Current Policy

Based on my survey people still believe that child labor exists however there was no correlation on peoples education to their belief that this still exists. None the less it seemed that the majority of people who took the survey were women with children based of that it is reasonable to infer that this is an issue that draws its main support from mothers.

Currently the United States attempts to not disclose how the majority of its imports are manufactured or harvested due to the simple fact that the United States acquires the majority of its items from countries who use child labor. If you were to go up to an average American they may tell you the United States is the leader in attempting to put an end to this practice but would be shocked to realize how big of a role their country plays in child labor.

Economics is perhaps the entire root of child labor currently the major countries affected by child labor are Latin American, African, and Asian countries. The one thing all these countries have in common is poverty in these places it is not uncommon to see a child being the primary bread winner in a household. In addition many corporations such as Nike export factories and jobs to countries like these for cheaper labor not just for children but because these people are so desperate for work that they will not unionize and work together for better working conditions since everyone is replaceable.

Here in the United States there are standards and regulations on when a person can work and at what age they may begin. For example here the minimum age for non-hazardous work is fourteen years of age and for hazardous work the minimum age is eighteen. However other economic challenged countries or third world countries may have a set age requirement for industrial work or none at all however when it comes to agricultural work these countries set no regulations meaning a child can be placed to work there at any age.

Now today regulations exist that are designed to prevent and eliminate child labor these policies are thanks to different human rights organizations that pressure different international organizations to adopt ant child labor policies. One example is FIFA; in 1998 FIFA adopted a policy that would prevent the purchase and use of soccer balls made by child labor workers in any of their events. However these policies are rarely implemented it was later discovered that FIFA actually continued to use balls made by children the policy they implemented was just as a measure to show their support for a certain issue. This not only happens with international organizations it also occurs with various companies such as Nike. Chances are when purchasing a pair of shoes or any equipment made by that company more likely that item was made by a child around the age of five, however like FIFA image towards the western world is essential you cannot seem indifferent or pro child labor you must look like you have nothing to do with it even if you do. What Nike does to avoid direct child labor they contract factories that they do not own to make their product and since those factories are free to manufacture how they see fit since they are not subject to Nike’s policies they can use child labor. The fact of the matter is that this is the norm in today’s companies and organizations find loopholes in the policies they placed for themselves in order to save money and not hold themselves responsible.

http://www1.american.edu/ted/nike.htm

https://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/international_workers_rights.html