Child labor, which predominantly occurs within third world countries, is an exploitive method used by mass corporations to increase financial profits. Corporations such as Nike and Wal-mart transfer their companies overseas to pay children a reduced amount of money to produce a product that would have otherwise cost more to manufacture within the US. As a result, US employees lose their jobs to millions of children who are deprived of their childhood, an education, and fair earnings. What these corporations fail to realize, or may not even want to acknowledge, is that they have and are harming the development of children. Although a majority of these children come from poor working-class families, do you believe they have an obligation to work long, arduous hours in confined spaces and unhealthy environments to help support their families financially? Why or why not?This is reality, but can we make a difference?
The video documents a Chinese girl who left her family
to earn extra income to send back home.
Note: All other parts are available on YouTube.
Child laborers in a sweatshop in New Delhi were rescued
from the harsh conditions.
After having been informed about the unjust conditions of child labor and labor in general within sweatshops and factories, how do you suggest we stop or reduce the continuance of such labor? Furthermore, is child labor a necessity for underprivileged countries to survive or are we simply choosing not to take action?
This UNICEF link provides statistics on child labor for each country.
Click on a continent to see the percentage of child labor in the different regions.
No child, no matter how poor should have to endure the unethical working conditions that these videos portray. I think it is the selfishness of large corporations that lead to these sweat shops. I understand that profit needs to be made, and that poor families must work to earn money. Just because those are facts, doesn't mean that these conditions and tedious hours need to be the solution. A person from a poor family in America tends to work a 9-5 job earning minimum wage, there is no reason that a poor person in another country shouldn't have those rights either. Especially a child. Although it is hard to change something that has continued for so long now, I think the power lies in the owners of these large corporations like Nike and Wal-Mart. They are the ones that should me monitoring and hiring people to work in their factories. THey should recognize the conditions they put these children in and think of their own. No one wants their child to be working in a sweat shop. I think the countries itself need to refuse to put up with these jobs. Although money is important, they need to take pride in themselves, and realize that they are worth more than what they are getting paid.
ReplyDeleteBefore we move into the action to stop child labour, I think we have to think about the reasons that force young children to go and work even though the work place is harmful and severe and they have to work hours and hours. The first, primary reason to child labour is "poverty". About 2.2 billion children who are living under poverty worldwide, today. Child poverty is more prevalent in third world countries because they have limited or absent resources to live upon. And that is why a child, who might be the only person with the ability to work among family members, have to go to severe work places: to feed his/her family. Therefore, I think the first solution we need to find is the way to end child poverty. Government organizations and industries needs to act in a socially responsible manner and to put an end to child labour or to provide children with better working conditions.
ReplyDeleteOf course, it would be better if we can help all children so that they won't have to work at all; however, facing the reality, this cannot happen in just one day. We should start improving the working environment for children to protect their health. Government should establish laws related to child labour and limit the number of hours that one child can work per day. They should also provide health or insurance benefits to all young workers and mandate all children to receive education.
Instead of deciding to eliminate child labour at once, we should find various ways to reduce the number and, ultimately, prevent our children from working in the long term.
This such unfair labor has been going on for so long, I don't feel that there isn't much the American public can do. I would like to ban any purchases from companies that use this type of labor, but many times this information is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to come by. Large companies have the ethical responsibility, not just everyday civilians, to monitor who they hire. If bigger companies took responsibility and never used this type of labor to begin with, then we the public wouldn't have to go on strike of such companies. Child labor is not a necessity for underprivileged companies, and wages should be fair and conditions should be highly improved for all workers (of legal age.) No child should be robbed of their childhood just to perform tedious, repetitive tasks for a first world country; they should be out playing and enjoying their youth.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Shelby because even if we took the American companies out of China, it wouldn't do much because if is not just us doing it. Many other countries who are sending their merchandise to China and India because they have cheap labor. This is a GLOBAL issue so it would be difficult to into another country and tell them not to send their products abroad anymore. It is hard to believe that Apple didn't know that some of their products were being made in sweat shops and Yes they do need to monitor their production. Yes no one should have to work in sweatshops and it is a terrible thing, but this issue has been going on for years! It is hard to think that we can do anything bout it. I wish there was a way, but it isn't just America contributing to the issue.
