Should Child Labor Be Permitted or Not in Third World Countries - Essay Example

Proponents of child labor have argued their case through the prism of economics. This group support child labor on the following grounds. First, some of them argue that child labor helps a family to earn extra income, as many jobs are low paying. This presents a complex situation in which governments find it difficult to enforce policies on education. Others have also argued that child labor in developing countries prepares the children to be responsible. They claim that since there are limited formal employment opportunities, it is good for the child to learn a means of survival.

In some instances, such proponents of child labor also argue that traditionally, African families were polygamous and large. Parent and children tilled land together, planted together and reaped. Boys were supposed to herd animals as girls did domestic chores. In Asian countries, child labor may be seen in the form of working in rice plantations and other informal settings. Another emerging argument in modern times with respect to education is that the cost of living has risen, and some parents cannot afford education for their children.

Rather than be idle, they argue that taking them to work offers the best solution for their unique challenges. Where the government has subsidized tuition fee in education, proponents of child labor argue that they still have to meet other expenses. They point out that it is still equally difficult to raise the boarding fee, money for uniform, shoes and other supplementary requirements and still put food on the table.Even so, the so-called benefits of child labor are just justifications. Child labor indeed has a bigger negative side.

First, scholars have observed that child labor denies the child the right to grow up as any other child should (Das and Biswal, 2012). These scholars observe that child labor socializes the child with the adult population, as opposed to growing up with peers. This is harm to the child’s social development. Some scholars have also pointed out that child labor leads to exploitation of the child. They argue that employers underpay and exploit at their various places of work. In the end, many of them do not see the full benefit of their toil.

In Asia, there have also been reports of children being exploited in sex tourism (Aziz and Iskandar, 2013). I would oppose child labor in all its form.