Child Labour in Pakistan - Assignment Example

? Child Labour in Pakistan Introduction Child labour is a reality that has continued to challenge society since the dawn of the industrial revolution. In the eras before the industrial revolution, families in various cultures all over the world encouraged their children to work alongside parents in farms. Even if the children worked for long hours, it was not viewed as being an infringement of their rights because their parents worked harder to provide for them. The industrial revolution saw the introduction of schools in Western nations. Children were expected to attend schools on a daily basis in order to improve their futures. Governments began to press parents to send their children to school instead of forcing them to work. Question1 What are the main ethical issues under examination? The progress made by national economies among Western nations in the 20th century facilitated the schooling of children as parents did not need them to labour for wages to meet family expenses. The parents also began to see the advantage in ensuring that their children attended schools. In many developing nations, though, this is not yet a reality (Dessy and Vencatachellum 2003). Nations with a large percentage of low income societal classes have to constantly grapple with the issue of child labour because they need all family members to work in order to meet the family expenses. There are many ethical issues involved in child labour. In many developing nations, which often have the largest numbers of working children, the conditions in which children are forced to work are often deplorable. Children do not ask for higher wages, unlike adult workers. They can also be forced or intimidated to work for long hours in dangerous conditions (Parker and Harkin 2007). This is why many unscrupulous employers in both developed as well as developing nations would prefer to work with children rather than adults when they have monotonous and dangerous work to be done. For instance, there are many plantations of crops in developing nations where child workers will be given pesticides to spray on the crops without being given any overalls or protective gear to wear in order to protect their skin and eyes. Child labour in many developing nations also tends to be gender biased. Among poor families, when there is only enough money to send one or two children to school, it is the male children who will be selected. Female children are then expected to work in order to sustain their brothers in school as well as providing for the family. This issue does not only affect the companies functioning in developing nations. With globalisation, many multinational corporations have benefitted from the chance to expand to overseas locations. This means that they have the opportunity to take advantage of cheaper production that results from the use of child labour (Parker and Harkin 2007). In some cases, the foreign partners with which multinational corporations work keep the reality of child labourers away from them. However, in many cases, the multinational corporations may be aware of the use of children and may choose to turn a blind eye so as to make handsome profits. In nations such as Pakistan, children are often compelled to work for a pittance in sweatshop conditions (Gifford 2009). In such places, the children work in dimly lit areas that have poor ventilation and no sanitation facilities. The children work for long hours without any breaks for rest and are often subjected to sexual, emotional, and physical abuse by their supervisors. In addition, children who work overnight in such facilities are often locked inside the facilities in which they are working so that they may not steal anything in the absence of a supervisor. In the past, this has resulted in the tragic loss of life when fires suddenly erupted in the production facilities due to electrical faults. Another reason why child labour is wrong is that it steals childhood from children and can result in mental problems later as they struggle to reconcile themselves with the fact that they did not have the chance to be children. Most of the jobs that are children are employed in involve hard manual labour for which the children’s’ bodies are not ready. Putting this type of strain on the children can result in persistent depression. It is an established fact that a person’s childhood is easily the time when he or she has the most opportunity to enjoy being carefree. Forcing children to shoulder emotional burdens that come with labour such as tension is unethical (Bhalotra and Heady 2003). Children who are forced to work throughout their childhood tend to be emotionally crippled in their later years because they feel that they lost a significant part of themselves that they can never regain. Another reason why child labour is unethical is because it results in social backwardness as well as crime (Herumin 2008). When children are compelled to spend their childhood working in dirty rooms or in the fields, instead of in school and on playgrounds, they do not have the opportunity to learn about various things that are important in the present society. In today’s information-driven society, it is especially important for children to have access to knowledge as soon as possible in order for them to be able to get good jobs in future. Forcing children to work in the fields results in illiteracy, poverty, overpopulation and unemployment (Katunguka 2007). This is because, in the absence of knowledge to inform them of the importance of getting good jobs and creating families that they are able to support, the children will probably start reproducing early and then condemn their own children to the only lives that they have ever known- that of ceaseless toil for hardly any wages. In addition, when children are forced to work while being abused or paid little wages, they quickly learn to become underhanded if only to support their own families. They may steal a few things from their workplaces in order to get even with their employers. However, it is unlikely that this trend will stop in childhood. With a background steeped in injustice, the children will likely grow up with the notion that life is unfair and that they have to take whatever they need by force from other people (Katunguka 2007). Such a mentality is what will serve as the base of their future actions as they develop into career criminals.  