DeleteI do not believe that because children come from poor, working class families they have an obligation to work at all let alone in harsh and unhealthy working environments. Children have the right to an education so that they can have a chance to escape the vicious cycle of being exploited due to their lack of literacy and a degree. I do not think that anyone should have to endure such horrendous experiences in their work environments. To work yourself to death for a salary that could not support anyone anywhere has to be one of the cruelest injustices, not to mention inflicting this punishment on children as well as adults!
ReplyDeleteI would have to say that the only way to stop these injustices from happening is to make textile and other companies such as Apple, Nike, Gap and other companies that use abroad suppliers to manufacture their goods, to take a stand be more proactive. Without these companies, the factories where all this exploitation is occurring, would very simply cease to exist. If the big companies travelled, investigated, observed, and took a firmer hand in the production of their goods they could demand better working conditions, hours and pay for all workers and make sure that the employees are adults as well. I'm not saying to take their businesses back to the U.S., because that would hit them hard financially and they would have to severely increase the prices of all of their products, but they could take a small hit and invest in improving their factories. They could even leave an ambassador type individual to make sure that all the factories were following the companies rules and expectations after they leave. If all of the companies came together and invested the time and money to try to right some wrongs, I think Americans would appreciate the effort and hopefully would be willing to pay a little extra for the products even in this difficult, economic time.
Whether a child comes from poor, middle, or upper class, no child or any human for that matter should work and be exposed to unhealthy work environments where long hours, cramped work spaces, and no breaks are considered the norm. In a poor class situation, even if the family is struggling financially to place a burden on the child to provide income in such repulsive work places is immoral. It is not up to the child to help one’s family, the only thing a child should be worried about is developing and growing into their bodies healthily. These places have poor air conditions, little or no breaks, extremely low pay, no talking, ten or more work hours, and other sickening conditions that effects the health of a child. If a family is struggling financially, it is not worth putting a child’s health and well-being at risk to earn a few extra cents.
ReplyDeleteI believe there is always going to be child labor somewhere in the world no matter how many preventions are placed out there. However, I believe a lot more can be done about child labor. It seems like a lot of big companies practice in child labor in other countries and get away with it for a long period of time. If a company produces in other countries it should be put under inspection to ensure no child labor is going on. It is really unfortunate and sad that such big companies well known in the US partake in child labor and get overlooked.
It is probably true that child labor does help countries that are so poor, however, it should at least be not as massive as it is today. A lot of people chose to turn the other cheek concerning child labor because it makes profits for companies and the US is all about making profits. Child labor should be scaled back and the US should take more action and not just worry about the profit aspect, there are people’s lives being ruined because of child labor.
In order for child exploitation to come to an end I think that it is important for their to be under cover work from organizations that help stop exploitation all together. I completely disagree, countries do not need to have child labor in order to strive. Those children are the countries future and if they cannot see that, then those countries will never be able to move forward. Exploitation has gone to an extreme since large corporations are not doing anything about exploiting people it is up to the consumer to take action. There are a lot of factors that go into the economy of any nation but, innocent children should not have to struggle for the faults of their country. It is important for us to raise awareness of what is going on in these underprivileged countries.
ReplyDeleteI can understand why children in poorer countries are giving up their education for jobs. Their families depend on them to help with income, especially if they come from a one parent household. However, I believe children, especially those under 16 years old, should not give in to familial pressures of helping with finances. Children are not mentally prepared to take on such a big burden. Rather, they should focus on their education, social life and growing.
