Globalization can be seen as a force that can bring the world together. On the other hand, it can also be seen as a way for multinational corporations to maximize profits-- through cheap labor. Many nations, if not every nation, has been involved in the use of child workers at one point another. Today, there are still over 218 million children under legal working age participating in manual labor around the world. Working can result in beneficial outcomes and positive experiences, such as monetary income and personal fulfillment. However, more often than not, “the work becomes exploitative, interferes with the right of a child to education, and includes work that is likely to harm the health, safety, or morals of children.” International efforts, (ILO) have worked toward adopting conventions to set forth strict prohibitions and specifications on working conditions for children.
Highly developed nations have very high per capita income by world standards. Many people within this nation would be sufficiently wealthy. They would enjoy a high standard of living, and do not worry much about health or food. The economy within highly developed nations are usually strong and highly technology diversified. The government is stable and has a high per capita gross domestic product (GDP). Countries such as Canada are considered highly developed and would only benefit from the productions of child labor. If child labor laws were more restrictive and prevented goods from being produced, these highly developed nations would not receive a variety of their resources. They also participate in child labor themselves, where some children do not attend school so that they would be able to afford food and clothing.
Developed nations have a relatively low standard of living compared to highly developed countries. People live less well as opposed to highly developed countries and many struggle financially for food and housing. The government is usually stable and health care is available to most citizens. Countries such as Mexico are also guilty of using children for labor. One boy was crushed to death by a tractor while working in a tomato field. However, the work in the fields of Mexico is benefitting many other nations, such as America.
Developing or underdeveloped nations have extremely low standard of living, where most people are very poor and have little or no food/shelter. The government system may be corrupt of nonexistent, such as countries like Zambia in Africa. These countries are already in poverty and seek out as much work as possible to maintain income for survival. This puts underdeveloped nations at a much higher exposure to child labor issues.
Over 158 million children between the ages of 5-14 are affected by child labor every day. That is one out of every six children in the world. The obvious results are hazardous working conditions that may eventually lead to injuries or death. On the surface, this may just seem like a human rights issue, but it is also an economic issue impacting not only the children but the rest of the world. In the mid-1990s, Pakistan was reported the producer of about 75% of soccer balls made in the world. ILO investigated and found out that over 7,000 underage children were in violation of Convention 138, most of who have never set foot inside a school in their lives. This eventually led to a prohibition of U.S. import of goods made by child labor, putting a hold on a huge part of international commerce. Many people argue that globalization has both positive and negative implications. In this circumstance, it was beneficial because it allowed for over 10,000 children to receive an education that they otherwise would not have been given the opportunity to have. However, it was a hit to the economy, taking thousands of workers away from industries. In countries in Pakistan and Egypt, young children are beaten and forced to work under harsh temperatures to earn an average of a mere $0.81 per day. However, international trade and commerce has allowed people in certain regions to simply enjoy the products of what children have slaved over to make. Although the Human Rights Water, ILO, UNICEF, and more are working to raise awareness and convince the governments to recognize and take responsibility, it will negatively affect the economy.
to long :(
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