Child Labour
Child labour is one of the topic that presents strong emotions, beliefs and opinions. Most people are opposed to the involvement of children in labour force activities when they are at an age when other activities, such as education and play, should be the central role in development. However, child labour represents an extremely difficult and complex issue which often extends beyond emotions, beliefs and opinions. Much of this has to do with the understanding that a wide variety of factors, such as economic, cultural, social, political and legal concerns, are part of any child labour problems as well as the solution to these problems. With this in mind, the purpose of this paper will be to discuss the issue of child labour on a national and an international scale. This will not only include an evaluation of it prominence and any problems that are associated with the use of child labour, but also an examination of the efforts that are being made to discourage national and foreign markets who employ children.
In many respects, the issue of child labour on a national scale, at least from a Canadian perspective, is one that is quite limited. Much of this has to do with the fact that a significant amount of powerful legislation and enforcement of this legislation is available. For example, the Ontario
Employment Standards Act states that individuals under the age of 18 must be paid a minimum of $6.40 per hour1. Furthermore, through the Ontario Occupational
Health and Safety Act, regulations have been created which allow for a minimum age of 16 for logging activities, 15 for factory activities other than logging, and 14 for activities other than factory work2.
Unfortunately, an examination of child labour on an international scale reveals the extent to which this situation exists, as well as the degree to which problems can arise. "A systematic estimate, undertaken in 1985, calculated around 31 million street children worldwide, of whom 71 percent were child workers living at home, 23 percent kept occasional family contact, and 8 percent were entirely separated"3.
While the number of child workers is significant, it is equally apparent that the reasons why they are involved in employment can attributed to a number of sp...
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...velopment of such a solution. More specifically, economic progress is important, however, it is equally apparent that a great deal of significance can be attached to improvements in education and social security or assistance policies as well as the development of international agreements that deal with this issue.
Bibliography
Bequele, A. and Myers, W. E. First things first in child labour. Geneva:
International Labour Organization, 1995.
Black, Maggie. In the twilight zone: Child workers in the hotel, tourism and catering industry. Geneva: International Labour Organization, 1995.
Government of Ontario. Information for Students Working in Ontario. Toronto:
1995.
Government of Ontario. Regulations for Industrial Establishments. Toronto: 1990.
Myers, William E., ed. Protecting Working Children. London: Zed Books Ltd., 1991.
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1 Government of Ontario, 1995, p. 1.
2 Government of Ontario, 1990, Section 4.
3 Black, 1995, p. 9.
4 Myers, 1991, p. 9.
5 Myers, 1991, p. 9.
6 Myers, 1991, p. 9.
7 Myers, 1991, p. 9.
8 Black, 1995, p. 43.
9 Bequele and Myers, 1995, p. 33.
10 Bequele and Myers, 1995, p. 35.
11 Bequele and Myers, 1995, p. 34.
12 Bequele and Myers, 1995, p. 88.
...edia coverage, the world is now aware. Fortunately, this awareness has also lead to action. Since the early nineties, many international organizations have put forth much effort to ensure that this injustice is amended. With enough hard work and dedication to the cause, the issue of child labor will hopefully be nonexistent in the new millenium, providing new hope and prospects for the children of the future.
Throughout time children have worked myriad hours in hazardous workplaces in order to make a few cents to a few dollars. This is known as child labor, where children are risking their lives daily for money. Today child labor continues to exist all over the world and even in the United States where children pick fruits and vegetables in difficult conditions. According to the article, “What is Child Labor”; it states that roughly 215 million children around the world are working between the ages of 5 and 17 in harmful workplaces. Child labor continues to exist because many families live in poverty and with more working hands there is an increase in income. Other families take their children to work in the fields because they have no access to childcare and extra money is beneficial to buy basic needs. Although there are laws and regulations that protect children from child labor, stronger enforcement is required because child labor not only exploits children but also has detrimental effects on a child’s health, education, and the people of the nation.
We are often unaware or pick to disregard the problem of child labor in sweatshops. However, even though most people are not conscious of this, it is a reality that many children are deprived of their childhood and are enforced to work. It has been estimated by the International Labor Organization (2013) that 250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen work in emerging countries. More than half of these child laborers are hired in Asia, others work in Africa and Latin America mostly.
