age shall not be employed or work in industrial undertakings.
Therefore, this article provides more insight into the phrase The Children Yearn for the Mines and how it relates to child labour.
What is ‘The Children Yearn for the Mines’?
The Children Yearn for the Mines is a sad depiction of children forced to go through industrial labour. In other words, the phrase talks about children who work in the mines. Historically, children often had to work long hours in dangerous conditions in the mines during the Industrial Revolution. The reasons include:
- Poverty: Children from poor homes were forced to work in other to help support their families. This often meant they had to give up on going to school and their childhood innocence in favour of making money for the family.
- Conflict and displacement: Children caught in a violent conflict in a particular area were displaced. Some had to begin working in the mines to survive.
- Social pressures: Some cultures believe children who grow to a certain age should be able to work to support their families.
Stories of children who work in the mines have been tragic. Some were injured, some fell ill and some even died. Hence, mines became symbols of exploitation and suffering.
ALSO READ: When was walking invented: Funny meme that’s sparked up humour online
Top 10 The Children Yearn for the Mines memes
According to Know Your Meme, The Children Yearn for the Mines is a catchphrase used in memes to satirically support the loosening of child labour laws. The child labour laws became a prominent political topic in early 2023 in American states, such as Arkansas, Iowa and Missouri, which lowered the legal working age to 14 years.
The Children Yearn for the Mines catchphrase was first introduced on X (formerly Twitter) following the Minecraft video game, which became a well-known satire for the repealing of child labour laws.
The X user, @Froggenthusias1, tweeted: “Minecraft proves that abolishing child labour was a mistake. The children yearn for the mines,” on February 7, 2022. The tweet received roughly 89,300 likes within a year.
In addition, screenshots of the tweet began to circulate on other platforms such as Reddit and TikTok.
Therefore, below are the top 10 The Children Yearn for the Mines memes:
1. Gen Z yearn for the mines
Minecraft is a popular sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios in 2011. In the game, players explore a blocky, pixelated procedurally generated, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain. They are required to discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items and build structures, earthworks and machines while fighting off hostile mobs.
Minecraft’s popularity among children in the United States sparked debates online about its appropriateness. As a result, this is one of the many memes to mock the game.
2. Child labour at its worst
This meme captures a sad picture of what child labour looks like. In the meme, a little girl, holding a shovel, stares sadly at the camera. The child’s dirty face means she has been digging in a mine. Child labour is terrible and if you still believe it is nothing, this picture should tell you otherwise.
3. Bringing your child to work
Every working-class parent will understand this. Have you ever been forced to take your child to work? It is not an easy thing to do because children will always be children. They want to play around and demand what they want, even at a time when it is inconvenient for you to do it. Shout out to all parents who have to deal with that every day.
4. Working in a mine is cool as hell
Child labour is not cool at all. However, it is okay to acknowledge that the 1920s little miner smoking a pipe cuts a cool picture. As previously stated, children of that era worked in the mines as a means to support themselves and their families. Today, mining is no longer allowed for children in many countries. Besides, this meme is a satire to mock the repealing of child labour in some Republican states in the U.S.
5. Children want to return to the mines
This is another meme criticising Minecraft. The game is a favourite among children. Many frown on the idea of children mining, even if it is just a game. Do you think Minecraft is appropriate for children?
ALSO READ: ‘Does he know’: Viral internet meme used by netizens to spark funny interactions
6. When you go to a coal mine and see a bunch of kids having fun
Child labour is an appalling idea. Imagine staging a protest against a coal mine employing underaged people. Then you get there only see kids having fun. Your reaction is surely going to be a priceless one.
7. Born in a wrong generation
This is how you know when one is a lazy student. Instead of concentrating on schoolwork, they would rather be sent to work in the mines. If time travelling was real, they could be sent back to the 20s. Lol.
8. When you are forced to pay off your student lunch debt
This is another hilarious stray bullet on Minecraft. It is another lesson on how to work for what you eat. You have to pay off your debt, even if it is a mere student lunch.
9. Work, work, work
This meme is a hilarious description of what working in a mine means – work, work, work and work. You have to work hard to get those precious materials and no, you do not have to dance like those kids.
10. Abolishing child labour was not a mistake!
Minecraft may be a video game about mining, but it does not mean that children should be allowed to work in the mines. Unlike the game, mining is not cool for children. So, they cannot yearn for the mines.
ALSO READ: ‘Kid named Finger’: Hilarious meme inspired by renowned ‘Breaking Bad’ actor
