Violation in China
Introduction
Child labor represents the employment of minors in a manner that divests them of their rights, hinders their capacity to school, and is socially, morally, psychologically, or physically detrimental and harmful to children (Pun & Chan, 2013). Such a practice is deemed exploitative by most global organizations. Child labor can result in tremendous influences ranging from trivial aspects to devastating concerns. In most instances, children are taken advantage of as a way of gaining cheap labor. They are offered low pay and undergo slave-like treatment, for instance, they are brutally punished for mistakes and are strained to work for many hours in a day. Moreover, they are not given suitable health care and sufficient food, which results in malnutrition in some circumstances. The most pressing issue with child labor is that it hinders their schooling. In the future, such children end up becoming semi-illiterate or in worst cases illiterate, which eliminates the chance of scooping well-paying jobs. In this regard, it leads to a cycle of poverty. This proposal will seek to offer an intervention for the eradication of child labor in China.
Problem statement
In accordance with the China Labor Bulletin, there are about 11 million children in the Chinese labor force from the age of 10 to 14 years. Although the minimum age of employment in China is 16 years, most of the minors are engaged in the labor force prior to attainment of that age. Shockingly, many children work in dangerous fields and in unsafe conditions, where there is a high probability of injuries, in addition to other ordeals. Such acts of human rights violations present numerous problems that require being taken into deliberation. The government has fundamental decisions to take while trade unions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) ought to shift their focus on the collection of persuading statistics and evidence with the aim of pushing the government to address the menace. Apart from the government, private individuals in China have a fundamental role to play in terms of the eradication of this problem.
Research Question
- What should be done to eradicate the problem of child labor in China?
Literature Review
Child labor infringes Article 32 of the United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child that outlines that children have the right to defense from tasks that harm them, are detrimental to their health, and hinder them from schooling. If children work, they have the right to safety and fair pay. There are numerous reasons behind the rise of this concern of human rights violations both in China and across the globe (De Hoop & Rosati, 2014). The most apparent reason is the deficiency of funds or insufficiency of resources. Attributable to poverty, circumstances compel most children into the labor force whereas many work to boost the living standards of their families. Sadly, some family members and companies take advantage of children for selfish gains, particularly orphans.
Another reason behind the rise of child labor across the globe is the distance to school and inability to afford school fees. Being absent from school for lack of fees makes some children lose self-esteem, feel unintelligent, and end up falling prey to child labor (Meng, 2012). Moreover, school proximity reduces the possibility of some children going through the entire system of education, particularly in areas that children have a long distance to school. Research affirms that China spends approximately 2.5% of the gross domestic product (GDP) on education, which is way less than the amount recommended by the United Nations. The third reason is that in some instances schools create Work-Study schemes where learners are persuaded to work and study at the same time. Nevertheless, administrators in some learning institutions greedily exploit children with the aim of benefiting themselves. The Human Rights Watch found that Work and Study schemes involving children from 12 to 16 years generates profits of over 1.25 billion dollars each year in China. This demonstrates that some school heads can easily take advantage of children to enrich themselves.
When industries or organizations are in need of increasing the labor force to realize higher profits, they engage needy children since they offer cheap labor. Studies state that there are about 260 million children from 5 to 14 years of age illegitimately in the labor force across the globe, with 60% of them being in Asia (Elfstrom & Kuruvilla, 2014). Since China holds one of the biggest economies in Asia and has swiftly transformed of late, the concern of child labor is of utmost implication in the nation. Labor laws around the world are against child labor. Such regulations do not take every task involving children as child labor but exclude work carried out by artists, family chores, supervised exercise, and some forms of work amid indigenous Americans to mention a few.
Governments across the globe can form economic strategies to ensure equilibrium within the community. Moreover, the governments ought to offer increased chances of employment, establish free elementary schooling that targets the poor, and enact regulations that ensure fair pay of all employees. Most significantly, work for children should only be controlled and not banned as abolishing it may worsen their standards of living. China ought to create room for more non-governmental organizations and trade unions, which can examine the problem effectively and convince the government to take measures that tackle the problem comprehensively. Private individuals should be encouraged to donate funds and other resources either to non-governmental organizations or the poor directly as one step of reducing the problem of child labor. In addition, the citizens may volunteer to assist NGOs in their tasks, complain, generate lobbies, write to authorities, and issue recommendations through platforms such as social media (Elfstrom & Kuruvilla, 2014). The Solidarity Center, a non-governmental organization, has proposed some solutions that encompass eradication of manual labor in schools, enhancement of the awareness of child labor, and strengthening of regulations already in place, which seek to outlaw child labor.
Methodology
This study will carry out a primary method of data collection through interviews with some executives of China Labor Watch. Written appeals will be sent to the director requesting for an interview date where data on child labor will be obtained from the executives. A tape recorder will be used to enhance the validity of data.
Data Analysis
A qualitative technique of data analysis will be employed in the analysis of the collected information. The aim of the analysis will be to establish the most suitable intervention for the eradication of child labor.
Conclusion
Child labor signifies the hiring of minors in a way that divests them of their privileges, hampers their capability to school, and is ethically, psychologically, socially, or physically disadvantageous and harmful to children. Such practices should be deemed exploitative and eradicated through the efforts of the governments, NGOs, and private individuals.
References
De Hoop, J., & Rosati, F. C. (2014). Cash transfers and child labor. The World Bank Research Observer, 29(2), 202-234.
Elfstrom, M., & Kuruvilla, S. (2014). The changing nature of labor unrest in China. Industrial & Labor Relations Review, 67(2), 453-480.
Meng, X. (2012). Labor market outcomes and reforms in China. The Journal of Economic Perspectives, 26(4), 75-101.
Pun, N., & Chan, J. (2013). The spatial politics of labor in China: Life, labor, and a new generation of migrant workers. South Atlantic Quarterly, 112(1), 179-190.