The IKEA distribution chain uses a business model that involves exclusive outsourcing for product manufacture. Due to this type of sourcing, the fact of the matter is that IKEA itself does not involve in manufacturing or production but instead relies exclusively on contractors. This means that they have only limited control of how such facilities operate and generate product. As a result of the above strategy, IKEA had recently come under fire through media and public awareness campaigns for employing Child Labor in countries like India, Pakistan and Nepal by their suppliers (One in Specific, Rangan Exports). This situation was caused despite IKEA repeatedly reiterating the importance of not employing child labor to their suppliers owing to
Christopher Hibbert’s The English: A Social History, 1066-1945, harshly reflects child labor. The author uses graphic details to portray the horrible work environment that the children, sometimes as young as four and five, were forced to work in. Hibbert discusses in much detail the conditions the children work in, the way they are mistreated, and what was done to prevent child labor.
Child Labour In the past few years, a great deal of attention has been drawn to the global problem of child labour. Virtually everyone is guilty of participating in this abusive practice through the purchase of goods made in across the globe, usually in poor, developing nations. This issue has been around for a great length of time but has come to the forefront recently because of reports that link well known American companies like Wal-Mart and Nike to the exploitation of children. Prior to this media attention, many Americans and other people in developed nation were blind to the reality of the oppressive conditions that are reality to many.
Why are children being forced into labor in todays society? Childhood is a vital and powerful experience in each individual's lifetime. It is the most important and impressionable period of learning. Throughout all of the highs and the lows, childhood is remembered forever. Although children have many rights, in some developing countries these rights are not always protected. Older, manipulative adults are taking advantage of children to make a profit for themselves. This is known as child labor, and it happens much more than many people realize. Child labor is corrupt and there is no place for it in our modern world today.
In some parts of the world kids have to work to pay over a bill or a loan that their family owns. Child labor usually happens when parents can’t pay bills or owe someone money. Instead of paying who they owe money, and then the child does child labor. The soccer balls you use at the field could possibly be made by a three year old or by a twelve year old. Some children have to do jobs meant for grown strong men. We have read from the article soccer balls take a day make.
The term ‘child labor’ is used to define any work that is mentally, physically and morally harmful to children, and interferes with their education (ILO). Children have been used as a labor force throughout most of our history. After decades of struggle aimed to combat the massive employment of child labor, the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 ratified that children have the right to develop harmoniously their personality in a loving family environment. Moreover, it recognized the right of the children to be protected from exploitation, and any form of labor that jeopardizes their physical, mental and moral well-being. However, child labor is still eagerly diffuse in developing countries,
Children forced into harsh conditions, forced to work for long and never ending hours, all this for the bare minimum; That is Child Labour. It is a topic that I have been slightly drawn to for it is an important but tragic part in Canada's history. "What was a Labourer's day like?", this question is what I have been basing my research on as I believe it is something that can be quite interesting as well as insightful to understanding their situation. As everyone knows Children have been labourers for much of human history, they were usually seen as an economic asset for their families.
Jobs are what support us to be able to live the lives we want, and without a steady job it can lead to poverty. Many people today get their first job in their teens in America, however, many less developed countries force young children to work in factories. These factories with dangerous conditions require the children to work long hours for little money. The inadequate child labor laws are the reason why child labor still exist. Also from the cause of poor families trying to survive in some harsh economies by putting their children to work. Child labor in developing countries comes from poverty, lack of education, and social issues; therefore, stricter labor laws, monitor of security, and a stronger economy will help end child labor.
With poor social conditions, ineffective laws, and weak economies, child labor will continue to transpire in Sub-Saharan Africa. As of the 21st century, Sub-Saharan Africa alone has about thirty percent of the world's child labor (U.S. Department of Labor). With relatively young and inexperienced population, the people are unaware and uneducated on the danger that children face in harsh conditions. Laws pertaining to child labor can prove to be futile in certain places like Monterrado County, Liberia, where no impact has been made regarding the children’s rights (“Liberia”). Since parts of Sub-Saharan Africa are considered less developed countries, their economy creates a dependence on cheap labor. Children "subjected to child labor are under
Children all over the world today are being forced into labor. They are being made to work in sweatshops, prostitution rings, and even the military and face negative consequences as a result.
The next time when you are out on your shopping trip, chances you may have support a business that exploits children. It is very disturbing and heartbreaking to learn many children are chained to looms for 12 hours a day because families need to have their child bringing home a small amount of moneys. Child labor has always been a difficult subject to address, the topic have become much more complicated and prolific.
So I believe that the issue of child labour is not simple. As Unicef’s 1997 State of the World’s Children Report argued, children’s work needs to be seen as having two extremes. On one hand, there is the destructive or exploitative work and, on the other hand, there is beneficial work - promoting or enhancing children’s development without interfering with their schooling, recreation and rest. ‘And between these two poles are vast areas of work that need not negatively affect a child’s development.’ My firm belief is that there is a difference between child labour and child work and that in both cases the issue is whether or not the child is deliberately being exploited.