ReplyDeleteSince countries, especially third world countries, depend on cheap and unskilled labor, it is hard to reduce the continuance of sweatshops. With the government not strictly enforcing labor laws, factory owners will continue to hire underaged children to work for meager pay and long hours. However, I think enforcing laws against child labor can be done. It all starts with awareness. Informing the public of the harsh conditions will most likely raise groups of people who are willing to protect the children. Although there are existing groups fighting against sweatshops, not everyone is aware of how harsh conditions are. If more people were to know and have access to forming a protection group, there will be less child labor around the world. Like in California, the government imposes strict labor laws where minors under 18 years old are allowed to work part time jobs only if they acquire a work permit (https://www.dir.ca.gov/dlse/dlse-cl.htm). If the government were to enforce rules similar to California's labor laws, there would be significantly less child labor in sweatshops, if not none. Therefore, the country will will have factories to employ adult workers.
I think this topic correlates to that push and pull factor we have been discussing. We know these issues exist and we want to take action but this problem is almost impossible to find a solution for. People advocate all over the world and spread awareness and others invest in non profit organizations hoping to make a dent but this is one of those cases where you're just running in place. It's a frustrating feeling and after being in a third-world country and watching children live like this first hand, it only adds to my frustration. When I was in Cambodia, I met a 10 year-old girl while on a medical mission. She was trying to sell me scarves that were 100% silk, hand made. After buying a couple, I got to know her and asked her about her family and about herself. She had dreams of one day being able to go to "the university" as she called it, and in the mean time she was working to make money so her older brother can go to "the university." I think a lot of times what we are unaware of is the fact that because everyday is another stride for survival, there are evils amongst the family members themselves. This little girl's older brother was 19 years old, healthy enough to work, yet the family had their 10 year old daughter and her 6 year-old sibling working to make a living for them. Something is terribly wrong with that picture. The problem stems far deeper than child labor. Is this another push and pull factor for the families who decide to send their youngest children out to make a living for them? Exposing them to the harsh conditions and ignorant tourists that come their way bartering to pay $2 for a quality product that they know damn well they wouldn't be able to get in the U.S. for that price? Needless to say, no I don't think it should be their obligation to provide for their families but after meeting this little girl I realize it's not an obligation it's a necessity and she knows nothing else except that.
ReplyDeleteThe second question is hard to answer. There are so many organizations out there that are already taking the steps, taking the measures, bringing awareness and it's impossible for me to determine how this huge issue can be fixed. If it was as easy as some of my colleagues make it sound then we would have fixed it a long time ago. I think basic life education comes into play, moral standards and access to other resources. But then there's the corrupt governmental factors that anyone trying to end child labor would have to tackle and that's a huge monster in itself.
Unfortunately because of the way people in these regions think, child labor probably is a crucial factor to their survival and until we can find an effective way of putting an end to it and providing a better alternative, it will always be this way. I don't think child labor in third world countries will ever end, and I say that with an extremely heavy heart.
All human beings, whether they come from poor families or not, should not be obligated to work in harsh and unsanitary working conditions. Children are supposed to be attending schools so they will be able to be educated and have successful lives. Even though families may be struggling financially, it is not the responsibility of children to help bring in more money. The conditions that these children are being put to work in are not safe for their development. Nobody should be put into working for extremely low pay in unclean sites for big companies who are exploiting them. Parents should hope that their children exceed their education level so that they will not have to worry about having a job when they are older. Large companies and corporations should spend the extra money on their workers to make sure they are working in healthy conditions. Companies who outsource their work to third world countries should be forced to maintain the standards of work that are required in the United States. The companies such as Nike would still be making huge profits even if they paid their employees higher wages which would also keep children out of the workplace. It may not be reasonable, but if customers boycotted those companies who hire children workers, it might force them to change their regulations. The families with children who are being forced to work are being impacted as well by sacrificing the safety of their child to help support the family. Companies will always find ways around the rules and will do whatever necessary to make sure they make as much money as possible. Child labor needs to be taken more serious because it has a long-lasting effect on the children who are put into those harsh conditions.
