China 's Effect On Child Labor

China is the second largest economy in the world. It has become the fastest growing economy in the world with an average rate of 10% for the last thirty years. The largest exporter and second largest importer of goods has brought China to be ranked first in the foreign exchange reserves. The country with thousands of years of history, started off and continues today as mostly an agrarian economy. Over time China's economy continues to change and prosper. Starting with the first economic change in the early twentieth century, which occurred when the GMD (the Nationalist Party) lost control due to its poor economic performance. This in turn led to their defeat by the CCP. During that time many peasants lost their farmland and this led to a peasant

Together with the low family income and the price of public education, which is about $150 dollars a month, without meals, schooling is out of the question for a large majority of people. (How much do schools cost in China?) Families are not in the financial situation to set school as a priority. Therefore, many children are recruited to assist the family in paying for needs. Americans see child labor as a barbaric act because we have been spoiled with a great system designed with public education being paid for by our taxes. While Chinese citizens do not get that privilege. Many sweatshops allow, against Chinese law, children to work as if they were an adult. Which means children can work very long shifts and often over time. If schooling is not a financially feasible option for a family. What is a child to do? While their family struggles to provide basic needs. The only reasonable option presented to them at the time is to work. While Americans, who do not realize their options are limited, and protest these children working to

Child labor is a serious problem that affects children from third-world countries all over the world. These children are exploited by multinational corporations ,for their cheap labor all over the world. People, then buy products that come at a cheaper price, from these multinational corporations.These children are often overworked and treated unfairly. People need to stop buying items from countries that endorse child labor.

Child labour is a very real problem in the world today, and although it is declining, progress is happening at a slow and unequal pace. Child labour by the International Labour Organization is defined as “work that deprives children of their childhood, their potential and their dignity, and that is harmful to physical and mental development (Diallo, Etienne, & Mehran, 2013, p. 2).” In the most extreme forms of child labour it could account for child enslavement, separation from their families, exposure to serious hazards and illnesses and being left to fend for themselves on the streets (Dinopoulos & Zhao, 2007). In order for certain types of work to be included as “child labour” depends on the child’s age, the type of work,

Together with the low family income and the price of public education, which is about 150 dollars a month without meals, schooling is out of the question for a majority of people. (How much do schools cost in China?) Families are not in the financial situation to set school as a priority. Therefore, many children are recruited to assist the family in paying for needs. Americans see child labor as a barbaric act because we have been spoiled with a great system designed with public education being paid for by our taxes. Many sweatshops allow, against Chinese law, children to work as if they were an adult. Meaning children can work long shifts and often over time. If schooling is not a financially feasible option for a family, what is a child to do? Since their family is struggling to provide basic needs the only reasonable option presented to them is to work. While Americans, who do not realize their options are limited, protest these children working to support their families.

From quitting school and getting paid a minimum of 25¢ to continuing school and getting paid a minimum of $4.25. During the Industrial Revolution, children would seek work in order to provide for their families and leave school doing so. History.com claims that “In 1900, 18 percent of all American workers were under the age of 16.” Many employers would hire children because they were easier to manage and ultimately could be paid less than adults. Today there are many restrictions on child labor that provide a safe work environment and rights for the youth. Labor conditions have changed since the Industrial Revolution thanks to reform movements and have paved the way for the safer modern day conditions.

“The International Labor Organization estimates that at least 250 million children between the ages of 5 and 14 are working, mostly in the developing world.” Many Americans view child labor as wrong or dangerous, but they do not realize how essential child labor can be in developing countries. In the article “Regulated Child Labor Is Necessary in Developing Countries,” by John Tierney, a current author for the New York Times, focuses on child labor and why it is essential in some developing countries. Tierney creates a sympathetic tone for the readers to try and understand the struggles regarding child labor in developing countries.

When one hears the term “Child Labor”, an image of children making low quality clothing in some dingy third world sweatshop inevitably comes to mind. While this imagery is unfortunately founded in fact, the third world is not the only area complicit with this heinous practice. Truthfully, we, as a nation are also guilty of propagating this heinous practice. For over a century, this nation’s youth were subjugated to exploitation and abuse at the hands of captains of industry in the hopes of extracting every ounce of profit they could. Fortunately, sympathetic individuals recognized the children’s need for advocacy and rose to their defense in the form of organized dissent that appealed to the highest powers of this country to fight for those who could not fight for themselves. In this paper, we will look at what exactly child labor is, the circumstances that gave rise to the widespread acceptance of child labor usage, what working condition these children experienced, and how the United States eventually made its use illegal.

During Industrialization in America, children were working and being mistreated, adults were suffering as well. Industrialization happened in the late 1800’s when people no longer wanted to work in farms and decided to move to the city. Factories and mines needed workers but they would pay them very little. Children were working instead of going to school and getting an education. This only benefited the bosses of factories and railroads because they were the ones making the most money. While the workers were struggling to be healthy and earn at least 2 dollars a day. Children were in danger of getting their arm or leg seriously injured.The impacts of Industrialization on workers was mostly negative because they were allowing workers to work in dangerous areas for long hours and their health was being affected negatively. The response for these two topics did not improve as the years passed. On the other hand, child labor was also an impact which its response did improve.

“Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology” (“What Is Globalization?”). Globalization’s efforts to produce a higher international trade and reduce expensive fees on imports has multiple advantages and disadvantages that all play a role into this major topic such as a decrease of child labor, decrease of expenses on imports, an increase of communication between countries, a loss of American jobs, and an intense international drug trade.

In a handful of third world countries living with poverty, the only way for a child to afford his dinner, a loaf of bread, is to stitch balls for hours a day. Child labor, children under the age of 1 working for pay, is a common thing for these kids I n third world countries. Working in factories and making money is everything to these kids because it benefits their families and their countries. Consumers should purchase products made by the hands of children.

China has memberships in many international organizations. For instance, China became a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO) on December 11, 2001. Secondly, the World Economic Forum (WeForum)

Although this sometimes isn’t the factories fault because most of the workers are uninsured so they are denied medical and social services (“China: Beijing’s Migrant 1”). Most of the factories do try to pay their workers by hour at about twenty cents per hour, but some only pay them once a year (Goldman 1). This however is breaking the rule of Labor Law fifty in China, which states that workers must be paid on a monthly basis. The average wage per month is only about sixty-five dollars which isn’t a sufficient amount of money to support an average family (“China: Beijing’s Migrant 1”). These people try to work overtime to earn more money, but often times they are forced to do this regardless (Goldman 2). Chinese workers often work in fear, because they have to ask permission to leave even after their shifts are done and to even go to the bathroom (Goldman 1). The Chinese workforce is starting to realize these problems and they won’t stand for it.

Child labour is the employment of children as money earners. It became a serious social problem in the Industrial Revolution in Britain during the 1700's, and the problem spread to other countries as they became industrialized. The problem arose when children, many below the age of 10, were employed by factories and mines. The youths were forced to work long hours under dangerous and unhealthy conditions, and their wages were very small. Child workers were often deprived of the chance to attend school. Uneducated, the only work they were capable of doing was unskilled labor. Thus, they had little chance to improve themselves.

We will begin our analysis of these questions by examining China’s economy at the time of Deng Xiaoping’s accession to power in 1978 and the economic growth strategy he and his successor implemented which ultimately led China to ascension into the WTO. We will then review various conditions imposed upon China by the WTO and how China reacted to those changes and to what extent these lead to China’s current status and interaction