The first examples of protecting children against labor started around the middle of the 19th century in Prussia.
But it wasn't to help children. The real reason they were implemented was to improve the health of army recruits.
In 1839, King Friedrich Wilhelm III adopted the Prussian regulative, or the regulative on the employment of young workers, when he noticed what bad shape many of the recruited soldiers were in. It was the first example of a labor protection law in Germany.
Before the regulation, children were subject to working 13 hours a day in extremely hazardous conditions. "Factory children" suffered physical, mental, and spiritual damage and schooling was completely neglected. That neglect would carry to their physical state during adulthood.
Thanks to that step in safety, eventually most developed countries adopted safety regulations and child labor laws. Today we have OSH (Occupational Safety and Health) to insure safe working conditions and a proper employee care.