ReplyDeleteUnder current conditions, there isn't much families in these countries can do to be fully supported other than putting the child to work. I in no way approve of it at all, but there aren't any better alternatives that can be found to otherwise increase their wealth. There is an obligation to work under horrible conditions but that doesn't mean it's a good obligation at all. It is not a necessity to have child labor in third world countries but it is a crutch that many lean on. Child labor provides fewer incentives for a country to truly advance at all and stay in stagnant state of growth. The demand for this labor draws away the drive for education, a necessity for large national growth. If the child labor is taken away, there would be a great struggle to adjust to a new way of life in the country, but with time it's condition could improve rapidly.In my opinion, options to fight child labor would be legal moves that rather than force employers to hire children, coerce them instead. Part of the issue is the poor conditions, if laws were passed that gave special awards and recognition to factories that provided very fair work conditions, these employers would have more of a business reason to improve conditions. In the case of hiring, making children actually more expensive than adults slowly would allow a safer change to a more adult filled labor environment. Passing laws that make children specifically require certain insurance or protections to make up for the loss of education make employers find children as more of a risk than adults do. Ultimately all workers should have protection rights, but to tackle the current problem of today, there needs to be a gradual process to that point, not one huge push that can mess up an entire economy.
ReplyDeleteNo child no matter what their economic background deserves to work in such horrible conditions. I understand that companies do this to make a profit, but no amount of money in the world is worth a child being subjected to such horrible conditions and treatment. I also do not believe that they have the obligation to work under those conditions to support their families, especially since some children begin to work as early as the age of five. Imagine being five years old and being told that you have to go to work. Childhood is time in which you grow, play, and enjoy life, not work in unhealthy conditions to make money for your family. I truly feel that the biggest catalyst for change lies within the corporations themselves because no matter how much we campaign and rally for child labor to be stopped, if the companies do not instill change in any way, the cycle will just continue to occur. But i am not saying that we cannot enforce change at all, we can try to get the government to establish laws against child labor. It is not something that can occur overnight, but something that needs to happen over time. I do not think that child labor is a necessity, I believe that we need to take the initiative and stop this horrible act.
ReplyDeleteThe image of a child, regardless of race or background, slaving away in a factory of any sort is appalling. Worse than this, the fact that the majority of child laborers find employment in factories with such poor sanitation, lack of safety, and abusive shift managers is utterly revolting. As devastating as the image is of a child black and blue, hungry and hurting in a factory that is cramped, dangerous, and unfeeling, we must realize something: we do not understand. I would never condone the actions of larger corporations or factories that exploit the childhoods of poor adolescents and children. However, the factories are not the only guilty parties. The societies from which these child laborers come are the real slave-drivers. For, without this extra income, many families could not survive. Without the added salary, small as it may be, many of these children would starve. As awful and demeaning as the conditions of these industries are, the streets are no better. If we shut these factories down, not only will we jeopardize foreign and domestic economies on a large scale, but we will also send these children and their families out to the street. To these families and children, the working conditions may be detestable, but there is hardly another option. These children will not run home to bed or toys or cartoons if they stop working in these factories: they will face starvation and homelessness. I want to see action taken as well, but I advise everyone to act with caution and understanding first. The companies are not the sole creators of evil squalor and destitution. We must also consider what the countries, counties, and cities are doing either to enable or remedy these conditions.
ReplyDeleteI definitely think it is very wrong to put any young child to work in such horrible conditions. However, at the same time, we live in a society where children are catered to and have so many available resources. In third world countries like China, it is perfectly normal for a child to be put to work for the family. We always have to look at a situation from both sides. Now obviously, I do not agree with the conditions that the children, or any worker, must endure, especially in these "sweatshops." I could not even imagine having to work all day and night in those harsh conditions. Also, the wages are way too low, most factory workers, like the one in your example of "China Blue", make a mere 6 cents an hour, and dont get overtime until the 12th hour of working, IF they are lucky. And to think that workers get fined if they do not have a badge, or clock in a minute late, is ridiculous. It makes me feel grateful for the job that I have, and the conditions that I get to work in. It will definitely make me take a step back when I am frustrated at work, and realize that I am lucky not to be in China making 6 cents an hour.