Question2- use four different theories to explain the issue of child labor There are different theories that can be used to outline the effects of child labor on the family, the community, and the wider society. Some of these theories are utilitarianism, deontology, and altruism. Child Labor and Rawl’s theory of Justice- According to Rawls’ theory of justice, which follows Kant’s theory on ethics, while child labor is intrinsically unethical because it tramples on the lives and rights of children, it is sometimes unavoidable. According to the theory of justice, in some circumstances, the use of child labor has its benefits as the child in question may be able to obtain substances such as food which were previously unavailable; albeit in controversial circumstances. Child Labor and the theory of Utilitarianism- According to the theory of utilitarianism, the use of child labor by any organization is a ethically wrong as it results in extremely negative consequences for different community stakeholders. The use of child labor can actually destroys children’s lives as they are not left with enough time in which to do things that will benefit them in future such as acquiring an education. In this particular case, the children who participate in making the trinkets may not seem to be subjected to strenuous exercise, but the reality is that they are not left with any time to commit to their studies. According to the theory of utilitarianism, the children who are forced to work also experience physical as well as psychological consequences if they work in industries that harm their health. For instance, children who work in brick making organizations can suffer physical effects; particularly in their lungs. This means that the long or short stint as a child laborer will not only affect the child’s present but also the child’s future. Child Labor and the theory of Altruism- The theory of altruism supports the notion that the presiding government has to choose the best situation for the children even at the cost of causing companies to lose their most productive workers. If the government of Thailand, for instance, made it possible for the poor families within its borders to be able to access welfare, the families of the children who were helping in making toys would have enough money and would not necessarily need to participate in helping their parents to ensure that they had food. This move would not be beneficial for the organizations that employed the children; however, it would force them to create more ethical policies which are in support of hiring legally acceptable workers. Child Labor and the theory of Deontology- The theory of deontology is a non- consequentialist theory that judges actions against the principles of universal acceptability, consistency, and their alignment with human rights. In this case, the use of child labor, even when they are not physically mistreated and are only used to make harmless objects such as toys is not acceptable because it contravenes the children’s human rights, is not an acceptable practice in the developed nations of the world, and would not be deemed as being correct and fair if other nations adopted it as a principle. According to the deontology theory, companies should create policies that would eliminate the necessity of using child labor across the board. There are also different theories that can be used to explain why parents compel their children to participate in child labor in places like sweat shops. Some of these theories include: The Family Poverty Theory- According to this theory, children will allow themselves to be contracted in places such as sweatshops at the request of members from their families (Gifford 2009). The Self Actualization Theory- This theory supports the premise that some children wish to gain the experience of working even if they do not have to in order to move towards self – actualization. The theory of Family Dynamics- While family members may not wish for children to work, their low income status leaves no choice as the family requires that all people pitch in so as to be able to gain money for basic needs. The Theory of Poverty- According to the theory of poverty, the wanting circumstances that some children find themselves, such as being orphans- forces them to resort to working in order to sustain themselves and their younger siblings so as to survive. Ethical resolutions to the dilemma? The most ethical way in which the problem of child labor can be solved is through including organizations and national governments in all efforts to curb this practice. It is not truly ethical to seek to compel parents to stop their children from working in organizations because the money that the children make might be needed by the family (Barrow and Ince 2008). International organizations, for instance, can launch a global campaign to deal with this concern. In regards to the Right and Justice theory, there are different ways in which the issue of child labor can be dealth with. Some of these include: The Creation and Implement of counter- legislation- International organizations such as the United Nations can seek to penalize the nations that still allow child labor by advocating embargos. Nations can also ratify laws that make it illegal for organizations to use child labor; and then compel the law enforcement establishments to arrest all organizations found to be flouting the law. The use of Corporate Social Responsibility- Individual organizations can initiate corporate social responsibility initiatives for the purpose of encouraging other firms to abandon the practice of using child labor. Corporate social responsibility initiatives can actually benefit organizations by improving their image and thus drawing more customers. The use of Audit and Monitoring Processes- Organizations should ensure that they have regular audit processes that can contribute towards the detection and reprimanding of organizations that use child labor. In a nation such as Thailand, which is the nation with child workers in this particular case, it would be more