Labour as an Important Part of Resources - Essay Example

A1 It has been well documented that child labor is an inevitable ill of the society at large. This is very prominent and present in developing nations who are burdened with underdevelopment of their resources, expanding populations, lack of educational facilities and proper hygiene facilities. There have been several approaches to the problem with the view of eliminating or at least reducing this menace. While it is not foreseeable that this can be eliminated nevertheless child labor can be reduced drastically with one measure and also lead to a qualitative use resulting in a possible elimination in time to come. Of the four solutions mentioned by Todaro, the one recommended by the UNICEF appears to be the most feasible. The problem is multi-faceted. Poverty cannot be reduced in difficult or adverse economic conditions as these conditions themselves contribute to expansion of poverty. Expanding population that rises geometrically also contributes to poverty. The second recognition is that families will use every resource, in this case the child, to earn more for sustenance. Food and survival has precedence over education. The third reason is that in pursuit of economic development developing countries opt for opportunistic policies and invite industries from the developed world to either use them as their supply chain or production base. In the name of employment generation this encourages child labor as a cost effective measure. UNICEF recognizes these facts and recommends several strategies. It suggests use of special considerations in the use of child labour for gradual improvement in their condition and to lay the foundation of their elimination from employment rolls. One form of this consideration is to provide time off for such children for their basic education and the provision of such educational amenities. This can use a partnership in form of the state and the employer contributing to creation of standard and educational facilities for the child. The second is to prevent the abuse of children during employment. This requires the state to recognize, promulgate and implement strict laws to eliminate this practice in industries that views child labor as a cheap resource. This also requires enlightening the industrial employer that productivity of child labour is less than the adult counterpart The third is to have stricter laws and regulations to prevent trafficking of children for abusive uses. The role of the state is paramount to eradicate this social evil. The fourth is providing support for parents of children who work on streets so that this supplementary sustenance can divert the child to education and recreation. The incentive will provide the required relief and will induce parents to divert their child to education offering him/her a better childhood and a better career opportunity in later years. The fifth is development of social norms that will lead to the development of the child as a useful member of the society and not remain just as additional and cheap resource for the family and industry. This entails removal of taboos and traditional inhibitions by dissemination of information to the parents that a healthy and educated child will become a better earning member of the family as well as a useful member of the society that will achieve economic prosperity more easily. A2 Economic Development of a country is dependent on the beneficial use of all its resources. An important part of these resources is the labour. Exploitation and use of other resources are in turn dependent on the use of this single resource. The state of this resource will determine the level of excellence and productivity of all other resources. It is usual to find that all efforts are put in acquiring and utilizing the best equipment for management of all resources. Unfortunately the developing countries do not fully appreciate that their human resources also deserve to be better prepared to meet the development challenges. The human resource, also termed as human capital, requires being better educated in order to offer improved efficiencies and productivity. However good health is a vital factor in education as better health provides the vital input for education. A healthy child can learn better and acquire skills more easily that will result in better output. It has been proved that health is a motivational factor for improved performances at the work place. The case is same for learning. Education becomes easier for a healthy child and indeed encourages him to absorb the knowledge effortlessly and raise his standards. Lower health standards are usually a result of malnutrition, bad sanitary conditions or lack of recreational facilities. Often one or a combination of all these conditions prevail in poverty stricken families and these hazards reflect in failing education standards. A3 It is often heard that Industry is the future and the way to prosperity for the 3rd world, so 3rd world agriculture should be ignored. Nothing can be farther from the truth. With increasing world population, especially in the 3rd world, there is increasing need for food. Also with improvements in economic conditions in these areas there is additional requirement for food. If they abandon agriculture how will they supplement this need? Besides, the developed countries also need additional food due to large immigrations in their countries that are necessitated due to their own falling birth rates. There is heavier industrialization in the developed countries and not all are endowed with abundant agriculture. Hence they too depend on imports from other countries. The latest proof for retaining agriculture in the 3rd world countries is the diversion of farming cropland for production of bio-fuels by the developed countries. This has contributed to the current world food crisis, as determined by an as yet unpublished World Bank report that has been reported by several newspapers last week. The world prices of food have jumped to record highs over the last two years. This too points to the fact that the 3rd world cannot afford to ignore agriculture and rely on industry alone for sustenance. In fact there has to be an adequate protection of agriculture in these 3rd world countries to offset unfavorable weather conditions that are resulting due to climate changes in the world. This is all the more reason that agriculture should get back into prominence alongside industrial development for eventual economic benefits. Read More