I. Introduction Contrary to popular belief, child labor's path of destruction does not terminate at the ruins of the child laborer's future. Child labor has further, long-lasting and far-reaching effects, not only in the host nation where it occurs, but also indirectly in the global community and surrounding nations which do business with the host nation. Such devastating and long-term effects include but are not limited to the perpetuation of generational poverty, a vastly uneducated workforce, exploitation of children and cheap labor which causes unfair competition between contracting nations. When the North American Free Trade Agreement was ratified, it created an expansion of employment opportunities in the still developing country of Mexico. Unfortunately, exploitation of the work force inadvertently followed the rise of such employment opportunities. The North American Agreement on Labor Coalition ("NAALC") was then ratified in an attempt to limit labor abuses and encourage equitable labor standards in all of the contracting nations. This study is a critical analysis of how the NAALC has affected child labor in Mexico throughout the years and why it has not been successful in remedying child labor abuses in Mexico as intended. The short-term and long-term consequences of child labor are thoroughly analyzed and potential reforms to the NAALC and their practicalities are evaluated. Lastly, this study proposes strategies to implement existing remedies available culturally, as well as under the NAALC to abolish child labor in Mexico. In today's modern industrialized world, child labor in developing nations is a problem that must be confronted and attacked. Based upon NAALC's toothless standards, discretionary defenses and impractical enforcement mechanisms, child labor has not been curtailed with its passing. Either reform of the NAALC or other enforcement mechanisms are necessary to curb this problem. II. What is the Problem? A. History of NAFTA and passage of the NAALC: The North American Free Trade Agreement (hereinafter "NAFTA") was negotiated by President George Bush senior with Canada and Mexico in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The agreement sought to reduce and eliminate tariffs in North America and create a free trade zone. The initial agreement did not have any environmental or labor standards, but did allow trade restraints in the name of "public morality, public health, protection of international property and environmental health protection"1. The protection of the environment and workers' rights was so politically substantial, however, that during Bill Clinton's presidential campaign, he declared that he would only support NAFTA if it had supplemental labor and environmental agreements. 2 Unfortunately, by the time Clinton took office, NAFTA was already signed and it was too late to re-negotiate for any additional issues.3 Due to fear of delay of ratification of the existing treaty, the three countries decided to negotiate side agreements to address labor and environmental standards.4 This study will focus primarily on the labor agreement (NAALC), signed between the three countries on September 13, 1993 and its ineffectiveness to curtail abuses of laboring children in Mexico. B. Child Labor and its Causes: Child labor is a violation of the elementary rights of children such as the right to an education, the right to grow and develop in a healthy and unimpeded manner and protection from exploitation.5 The effects of child labor can be devastating and long-lasting, perpetuating poverty from generation-to-generation and pervasive disparities between classes. The prevalence of child labor is caused by many factors including cultural and generational traditions, myths and, arguably most prevalent, desperate poverty.6 In many poor families, children are forced to work either outside of the home to complement parents' income and sustain the family's basic necessities such as food or water or inside the home to assist with the care of younger children or other relatives.7 The International Labor Organization (hereinafter "ILO") estimates that as of 2012, about one-tenth of the total global child population (approximately 168 million children aged 5-17) were involved in child labor in 2012.8 While this number is considerably lower than in previous years (approximately 215 million in 2008), the number is still strikingly substantial. 9 Further, statistically determined figures may actually underestimate the problem of child labor for several reasons. First, stastical surveys often fail to cover children under twelve years old for legal implications. Secondly, many countries have inadequate resources and consequently, procedures for the documentation of child labor. Lastly, there is a disincentive for the monitoring and recording of abuses of child labor based on its illegality. 10 C. NAALC Objectives, Obligations, Principals and Enforcement: The NAALC sets forward certain objectives