Child labour - Why do we fund it

Child labour has been a cause which most of the world turns a blind eye to, although it is well documented, the fact of the matter that there are still over 250 million child workers currently working in the world today shows the problem is at its peaks and no significant solution is being negotiated between the G8 world leaders. China being the top offender of child labour has openly publicised the positives of child workers to Chinese companies in order to gross a higher turn over, a move which was not publicly criticised by any world leader to date in the worry of upsetting their relations, a move which was heavily protested around the world. Asia has an estimated 153 million child workers currently in manual labour trades in conditions which have been described as "uninhabitable and life threatening", contributing to 61%, child workers are forced to work from an age as early as 3, and are paid in a year what the inequivalent job in a MEDC country could pay an adult for an hour at minimum wage.

Although most child workers are forced into trades by the greed and debt of their parents, some however is a case of life or death, Africa for example, with over 80 million child workers, 88% of those work to stay alive with the bare minimum essentials being priced out to the poor by the rich , which brings the argument back to the global poverty issue and its domino effect. Although the worlds child labour offence is looked down upon, we as people do nothing to counter act and stop the demand, as in most more economical developed countries, products which are being sold for a fraction of the price are products which are made in such countries as China where there is no fair trade policy, yet consumers continue to fund the cause of child labour indirectly, as when the argument comes to cost over morals, there is usually only one out come in this ever increasing selfish world.

Therefore i ask, when will this world realise the solution not only for the child labour crimes but most world causes is not to donate money and forget about the situation but to change morale views of society, as in the end, there would be no child labour if we did not purchase what they were manufacturing.

Posted in: posted by Anum Saleh.BBA III.