Child Labour - Is It Really Wrong?

Ok for those who clicked on this with the intention of ripping me a new one please take a second to think about what i'm saying.

In western societies that we consider civilized, we have many laws protecting children. The law helps keep them in educationa nd if they do work they do it by choice and get paid well for what they're doing. They can only work a certain amount of hours and so paper rounds are a common thing.

Our societies have opportunities for the parents of these children so they can be supported. Food is cheap and abundant, healthcare, even social systems are set up for the less fortunate. It's rare a child starves in our countries, evidenced by the fact that when we hear of such a thing it's a terrible shock and public outcry is heard widely.

In other countries like China, India and many other parts of the world, children and parents alike do not have the same opportunities. They don't have the backup systems we do and many children and adults starve. When companies like Nike, Primark and others come in and offer work it often means that these starving children get the money to buy food.

Whislt i dislike the idea of a child of 10 working in a clothes factory, i put that against the idea that the child will be able to afford a meal at night. Whilst child labour isn't great, it does mean these children have money for food, clothes and other things. Imagine being a parent in that country, would you prefer your child starves or your child works and eats?

It's a simplistic view of this very complex subject, but i think it has some part of truth, if someone wants to correct me go ahead. I'm well aware of the working conditions and the effects on community, overall though i think it's beneficial.

We don't get to say what other countries do with their children, nor should we. We just need to keep our own house in order.

I think our own kids have too much time on their hands. Only about 100 years ago kids had work to do. On farms they were given jobs almost as soon as they were walking. The Vikings started taking the boys out on the ships when they were "5 winters old".

Todays society has this thing about letting kids have "a childhood" during which they do nothing meaningful. They are showered with toys and games and spend many hours watching mind stifling TV. And we wonder what is wrong with these younger generations.

I really think that school kids should have some little job they could do after school hours. Say that after shool hours they get a break & a snack and then go to work for various periods according to age, attention span etc. There could be some kind of factory across from the school that does somthing like assemble widgets of some sort. Some kids could sweep the floors, others could count nuts, bolts, screws or whatever that would be used to assemble the widgets. Others could do little jobs in the shipping dept. They would from time to time learn a new job. As they got older they would do more complicated jobs. As with the farm kids and the Viking kids, this would teach them responsibility. They would have a sense of accomplishment and of course they would get paid as do adults.

In certain countries that use child labor, the wages of one days work hardly pays for a meal.

reply to post by mystiq


Ahh but it does pay for a meal, that's the point, without the work they wouldn't even have that. I'm not a cruel person, i don't like kids working, but at least they get to eat wit the money they get.

According to the Campaign Against Child Labor (CACL) child labor is : “Children prematurely leading adult lives, working WITH OR WITHOUT wages, under conditions damaging to their physical, social, emotional and spiritual development. This includes children working in any sector, occupation or process, including formal and in-formal, organized and un-organized within or outside the family.” (my caps)


Because of poverty many children around the world are forced into working full time. Unfortunately their bosses take advantage of them; they have them work for long periods with little pay in dangerous and unsanitary conditions, and sadly they are often beaten and violated. Child Labor is a world wide problem


Child labor not only robs children of their childhood but contributes to adult unemployment. Children have to compete with adults in the work place. Since child labor is so cheap it lowers adult wages. This lowers the economy and living conditions of countries. Children are cheap labor that can’t defend themselves and are easily threatened into obedience by their owners. They also will work for less pay than adults so the children receive their jobs. As a result the amount of money brought into the home is less and not enough to support the family.


Child labor hinders a third world country’s industrial development. Factory and industry bosses do not buy labor-saving technology because child labor is cheaper. Child Labor is also harmful for powerful first world countries like the U.S. Industries leave their countries and their workers for the much cheaper Child Laborers in Third World countries whom are underpaid and work in unhealthy, unsanitary conditions. The workers in the developed countries are globally competing for jobs with these children workers.


ihscslnews.org...


