Child Labor in the Developing World In the latest International Labour Organization (ILO) report the organization found that there are an estimated 246 million child laborers. Of those 246 million, 179 million work in rigorous labor conditions (Azhar, 2015, p. 73). Some of the most common forms of child labor include work in sweatshops and mines. Children in sweatshops can work up to 12 hours per day for as little as a dollar per day (Collingsworth, Goold, & Harvey, (1994), p. 2) . Because of the demand for their labor, children in developing countries are denied an opportunity for education and the economic mobility that follows. Children that are forced to work through their childhood are forced into poverty as they are never given an opportunity
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Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, set out to undercut his competitors by using cheap outsourced labor. When Nike was founded in 1964 only 4% of footwear was imported. Now because of competitive pricing 98% of footwear is produced abroad (Banjo, 2014, p. 3). After being faced with backlash and consumer protest after a photo was printed in Life magazine featuring a young boy stitching a Nike soccer ball, the company decided to adopt a code of conduct for its manufacturing contractors (Banjo, 2014, p. 4-5). To ensure that this code was followed Nike hired independent auditors to monitor its factories. While these monitors have helped to cut down on some instances of child labor it has not been fool proof. In 2006 photos surfaced that showed young children stitching Nike soccer balls, this use of child labor is linked to employers sending workers home with a quota to meet which requires input from the children of the home to complete (Banjo, 2014, 6). This incident shows that even if companies keep an eye on their factories for their own interest dirty practices can still slip through the cracks.With monitoring, workers can lose all gains they’ve made when their employer enters into a new contract with a different manufacturer. This leaves the rights of the workers unprotected and easily diminished. The only way to guarantee workers’ rights is for government to intervene. Local governments must ensure that child labor is …show more content…
Families would be unable to clothe themselves or eat without children in the home working. However, this is not necessarily true. A minimum wage could guarantee that adults working full time do not need their children to supplement their income. Extremely low wages are the status quo but it is not impossible for this to change. The profit margin of goods produced in these countries would drop, but if a fair wage is mandated a fair wage must be paid. Surely profit margins could be higher if we allowed for slave labor as well, but we understand slavery to be morally repugnant. The cost of a fair wage must be paid instead of holding the workers in a type of pseudo-slavery where they are barely able to find sustenance while risking life and limb to generate profits. As a society we must accept that all human beings hold natural rights and that respecting these rights comes with a cost. We must begin to view paying a workers pennies per day in the same light as slavery and turn away from the practice. If we are to argue that unfair labor is a necessary evil then we must also believe that slavery is a necessary evil as long as they are given enough food to labor and a shelter to sleep
Phil Knight, the founder of Nike, set out to undercut his competitors by using cheap outsourced labor. When Nike was founded in 1964 only 4% of footwear was imported. Now because of competitive pricing 98% of footwear is produced abroad (Banjo, 2014, p. 3). After being faced with backlash and consumer protest after a photo was printed in Life magazine featuring a young boy stitching a Nike soccer ball, the company decided to adopt a code of conduct for its manufacturing contractors (Banjo, 2014, p. 4-5). To ensure that this code was followed Nike hired independent auditors to monitor its factories. While these monitors have helped to cut down on some instances of child labor it has not been fool proof. In 2006 photos surfaced that showed young children stitching Nike soccer balls, this use of child labor is linked to employers sending workers home with a quota to meet which requires input from the children of the home to complete (Banjo, 2014, 6). This incident shows that even if companies keep an eye on their factories for their own interest dirty practices can still slip through the cracks.With monitoring, workers can lose all gains they’ve made when their employer enters into a new contract with a different manufacturer. This leaves the rights of the workers unprotected and easily diminished. The only way to guarantee workers’ rights is for government to intervene. Local governments must ensure that child labor is …show more content…
Families would be unable to clothe themselves or eat without children in the home working. However, this is not necessarily true. A minimum wage could guarantee that adults working full time do not need their children to supplement their income. Extremely low wages are the status quo but it is not impossible for this to change. The profit margin of goods produced in these countries would drop, but if a fair wage is mandated a fair wage must be paid. Surely profit margins could be higher if we allowed for slave labor as well, but we understand slavery to be morally repugnant. The cost of a fair wage must be paid instead of holding the workers in a type of pseudo-slavery where they are barely able to find sustenance while risking life and limb to generate profits. As a society we must accept that all human beings hold natural rights and that respecting these rights comes with a cost. We must begin to view paying a workers pennies per day in the same light as slavery and turn away from the practice. If we are to argue that unfair labor is a necessary evil then we must also believe that slavery is a necessary evil as long as they are given enough food to labor and a shelter to sleep