Advantages and Disadvantages of Child Labor: Economic Benefits and Human Rights

Child Labor: A Controversial Topic

When it comes to child exploitation, almost everyone has different views, yet there are things that most people agree are right and wrong. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights tells us the rights that everyone has in the workplace. In simple terms, these are the rights to work in good conditions, with equal pay for equal work, and the right to form and join unions (“Universal”). The Convention on the Rights of the Child goes into more detail regarding the rights of working children.

What this document says about toiling in sweatshops is considered to be, by a lot of people, obvious. The CRC states that children have the right to relax and play and to protection from harmful activity (“Convention”).

The Pros and Cons of Child Labor

Because these two documents are not the law, they are not always followed. Around the world, there are sweatshops where adults and children endure terrible working conditions for as little as 30 cents an hour. There are people, mainly those that are benefited from cheap labor, that are pro sweatshops, and there are others that are against the idea. People that have positions of power in companies such as H&M, Gap, Puma, and Adidas (companies that are known to have products made in sweatshops) will make the point that sweatshops benefit everyone with cheaper clothes and a better economy (Larson). The point is also made that even 30 cents an hour is better than no job at all (Blattman). People that believe child labor in sweatshops is wrong will bring up the “obvious” points; that practically torturing people with long hours, bad wages, and harsh conditions, often not giving them a chance to change anything, is wrong (“Universal”).

Benefits of Child Labor: The Economic Perspective

For both sides, there are multiple things that need to be considered, how sweatshops affect these workers, the economy, consumers, etc. Most people would agree that this cheap labor benefits the economy and consumers but that they are bad for the workers. Joan Robinson, an economist, disagrees. She says that “The misery of being exploited by capitalists is nothing compared to the misery of not being exploited at all.” Robinson is saying that, yes, the conditions are bad, but to some of the people that will willingly take these jobs, it is better than having no job at all (Blattman). An example of this is a sweatshop in China. When Kathie Lee Gifford’s clothing line for Walmart cut all ties with them, the workers were outraged. They needed the economic benefits (Wong).

Child Labor: Balancing Rights and Economy

It is important to think about those that choose these jobs, but what about those that do not? An example of this is Iqbal Masih. He was around six years old when his mother needed a loan from a carpet company. In exchange, Iqbal Masih was forced to work. He managed to escape but was later assassinated (Bergmar). He is just one of many people that are unable to leave terrible jobs. It is unfair to say that the jobs these people have are better than unemployment when they are not given the opportunity to leave. Disregarding conditions and unwanted employment, there is another case that can be made for sweatshops. People have cited sweatshops as a necessary part of modernization. “Jeffrey D. Sachs of Harvard and Paul Krugman of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have asserted that sweatshop manufacturing … are an essential preliminary move toward economic prosperity in developing countries” (Wong). This proves that not only does this cheap, often child labor benefit the economy in the countries that have most of the consumers, but the countries where these sweatshops are located.

All of the benefits and disadvantages are taken into consideration. There is no way to say what is wrong, what is right, and if sweatshops are good or bad. The only way to follow the rights outlined in the CRC and UDHR while maintaining a better economy is to keep the idea but change the rules. While conditions and pay are, for the most part, debatable, both of these two documents make clear that child labor takes away children’s rights. The only way to make sure everyone has these basic human rights is to have a comprehensive set of laws, not just an idea of what is right. Children under the age of 13 shouldn’t be allowed to work, unwanted labor should never be allowed, and conditions should always be fair. If rules such as these are always followed, all rights listed in the UDHR and the CRC will be followed, but there will still be benefits for the workers and for the economy.

Works Cited

1. Bergmar, Magnus. ‘Iqbal Masih.’ Worlds Childrens Prize, worldschildrensprize.org/iqbal-masih. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018.
2. Blattman, Christopher, and Stefan Dercon. ‘Do Sweatshops Lift Workers out of Poverty?’ The New York Times, 28 Apr. 2017, p. NA(L). Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490753953/OVIC?u=leet30946&sid=OVIC&xid=a003ce0f. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018.
3. Clark, J.R., and Benjamin Powell. ‘Sweatshop Working Conditions and Employee Welfare: Say It Ain’t Sew.’ Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 55, no. 2, June 2013, p. 343+. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A335972934/GIC?u=leet30946&sid=GIC&xid=8636b7cd. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018.
4. ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child.’ OHCHR, UN General Assembly, 23 Oct. 2018, www.ohchr.org/en/professionalinterest/pages/crc.aspx. Accessed 23 Oct. 2018.
5. ‘Human Trafficking.’ Opposing Viewpoints Online Collection, Detroit, Gale, 2018. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/PC3010627106/OVIC?u=leet30946&sid=OVIC&xid=e0b54413. Accessed 19 Oct. 2018.
6. Iqbal, Muzaffar. ‘The Qur’an and Its Disbelievers.’ Islam & Science, vol. 7, no. 2, Winter 2009, p. 87+. Global Issues in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A217042313/GIC?u=leet30946&sid=GIC&xid=9de5440a. Accessed 25 Oct. 2018.
7. Larson, Christina. ‘Closing the Factory Doors: For Two Centuries, Countries Have Used Low-wage Labor to Climb out of Poverty. What Will Happen When Robots Take Those Jobs?’ Foreign Policy, no. 229, July 2018, p. 32+. Opposing Viewpoints in Context, link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A549156210/OVIC?u=leet30946&sid=OVIC&xid=c74b31c9. Accessed 24 Oct. 2018.
8. Steffens, Bradley. Human Rights in Focus: Torture. Human Rights in Focus: Torture, 2018. SIRS Issues Researcher,https://sks.sirs.com.
   ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights.’ UN, UN General Assembly, 23 Oct. 2018, www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/. Accessed 23 Oct. 2018.
9. Wong, Annabelle, and Benjamin Adam Schorr. ‘Two Faces of Economic Development: The Ethical Controversy Surrounding U.S.-Related Sweatshops in Developing Asian Countries.’ Global Ethics Network, 2018, www.globalethicsnetwork.org/profiles/blogs/two-faces-of-economic-development-the-ethical-controversy. Accessed 28 Oct. 2018.

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