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to say whether or not child labor is a necessity without having lived in these families shoes. I am assuming some families do this, because they absolutely need the money. While other children do it to be more independent or they feel obligated to help their family, and this is the only way they can do it. I feel like we can take steps to help better this situation. We could possibly preach better working conditions make happier workers which in turn, raised productivity. Maybe we could give some money to the factories in order to have better working conditions, or perhaps pay their workers higher wages.
I do not think we would chose not to take action. I honestly feel that this problem arising in China is not known to a big enough population. Once it is known to more people, certain organizations will take action, which can then in turn, make the government take some action as well. But I do feel that something does need to be done.
It's appalling to think companies care more about making a profit and their bottom line than the lives of young children and workers who create the products. It is even more appalling the amount of First World people who know of these tragedies and care more about looking cool and having the latest fashions and gadgets than the workers and children. While many Americans may not realize the severity of these conditions, we need to raise awareness so that consumers can make more humane and informed decisions to stop these conditions. I like how Group 1 made us aware of groups like Unicef and showed us that there are things we as regular citizens and consumers can do, it starts with awareness and that is our obligation as informed young consumers.
ReplyDeleteI don’t believe in children working in these conditions just to help support their families. I understand that in some cultures, it is accepted for children to support their families, but I feel that it is the family’s obligation to be able to support their children if they are choosing to have a large family. I feel that child labor is unethical and prevents children from having a real childhood, no matter the poor working-class family. I feel it is a child’s right to have a childhood. It makes me sad that these children have to face these conditions and for them, there is no question about it.
ReplyDeleteI don't beleive that under any circumstance a child under the age of 16 should have to work to help their family. There is no financial struggle or situation bad enough to call for child labor as the neccessary solution. By no means should a child be obligated to work. Children deserve to be children and have a carefree life while they are still young. They deserve an opportunity for education. Young children should not be concerned with their families financial stresses and have to worry about such matters. Children do not belong in the work place where they suffer the consequences and hardships of adult life. They also should not be placed in such dangerous and volatile environments as the factories and sweatshops where they are at risk of physical and verbal abuse. Even if a child felt that they were obligated to financially contribute to the family, working in factories would not make enough of a difference to really help. A child will find themselves stuck in a nasty cycle of working their whole lives in a factory and never being able to make enough money to get out and make a better life for themselves. It is hard for us to stop or reduce the continuance of this kind of labor. The responsibility is often in the hands of the companies such as Nike and Wal-Mart. The companies need to have inspectors do impromtu inspections so that the workers and bosses will not have time to prepare and hide their flaws. We, as consumers, can refuse to purchase from companies that feed into child labor or join/donate to organizations that work to stop it. I think that it is seemingly necessary for struggling countries but in reality there are in fact other ways to progress economically as a country. India is not struggling like they used to be are it is becoming more of a global place as far as economic status and trade. So yes, there are other ways to pull out of economic struggle and action needs to be taken towards going in new directions and turning away from child labor.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteIn a perfect world, no one goes hungry, children are protected from harm, eat three warm meals a day, and only worry about what they are going to wear to school the next day. In a perfect world corporations provide a quality product, and pay their employees a fair wage for a fair days work. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world. However, it’s much easier said then done. Before we blame these corporations for taking advantage of these people, living in countries that don’t hold the same values we do, we should look at what would happen to those same people if these companies stopped conducting business there. We need to understand that these countries do not have the same value system. They may not be paid the amount they should, but without that little pay they are receiving, they would have nothing. If we take away this little pay, the same people that are working in these harsh conditions will be left in an even worse situation with no money at all. With this however, changes do need to be made. Children at a young age should never be forced to work in these harsh conditions. Stopping child labor all together will probably never be accomplished but if these large corporations set some kind of rules to attempt to keep young children out of these work environments, the conditions will become a lot better. It’s not a perfect world, but hopefully over time and attention being brought to these problems, changes will be made, and it will get a little closer everyday.
