According to UNICEF, about 158 million children aged 5 to 14 were engaged in child labour, 2015, 60% of these being in South Asia. In India, one out of every 7 children are can be classified as a child labourer, according to the UN. There are different kinds of child labour, the most common form is within the household with children assisting with household chores and in agriculture. But it is also common with children working in factories, on the street or as domestic staff. In Russia and central Asia, many children work on the street; washing cars, polishing shoes, selling flowers, gum or newspaper. In India, Pakistan or Nepal, child labour is more common in factories producing fabric, clothes and shoes. Child labour could include working
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For example, some people don’t have any income whatsoever, so for their children to work will be their only option, and way to survive. An example of this is the book “Behind the beautiful forevers”, where the main character, Abdul, who is about 15 years old, is the main income of the household, and without the possibility of him working, the entire family of 11 people wouldn’t make it. His brother is able to go to school, and possibly get a real job later.
Banning child labor would negatively affect most companies that use child labor, which would decrease the number of exports that the country makes, which could negatively affect the country’s economy. This is because being able to hire children means that the costs are lower, so more people can be hired and more products can be produced, which means more products can be exported. Also, children have certain characteristics that may be necessary for certain jobs, for example they have small hands so they can reach into small spaces. So if child labor is legal for a while longer, it could benefit the country’s economy, which could benefit the people in the long …show more content…
Of course all children in the world should have the right to a real childhood, good education and safe upbringing. But the reality is much more complex than that. With no income, little or no family and a daily survival on top of the list, it’s easy to understand why a job is better than nothing. At the same time, if all children in the world were given the same status, regardless of where they were born and live, we would not see children as “available workers” only today but instead a “valuable future resource” for each country. With well educated, safe and ambitious young people as a resource, any country in the world would be able to develop and thrive. The short term thinking that permeates the exploitation of children is also the one that is stopping many countries from long term sustainable development. In my personal opinion, the fact that people are even discussing whether brutal forms of child labour is good or not is very sad. I think that it goes without saying that innocent children don’t deserve to be harmed in this
For example, some people don’t have any income whatsoever, so for their children to work will be their only option, and way to survive. An example of this is the book “Behind the beautiful forevers”, where the main character, Abdul, who is about 15 years old, is the main income of the household, and without the possibility of him working, the entire family of 11 people wouldn’t make it. His brother is able to go to school, and possibly get a real job later.
Banning child labor would negatively affect most companies that use child labor, which would decrease the number of exports that the country makes, which could negatively affect the country’s economy. This is because being able to hire children means that the costs are lower, so more people can be hired and more products can be produced, which means more products can be exported. Also, children have certain characteristics that may be necessary for certain jobs, for example they have small hands so they can reach into small spaces. So if child labor is legal for a while longer, it could benefit the country’s economy, which could benefit the people in the long …show more content…
Of course all children in the world should have the right to a real childhood, good education and safe upbringing. But the reality is much more complex than that. With no income, little or no family and a daily survival on top of the list, it’s easy to understand why a job is better than nothing. At the same time, if all children in the world were given the same status, regardless of where they were born and live, we would not see children as “available workers” only today but instead a “valuable future resource” for each country. With well educated, safe and ambitious young people as a resource, any country in the world would be able to develop and thrive. The short term thinking that permeates the exploitation of children is also the one that is stopping many countries from long term sustainable development. In my personal opinion, the fact that people are even discussing whether brutal forms of child labour is good or not is very sad. I think that it goes without saying that innocent children don’t deserve to be harmed in this