Esquenazi 1

Aline Esquenazi
Professor Stacey Dearing
English 106
10/25/2014
Child Labor: An International Overview
In The Semplica Girl Diaries, George Saunders describes how young girls are used as
garden decorations under the name of SGs, or Semplica Girls. Among the many disturbing
details of this custom, Saunders includes in his story a detailed description of the installation of
SGs at the main characters garden: SGs already in white smocks. Microline strung through.
[] SGs up now, approx. three feet off ground, smiling, swaying in slight breeze. (Saunders
10). The author employs a metaphor to talk about human trafficking, the exploitation of workers
from underdeveloped scenarios, and slave labor. One of the most interesting elements of this
story is the Greenway Company, a regulated, official company that rents SGs to the population.
The unbearable conditions the girls go through are all accepted by society, merely because they
work for the Company, and that somehow makes their exploitation. My goal is to provide insight
in how different societies view and deal with child labor. The many differences occur because
moral and social conventions vary between societies, so the limits of right and wrong vary
greatly. That is true for every major issue in our lives: Different communities view even the most
common aspects of your daily routine under completely different optics. From a western point of
view, child labor is an atrocity that should be one of our top priorities. However, this is not as
common an opinion around the globe as wed think. By shedding some light on the historical,
socioeconomic and behavioral roots of child labor worldwide, this paper will show that child

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labor is harmful in any condition, and identify what causes it to continue existing around the
globe.
According to Child Labor: A Global View, child labor can be defined by any work done
by a child (someone who is not yet in fully developed condition) that impairs their healthy
development or access to education (Schmitz et al. 1-4). Child Labor happens because of either
historical reasons, such as in rural China, where kids have always helped in the fields or with
household chores, or socioeconomic reasons, such as Bangladesh where, much like in Industrial
Revolution Europe, the childs earnings are an essential part of the familys income. However
the reasons, the opinions about child labor largely vary throughout the world. Through the next
sections, I will explore some of those points of view.
Bangladesh
Bangladesh is one of the most fertile countries in the world, but it is notably famous for
garment production and natural disasters. According to the ILO, the country is responsible for
the production of most of the low-end apparel for the American Market (Schmitz et al. 13). This
industry has been of key importance in granting job equality to women, who take up most of
those jobs, but it is also where most children find illegal employment under abusive
circumstances. They get paid less and are often locked in the factories so that they dont leave
early.
Bangladeshs child labor force accounts for approximately 5 percent of the worlds
working child population under age 14(Schmitz et al. 16) Even though there are many laws that
forbid child labor, they are rarely enforced, and, when they are, the punishment is symbolic. This
happens mostly because it is customary for indebted parents to bond their children to others in

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payment for their dues (Working a Cchildhood Aaway, par. 3). In spite of government efforts to
fight child labor, in poor agricultural countries like Bangladesh kids are still a critical source of
income to families, perpetuating this sad reality.
My interviewee is an 18-year old male from Chittagong, one of the largest cities in
Bangladesh. Even though he has never worked, he states that child labor was a constant presence
in his society, and has had personal contact with child workers. He thinks children should only
work under fair conditions, because abusive treatment is harsher when it is directed to vulnerable
children, but he thinks his opinion doesnt reflect his countrys view (Hoque, par.1). He shows
knowledge that child labor is a harmful activity for children, and opposes it fiercely. When asked
about government regulations, he states that there are laws against child labor, but multiple
loopholes and the general opinion of the population prevent them from being enforced(Hoque,
par. 1). He remarks that child labor is 100% present, and nothing significant is being done to
change that in the near future. Overall, he seemed knowledgeable about the subject. He answered
my questions without much hesitation, and knew what I was talking about. I presume this is a
conversation he has already been involved in, leading me to conclude that the discussion about
child rights is more present in Bangladeshi education than the bleak scene for underage labor
would lead us to think.
Brazil
Brazil has a very diverse population for a number of historical reasons, which include
importing qualified manpower for its belated industrial revolution after WWII as well as being
one of the largest importers of slave workforce from Africa until the late nineteenth century.
Brazil was the last independent country in the Americas to abolish slavery (Galloway 586), and
had very little, if any, social policies to reintegrate slaves to the society. The black population