ReplyDeleteI think that as an American, I have a very different perspective than the people do in these poorer countries. As an American, it is inherent in me, that children are not allowed to work. I grew up with out having to work, and I learned in school about American laws prohibiting child labor. With all that being said, I can't even process the idea of children having to work to support their families. I do not believe that any child should have to work at all, let alone work long hours in confined spaces and dangerous environments in order to financially support the family. The way I was raised is that a parent is supposed to support a child, not that a child should be a financial opportunity to benefit a parent. Maybe we have controlled this problem in America, but I think that this needs to be addressed on a world scale. In order to reduce such continuances, I think this should be a global first priority. Right now we are pouring millions if not billions of dollars into wars, while this torture is going on. Its remarkable to me that America is in need of jobs, while other countries have jobs available for unskilled children. Perhaps technology needs to be shared so that these jobs can still be done in other ways. I also think that poorer countries should find a way to offer incentives to families who send their children to school. If technology could reduce the cost of labor, this money could then go towards these types of incentives creating a more educated group of young adults. I also think this issue should be handled on a local family level. Families that are already struggling to support themselves should not bring children into their world. Every pregnancy can be avoided if adults can handle things responsibly. Child labor should never be a necessity to support a country. Exploiting youth shouldn't even be an option, and I think that it is the responsibility of everyone to make sure that this issue is taken care of as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteChild labor is one of the world's biggest issues today. I don’t believe that children from poor working-class families should feel obligated to work long hours, under terrible conditions, for ridiculously low wages. They are being deprived of a childhood and causing harm to their health. The government should be doing more to take care of their people. But I also see it from their point of view. Most children that are being put through child labor are doing so to support their families. They are just doing what they can to survive. Even though we might not agree with it, it does happen because they are less fortunate and have to work under these harsh conditions. Companies know about and take advantage of their less fortunate situations and try to make it a win-win for both parties. They are providing children with an opportunity to work and make some money, for their work in return. It’s a sad, unfortunate cycle that needs to be stopped or cut back. I believe that there is no way we can completely stop child labor from happening in the world. Not trying to be pessimistic or anything, but it’s true. There will always be some form or cruel, unfair labor out there. It all just depends on how ethical a business is. We can protest all we want, but sometimes protesting can be a bad thing. I watched a documentary about this in one of my other classes. We might see it as a way of helping the poor working-class families, but they see it as us taking away their labor and source of income. They feel that if they fight back, the companies will just go to another country that will be willing to work and they will just be left with nothing. This is why it is such a complicated ongoing debate, there’s no easy way to solve it.
ReplyDeleteIn no way do I believe that children from poor families who live in poorer countries should work and live in these conditions. Children because they are innocent and unknowledgeable about the world, deserve better. American companies, such as Nike should not be exploiting but helping these children. Nike makes so much money because of this labor, yet after making all this money, they do nothing to stop the condition and what is worse, they try to pretend it is not happening! Taking advantage of impoverished people, who did not choose to be born into a poor country and have no way of escaping their reality, is not ethical for any company and should not be considered a valid reason for child labor to exist. Yes, these companies do provide some sort of income for these people but how limited are we to think that this abuse of children cannot change? There are organizations that are trying to stop child labor but as was shown in the power point, this is not enough. What is required is for American citizens to stop buying the products from the companies who use child labor. Although this may seem extreme, sometimes it takes extremes to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteStephanie Panozzo
DeleteThe only solution that I can see working is a boycott of all companies that use child labor. However the reality is that its probably not going to happen. This is not simply a problem that occurs in other countries. Companies who go overseas for cheap labor do so because that is their job. Big companies have a responsibility to their stockholders to deliver the highest revenue possible and they do that by providing consumers with new goods at lower prices. If revenue dropped significantly then companies would be forced to follow the consumers' views. Because if customers refuse to buy from them then their company is dead. While it is much easier to blame large companies like Apple for going overseas and abusing children laborers the truth is a number of us are typing this out on some sort of Apple product. Child labor is not necessarilly needed in underpriveleged countries, but we should not simply condemn it. A generation ago it was perfectly normal for a kid to pick up a paper route in order to make money. Also for some of these kids its eating or education, and I doubt very many of us would be willing to give up eating to go to school.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I haven't seen mentioned in any of the comments is that we have sweatshops and child labor, albeit illegal. This is not simply a problem that occurs in other countries, but is a problem at home too. Which leads me to the conclusion that in the end we can point fingers at everyone we want, but it all comes down to what we as individuals do.
