Summer Porter

Porter 1

Mr. Davis
Government 1
02 November 2015
Trade Issues (Child Labor)
Imagine never attending public school. Imagine being forced to work from dawn
to dusk. Imagine coming home each day, seeing your six-year-old sister with bloody
hands and a beaten body. This may seem far off, distant and inconceivable but for many
children around the world, this is their reality. The abuse of child labor is rapidly
becoming better known throughout the world today. U.S. companies that import goods
from countries that use child labor contribute to this problem. Although it may be cheaper
to import goods from countries that employ child workers, it is not moral. Hundreds of
products from countries all over the world have been recorded to use child workers.
Hundreds of millions of children are forced into labor. Millions of these children are the
age of ten to fourteen years old. In order to discourage U.S. companies from doing
business with countries that employ child workers, it is proposed that the Internal
Revenue Service of the United States government give a tax break to businesses or
companies that buy goods from countries that dont employ child workers.
Although we may look at a product and not see the hands that made it, hundreds
of items are known to be made using child labor. The clothing we wear, the products in
our homes, the items we purchase at very little cost, may all very well be made by forced
child laborers. Over 350 products from countries all over the world have been recorded

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to use child labor (List of Goods). Considering most Americans are aware that child
labor still occurs today, it is saddening that most purchasers do not give a second thought
to where their products come from. If only one could see the bloody hands and beaten
bodies behind the product. Within the past decade, factory monitors have confirmed
illegal union-busting and other violations-including employment of 13-15 year-old
children at a Mexican factory sewing clothing with university logos for Nike and other
U.S. companies (Ending Child Labor). Not only have companies been abusing young
children, pushing them around and forcing them to work long hours, they have been
using them illegally as well. Given the strong data proving there are children producing
goods throughout the world, it is not surprising that they are given second class status or
less in third world countries.
Currently, millions of children are forced into work in third world countries across
the globe. Poverty and a lack of education are some of the major causes due to child
labor. According to the International Labour Organization, over 150 million children are
in child labor (Child Labour). The majority of these children are located in third world
countries. Of an estimated 215 million child laborers around the globe: approximately
114 million (53 percent) are in Asia and the Pacific; 14 million (seven percent) live in
Latin America; and 65 million live in sub-Saharan Africa (What is Child Labor?).
Looking at product labels is one way to become more aware of where goods come from.
Much of the time, these items come from continents such as Asia, Latin America, Africa
etc. Coincidentally, these are all countries that are known to employ child laborers.

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Although against law, many companies in third world countries still employ
children at a very young age. Because companies are employing children so young, it is
depriving them from future opportunities such as an education, a job or a career. 73
million of child laborers are between the ages of ten to fourteen years old (Child Labor
Persists). These young children are being exposed to possibly life threatening dangers
everyday in the work field. Over 60 percent of child labor involves agriculture,
including hazards such as chemical pesticides, large machinery, venomous insects and
reptiles, unsafe drinking water and parasitic diseases from contaminated irrigation water
(Parker, David L. 30). Because young children are still growing physically, these harmful
circumstances they are surrounded by are toxic to their development. It is in societys
best interest to have a healthy adult workforce. If thousands of children around the world
are so sick that they cannot grow into adulthood, there will be no one to fill this role. It is
crucial for the future leaders of the world to live in healthy, positive environments while
they are young, so they have the capability to meet their full potential, as they grow older.
Businesses whose focus is on profits only are opposed to government
involvement in this moral issue. Their arguments include: 1) the government loses money
implementing tax breaks and 2) government needs to stay out of the business world and
that it is not governments job to persuade or control how businesses manage their
companies. U.S. citizens who favor government funding for family healthcare, subsidized
child care, and educational programs may be concerned that this tax credit will equate to
less funding for these programs. Opponents recognize that Child labor does not only
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harm children and families; it limits economic growth (5 Facts About), however their
concern is for the economic growth of the United States and not that of other countries.
Addressing a problem like this through a tax credit is not enough. Scientists have stated:
Work to promote awareness of child labor among citizens and consumers in developed
countries, and among families and communities in developing countries where children
are at risk, has proven to be an important part of the solution (Ending Child Labor).
Although these points are valid, they dont outweigh the value of a human life and every
childs right to a healthy living condition.
All around the world, millions of children are being forced to work in substandard
conditions. No matter who you are, where you live or the conditions you were raised in,
every child deserves the right to a safe and positive environment to grow, develop and
mature in. The conditions children are working in are threatening to their health and their
future. As an incentive to U.S. companies who import goods exclusively from countries
that do not employ child workers, it is proposed that the Internal Revenue Service of the
United States give a tax break to these businesses or companies.

Porter 5

Works Cited
List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor. List of Goods Produced by
Child Labor or Forced Labor. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
http://www.dol.gov/ilab/reports/child-labor/list-of-goods/
Ending Child Labor. Ending Child Labor. Web. 31 Oct. 2015.
https://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/ending.html
ILO. Child Labour. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/child-labour/lang--en/index.htm
Child Labor Public Education Project. What is Child Labor? Web. 01 Nov. 2015.

https://www.continuetolearn.uiowa.edu/laborctr/child_labor/about/what_is_child_labor.ht
ml
Child Labour Persists Around the World: More Than 13 Percent of Children 10-14 Are
Employed. Child Labour Persists Around the World: More Than 13 Percent of
Children 10-14 Are Employed. 10 June 1996. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/media-centre/pressreleases/WCMS_008058/lang--en/index.htm
Parker, David L. Agriculture and Husbandry. Before Their Time: The World of Child
Labor. New York: Quantuck Lane, 2007. 30. Print.
5 Facts About Child Labor. US Department of Labor Blog. 07 Oct. 2014. Web. 01
Nov. 2015.
https://blog.dol.gov/2014/10/07/5-facts-about-child-labor-2/

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Works Cited (contd)
Ending Child Labor | USAID Impact. USAID Impact. Web. 01 Nov. 2015.
https://blog.usaid.gov/2014/06/ending-child-labor/