I'm not going to search for more links. I've read this stuff for many years, and this says it pretty well. I remember articles for third world people working for North American companies that paid there long hours so poorly that it took a weeks wage to buy one dozen eggs.

Child labor is hideous ruination of a child, akin to the slaves that rowed the ships in past eras, chained to the oars. It doen't pay as well as adult labor and reduces adult employment where there may be some ability to meet basic needs. It also reduces employment opportunities and wages in our countries.

Originally posted by mystiq
According to the Campaign Against Child Labor (CACL) child labor is : “Children prematurely leading adult lives, working WITH OR WITHOUT wages, under conditions damaging to their physical, social, emotional and spiritual development.

I have a friend who is an autonomous Home Educator and she would argue that what these people describe is exactly what happens in the compulsory schooling system in the UK .

Think about it - we force kids to go to a place that they don't want to be, for seven hours a day, and send them away from it with work to do at home, and also subject them to the stresses of tests and exams in order to get grades.

If thats not work without wages, what is it?

Originally posted by ImaginaryReality1984
reply to post by mystiq

 

Ahh but it does pay for a meal, that's the point, without the work they wouldn't even have that. I'm not a cruel person, i don't like kids working, but at least they get to eat wit the money they get.

maybe if the chinese government hadn't had kicked his parents off their land to give it to the company in the first place.....the family would be growing plenty of rice for themselves and their neighbors???

I think there needs to be some international supervision of child labor, but I also feel that conditions need to be relevant to the country involved.

For example, you'll see many claim, "Their pay for a day wouldn't even buy a cup of coffee!". Yeah, sure, it won't buy a cup of Starbucks in the U.S., but in their country, it will buy a week's worth of groceries. It's all relative.

However, some things are more universal, such as 10 hour workdays, etc., which shouldn't be tolerated for children. This area is an example of one which needs regulation.

In the U.S., I worked as a child, to help pay rent and bills. Sure, I was a teenager, and I had severe limits, but I did so out of respect and gratitude, and a sincere desire to help out. I don't see why others shouldn't also have that opportunity, but yes, abuse is rampant, and for that reason, some regulation needs to be in place, and from an international body. However, that same body cannot judge standards using another, richer country as a benchmark.

Originally posted by Gazrok
I think there needs to be some international supervision of child labor, but I also feel that conditions need to be relevant to the country involved.

For example, you'll see many claim, "Their pay for a day wouldn't even buy a cup of coffee!". Yeah, sure, it won't buy a cup of Starbucks in the U.S., but in their country, it will buy a week's worth of groceries. It's all relative.

That's my point precisely. The people saying this is awful don't realise the differenece in living costs, if you paid them a wage at our level you would basically undermine the entire economy of the host country.

Originally posted by Gazrok
However, some things are more universal, such as 10 hour workdays, etc., which shouldn't be tolerated for children. This area is an example of one which needs regulation.

Agreed cutting back on the hours would be good.

Originally posted by Gazrok
In the U.S., I worked as a child, to help pay rent and bills. Sure, I was a teenager, and I had severe limits, but I did so out of respect and gratitude, and a sincere desire to help out. I don't see why others shouldn't also have that opportunity, but yes, abuse is rampant, and for that reason, some regulation needs to be in place, and from an international body. However, that same body cannot judge standards using another, richer country as a benchmark.

I also worked as a kid, the kids doing this work tend to be quite young, however i will say again that at least they're getting paid enough to fill their stomachs. If i had a choice between starving and working, i know which i'd go for, this level of work will also maybe help them get out of the situation they're in. I know it seems far fetched but look at Africa, lots of kids going to school now, they're still the minority but at least some are. It's because their parents often found jobs in sweat shops.

I never thought of it that way. You make a good point.

A lot of people in India are really poor. Someone told me once
they saw a small boy trying to suck milk from a dog out in public
on the streets. People just kept walking by. That kinda thing goes on everyday.

Yeah, I'd rather hear about that boy working for food than to have to
do that kinda thing.