beneficial for organizations to use foreign auditors in order to ensure that corruption does not allow the challenged organizations to go free. Welfare Initiatives for Children- Nations such as Thailand ought to adopt social mechanisms such as welfare programs which are implemented in local schools with the help of either international or national organizations. that (Hesketh, Gamlin, and Woodhead 2006). These organisations can provide services such as referrals, free counseling, and educational support for children who are presently trapped in child labour and desire to have brighter futures (Panter-Brick 2003). Governments can also make the decision to prioritise early education in developing nations that have the highest percentages of child labour (Kemi 2010). This can be done by providing free primary education for all children and ensuring that the primary and elementary schools are not only well staffed with teachers and resources but are also positioned near all communities so that the children do not have to walk far to reach them (Stearman 2004). Consumers in many Western nations that form the bulk of the clientele that benefits from the products made by children can also be educated about child labour and the need to push for companies to stop using child labour. Moreover, the best way to tackle child labour is probably the hardest to effect. Changing culture is never an easy thing to accomplish. However, in societies such as Pakistan, where the culture actively supports child labour, it is necessary to amend it if the percentages of children who are forced to work are to be reduced. In Pakistan, there are many cultural norms that contribute to the persistence of child labour (Parker and Harkin 2007). For instance, in most families, particularly in the lower classes, there is the expectation that children will actively contribute, from the age when they are able to, to the family’s finances. There is also the lesser known institution of ‘bonded labour’ which is a common feature in Pakistani society. According to Gifford (2009), bonded labour was perceived, in the past, as a normal part of societal living and came from the entrenched caste system which perpetuated unjust social relations. ETHICAL CASE My gut reaction to watching the ‘family business’ where even small children were making the toys in Thailand would be to conduct a further, less obvious investigation in order to verify the true nature of what I saw. It is impossible to tell, just by observing the family for less than five minutes, if they are really doing what they are doing because they wish to or because it is a necessity. It is important to ensure that child labour is discouraged. It is also true that I would not want any young relations of mine to work in order to help in meeting the family’s needs. However, I am also aware that simply withdrawing completely from the business deal would actually leave the children with less money for their daily needs. In addition, it would offend the partners with whom my company is in partnership. The better way to deal with this issue, even if child labour was established as being the reason for the inclusion of the six children in the work, would be to find ways of supporting the family in more legal ways. For instance, I would look to find out if the family could volunteer additional adults to work on making the toys within the company’s headquarters and not outside it. I would also lobby my company’s executives to find out if it would be possible to start programs aimed at sponsoring the school fees of the children of the company’s foreign workers. Moreover, I would seriously discuss the issue of child labour with the company’s workers and insist to the supervisors that all the toys and other products were to be made within the company and not outside it. I would also attach penalties to this stipulation in order to emphasise on the seriousness with which the company was taking this issue. Finally, I would take it upon myself and a few other trusted colleagues to visit with each of the workers in their homes in order to speak candidly about the reality of their lives. This calls for involvement of the executives of the company and not any from the Thai branch of the company. This is because, in a nation like Thailand, it is not likely that the supervisors will want to address unpleasant issues that have to do with poverty and what families are forced to do in order to survive. The supervisors themselves probably lived through this system in their own homes, and so may not see anything wrong with it. This means that investigations have to be conducted in their absence and without their knowledge so that there is no chance for them to coerce their poor workers to give an embellished account of their working lives in an effort to present a rosy front to the Western-based company. References Barrow, C. & Ince, M. (2008) Early childhood in the Caribbean, The Bernard Van Leer Foundation, The Hague. Bhalotra, S. & Heady, C. (2003) ‘Child farm labour: the wealth paradox’, The World Bank Economic Review, vol. 17, pp. 197-227. Dessy, S.E. & Vencatachellum, D. (2003) ‘Explaining cross-country differences in policy response to child labour’, Canadian Journal of Economics, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 1-20. Gifford, C. (2009) Child labour, Evans Brothers, New York. Herumin, W. (2008) Child labour today: a human rights issue, Enslow Publishers, Inc., London. Hesketh, T., Gamlin, J. & Woodhead, M. (2006) ‘Policy in child labour’, Archives of Disease in Childhood, vol. 91, pp. 721-723. Katunguka, C. (2007) The role of policy makers in combating child domestic labour in Uganda, Makerere University, Kampala. Kemi, M. (2010) ‘Taste of child labour not so sweet: a critique of regulatory approaches to combating child labour abuses by the U.S. chocolate industry’, Washington University Law Review, vol. 87, no. 5, viewed 20 Nov 2013 from . Panter-Brick, C. (2003) ‘Street children, human rights, and public health: a critique and future directions’, Children, Youth and Environments, vol. 13, pp. 147-171. Parker, D. & Harkin, T. (2007) Before their time: the world of child labour, Quantuck Lane Press, London. Stearman, K. (2004) Child labour, Raintree, New York. Read More