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that was left homeless settled in the inhabited and precarious hills that are present in most of the
main Brazilian cities, situating themselves time close to the economic centers in unwanted parts
of town. This originated the famous favelas, the poor communities in the urban hills.
For these and many other reasons, Brazil is a country of profound social differences. The
1989 documentary Isle of Flowers illustrates the social chasm separating the richer from the
poorer. Through the trajectory of a tomato, the narrator leads us from plantations through a
middle-class house to the landfills of the Isle of Flowers, where the very poor try to find ways to
survive searching through endless piles of garbage. Child labor is very frequent in this kind of
setting of extreme poverty. Children work in extremely unsanitary conditions, heavily
endangering their health, well-being and access to education. They spend every waking hour
searching the trash for something valuable. The most desired items are metal, such as cans and
copper from wires, which go by high prices in recycling cooperatives. One interesting
consequence of this is that Brazil recycles amazing 97.9% of its aluminum cans (CEMPRE
aluminum cans data, par. 6), and has relatively high rates of recycling for other materials. The
government tries to fight the establishment of an underage workforce by certifying the recycling
workers and shutting down open landfill facilities, but these measures have proven inefficient.
China
In China, child labor has deep historical roots. Education was only provided for the very
rich, and children helped their families with household chore, agriculture or even running
businesses. Child labor was not considered harmful in any way, but rather a part of the childs
duties and education. Child enslaved labor was a trend: the very poor families sold their children
for a one-time, large payment, to become workers for wealthy families or, in some cases, wives
or prostitutes.

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With the Communist Revolution, child labor was eradicated. Children were inserted in
the blooming new education system, and forbidden from working in any way. Prostitution and
slavery of children were also abolished, since they were seen mainly as forms of class
exploitation (Schmitz 46). After the economic reform of China, when it opened doors to
capitalism, child labor again became a problem. Employers prefer children to adults because they
are less aware of their rights and receive smaller wages. Additionally, schools in China charge
expensive fees, making it very hard for poorer families to afford education for their children. The
work conditions in factories that employ children are deplorable. Children have limited lunch
and bathroom breaks, and are often forced to do overtime to comply with the orders that come in
to the factory for no extra pay. China has comprehensive laws against child labor, but they are
not enforced, mainly because society doesnt see child labor as a problem.
My interviewee is an 18-year-old female from Beijing. She has never worked, and
doesnt know anyone who has. She doesnt think it is right for children to work, and believes
thats the opinion in the cities. In the remote areas, however, such as the poor western area, they
have too much work for the adult laborers, so children help adults in farms. They have no choice,
since there are many children and old people to support, so the older children have to work. She
doesnt believe there are children working in factories. She says there are laws trying to fix this
problem, and that they will be effective in the next years, because the economic level in the
poorer areas will improve, and less children will have to work.
India
India is the second most populous country in the world. It is also the country with the
most working children, with unsettling 100 to 150 million children integrated in the work
force(Schmitz et al 103), and about half engaged in hazardous work.

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The problem of child labor in India has deep socioeconomic roots, partly because India
has a complex caste system that stimulates social disparity. In many households, working
children are the only source of income. While poverty is not addressed, families will keep on
contracting impossible debts, and needing their children to work for their support. Indian labor
laws are very strict and comprehensive on this matter, but unfortunately are not effectively
enforced, maintaining this situation without solution.
My interviewee is a 19-year-old male from New Delhi. He has never worked, and doesnt
know any children who worked. He reports having seen child labor in little tea stalls and
markets, especially in poorer areas. He thinks child labor is wrong, but, like a lot of the Indians,
understands that in many families children are the only ones capable of working. The main
influence on his opinion seems to be his education, leading to the conclusion that the young
Indian population shares a similar point of view. Another inspiration could be the Indian religion
and culture, which says children are very auspicious and should have a good education, and not
be burdened with physical work. As to regulations of labor age, he says there are strict laws and
penalties. Although they are not universally enforced, people are scared to violate the codes.
There is, however, some measure of corruption that gets in the way of the effective enforcement
of these regulations. (Chopra, par. 1). He was not intimately familiar with the current hild labor
situation in his country, but he clearly knew the subject, and had no trouble answering the more
general questions asked about his people and culture, hesitating only when giving answers about
more specific locations or occupations. When asked about future prospects, he says he believes
this situation is going to improve in the near future, because the education system is teaching the
future leaders of the country that it is wrong, and thats one of the most effective ways to fix
problems. (Chopra, par. 1)

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Thailand
Thailand has a severe complication factor to the child labor situation. For cultural
reasons, it is considered right for a child to find work to pay back their parents for the trouble of
raising them, no matter their socioeconomic status (Schmitz et al 178). Thus, nearly half of the
children fifteen through nineteen are employed (Schmitz et al. 176). One of the most dangerous
forms of work is bonded labor, where the childs wages are paid in advance to their parents, and
the child has to work until the debt is paid.
Children work in all kinds of trades, and society does not usually view this as an issue.
Even though there are laws against child labor in Thailand, they are not enforced, mainly
because of the strong social factors involved. The one exception to this is in cases of child
prostitution and pornography, two areas that are unfortunately prevalent in the country. Against
this, the government has been taking action, aided by several NGOs that devote themselves to
relocating those children.
My interviewee is an 18 year-old male from Bangkok. Although he has never worked, he
knows kids who sold roses on the street. Maybe because of this close contact, he thinks child
labor is horrible, but sometimes necessary. He says that given extreme circumstances, if people
are in extreme poverty and the parents cant support the house, the oldest kids have to do it, even
if they sacrifice their education (Borirackujarean, par. 1). When asked about the general opinion
of the country, he says it is probably very similar to his own. He says child labor is mildly
present in society: you dont see it every day, but it is present in some places, and can be found
easily if you look for it(Borirackujarean, par. 1). He seems to understand how child labor can be
harmful to children, but he doesnt seem to see it as absolutely inadmissible given appropriate
work conditions to poor families that need the extra income. He says the government is not doing