No matter the financial status of these families I believe that children should never have to work at such a young age. These children should especially not be working in the horrible conditions of these factories. These countries should provide some sort of welfare to these families that would otherwise make children work just to help their family financially. If the child begins working at 12 years old he/she is missing out on important developmental years of their life and they will never have the chance to just be a child. Child labor should never be a necessity for underprivileged countries to survive. If the United States is so set on helping other countries reform and rebuild why can't the country help these small countries that are barely surviving and forcing the children to live in such horrible conditions. No child should have to work no matter their living conditions.
ReplyDeleteIn today's world or in ANY world, children should NOT be treated like toys and should not be played around for nothing. The companies who encourage child labor are not just ruining the child's childhood but also his/her future. Because these kids start working in such unhealthy and hazardous places at such an early age, they never get an opportunity to get educated. The illiteracy rate of the countries where child labor is followed is therefore so high. The reason why outsourcing has become such a big thing is because these countries offer child labor at such a cheap cost. If every country unites and bans child labor and instead heirs adults and pays them the correct wage, no country would suffer a loss. The children's parents can work and earn enough then and provide for their families at least. And then these children can get educated and get a honorable job and earn enough for the entire family. This way the companies outsourcing for cheap labor will stop and will start manufacturing in their own countries which will not only increase the employment rate of that country but also its economy as the country will make high profits. In this way, both the countries will be profited and even if the prices go up because of manufacturing it in the same country, people are still making more money because of this. So their spending capacities are gonna increase. Underprivileged countries would not be as miserable if they would all just respect each other and their children. Human beings should not forget humanity and figure out a way around this brutality. People should always remember that nothing is impossible in this world and that if proper efforts are made this world would become a better place. No child in this world, no matter how poor or unfortunate, deserves a happy childhood and an opportunity to a bright future.
ReplyDeleteHow to we reduce the continuance of child labor? It is a question that needs to be addressed through different levels. It is not only a question for individual’s people but also for institutions and governments. Collectively we can work together to get rid of the lack of regulation for child labor and sweatshops. We can reduce the occurrence of child labor by looking at that governments culture and environment. I do not feel comfortable prescribing a solution because I understand that they way I think and the way I feel people should address social justice issues (even what I consider social justice issues) can be completely different depending on the culture. Therefore, we start by allowing those who are harmed by these sweatshops to voice their own opinion of their conditions. Listening for once to those who are affected, and helping them get the attention of their governments is a good start. What we can do here in the US is to make sure that the corporation (wal-mart, nike, Apple, ext. ) know that their culture (the consumers) reject their supporting of sweatshops. These corporations have to know that if they are a symptom of this problem their consumers will reject them, this is the only way they will also listen to us.
ReplyDeleteThe only reason child labor would even be considered to be a necessity for the survival of people is because Globalizaiton has created this economy that has created only a few winner and more losers in an economical market. For those at the bottom doors to prosperity have been lost because of cheap labor. Standing up for each others rights and supporting an ecosystem that is self sustainable within its own environment rejects all instances of sweatshops. There would not be this idea that child labor is essential to survival.