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anything to regulate a minimum workplace age, but he thinks children will disappear from the
job market as the country gets more developed without outside influence (Borirackujarean, par.
1).
United States
In the USA, child labor is not as prevalent as in the other countries previously reviewed.
Or, at least, is not as visible or explicit. There are countless cases of abusive child labor in the
rural area of the country, where the legal limits are far too lenient- including children ages ten
and eleven [working] as hand-harvesting workers [] (Schmitz et al. 193). However, the more
prevalent form of child labor in America is not obviously qualified as such: teenage after-school
jobs. While [c]hild employment in the U.S. does not carry the negative connotations that are
associated with child labor in other industrialized countries, (Schmitz et al. 192) there are many
children who work multiple jobs, even more than 40 hours a week, to supplement income at
home. Moreover, Collins, McCarrol an Pieris state that Because freelance jobs [such as
babysitting and yard-and-deck work] are not regulated by the FLSA of 1938, youths do not have
restrictive hours and are permitted to hold a job at any age without parental consent (qtd. in
Schmitz et al., 194), which further contributes to the overexerting of teenagers, often with severe
psychological consequences, such as panic attacks and anxiety disorders.
My interviewee is an 18-year old female from Hollis, New Hampshire. She got her first
job at age 16, making sandwiches at a local establishment, where she worked around 10 hours a
week for 2 years. Her friends worked similar jobs after they turned 16, but she babysat before
that age. She doesnt think children working is good, since they should be kids and have fun,
but she doesnt seem to believe working after age 16 constitutes child labor. Her main argument
for this is that the law grants privileges after that age, such as driving, so it should be a proper

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age to work. (Werne, par. 1) When asked about the opinion of Americans, she apparently feels
her country shares her point of view. She doesnt think child labor is prevalent in the U.S., but
estimates 60% of kids 16 to 18 years old worked at her hometown (Werne, par. 1). Her
paradoxical statements prove once again that she believes regulated work over the age 16 is not
qualifiable as child labor. Her boundaries for what does fall into that category, however, are
limited the work of very young children under abusive circumstances. She says nothings being
done to diminish the presence of workers 16 to 18 years of age in the workplace, simply because
people dont think theres anything wrong with it. Her final remarks on the future of this
situation lead us to think that this situation will likely not change in the immediate future.

Conclusion
The child labor scenario worldwide is incredibly complex, and countless factors interfere
with it. Although this analysis is not, by any means, a complete view of the global scenario, there
are some unquestionable trends to be observed. The predominating factors that lead to child
labor seem to be, indubitably, high levels of social stratification, loose labor laws (or lack of their
enforcement), and poverty in general. Child bonded labor, connected to usuraryusury money
lending and slavery-like work systems, is still overwhelmingly present, especially in Asian
countries. The most predominating factor that allows child labor to perpetuate itself seems to be,
rather oddly, not the creation of appropriate laws, but merely their enforcement, that is generally
hindered by the popular opinion in favor of child labor. Thus, the best way to fight child labor
seems to be to find ways to inform the population of the harm child labor causes, following the
example of what is being done in India. It is also worth noting that all the interviewees that were
favorable to child labor in some form repudiate its abusive forms.

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Works cited:
Borirackujarean, Puchawin. Personal Interview. 9 November 2014.
Aluminum cans - The recycling market. CEMPRE. CEMPRE, no date. Available on-line at
http://cempre.org.br/artigo-publicacao/ficha-tecnica/id/5/latas-de-aluminio. Accessed in 9
November 2014.
Child Labor: A global View. Ed. Schmitz, Cathryne L., Elizabeth KimJin Traver, and Desi
Larson. Westport, Connecticut. Greenwood Press, 2004. Print.
Chopra, Devashish. Personal Interview. 7 November 2014.
Hoque, Mohd Iramul. Personal Interview. 7 November 2014.

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Isle of Flowers. Dir. Jorge Furtado. Perf. Nora Goulart, Monica Schmiedt. Independent, 1989.
Film.
J.H. Galloway. The Last Years of Slavery on the Sugar Plantations of Northeastern Brazil. The
Hispanic American Historical Review, Vol. 51, No. 4 (Nov., 1971), pp. 586-605. Web.
Saunders, George. "The Semplica-Girl Diaries." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 15 Oct.
2012. Web. 29 Sept. 2014.
Werne, Savannah Jane. Personal Interview. 7 November 2014.
"Working a Childhood Away in Afghanistan's Kilns." International Labor Organization. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 09 Nov. 2014.