The global economy and influences on child labour

Introduction

This essay will argue the relevance of globalisation and migration to the continued use of child labour particularly in developing countries. The issue of child labour must be established in context with globalisation and migration, which are extremely important processes impacting both economic and societal processes. The vision of child labour being progressed in sweat shops is an image which has been sanitised and is not as prominent in the public arena as they once had been. The main factor for migration is globalisation, however there are others such as demographic shifts, conflicts, income changes, etc. Limitless opportunities have been presented for migration, especially due to the role globalisation has played in this process. There are no longer boundaries which constrain peoples, and the world is a more open place, but child labour still hides in the shadows unacknowledged by legislation.

Globalisation

According to Collier & Dollar (2002: xi), globalisation is

‘The growing integration of economies and societies around the world – is complex process that affects many aspects of our lives.’

Globalisation has identified the workforce as global and has allowed for the process of migration by driving the transnational flows of goods and capital made possible by the lowering of barriers to investment and trade over national borders, the global economy has successfully grown through globalisation. A deep impact has been left on the business environment as globalisation has been made visible through the growth of multinational businesses. Technology has also been a factor in the globalisation process (Steger, 2009), especially on how business operates and the definitions of relationships between globalisation, employment, production, and migration. Li (2008) identifies that there is a contradictory feature to globalisation which is that it is easier for highly skilled and educated professionals to migrate which displaces unskilled workers in traditional economies. Li (2008) suggests that competition between those nations receiving highly skilled migrants as globalisation has increased connectivity between nation states which speeds up the flow of services, goods, ideas, and people across national borders.

Migration

There are an estimated 232 million migrant workers globally according to the ILO (2014). Factors such as globalisation, conflicts, demographic shifts, climate change and income inequalities have all played a roll in this migration. While there are endless opportunities for migrants, the challenges to the migration process are governance, protection of migrant workers, international cooperation, and migrant and development links (ILO, 2014). Collier & Dollar (2002) identify that migration is the third main global flow and is linked to the importance of geography. It is important to note that Dingle (2014) identifies that when migrants leave their country of origin it is usually due to a depletion and deterioration of resources and that they have had to move to a destination where the resources are available. It is resources which drive the characteristics and behaviour of migration. Major changes in migration, according to Li (2008) have become evident through the processes of globalisation, mostly related to the emergence of a global economic structure. According to Li (2008) there are four areas of change in migration under globalisation:

• Shifts in source and destination regions
• Declining fertility and aging
• Globalisation and the demand for labour
• Contradictory tendencies in labour demand and migration.

Understanding globalisation also identifies that it is a contradictory notion to labour demand as it creates opportunities of social mobility for skilled workers who are knowledgeable about specific scientific or technical knowledge. Different demand is produced which is dependent on the location (Li, 2008).

Child Labour

There is opposition to children being involved in the labour market when they should be involved in activities like education or playing, which should be at the centre of their development. Child labour is an extremely complex, emotive, and difficult issue. There are factors involved which play a major role socially, economically, culturally, politically, and legally, as well as the attempts to discourage the use of child labour through legislation both nationally and internationally. The United Nations (2006) identify the practice of child labour as mentally, morally, physically, and socially dangerous and harmful. Global organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) consider the practice of child labour as exploitative and have enacted legislation which guarantees the rights of the child and the prohibition of child labour. Child labour is particularly prevalent in the developing world where they experience high levels of poverty and poor educational opportunities thus the option is for the child to work. There are benefits for those organisations who employ child labour in their workforce which are the ability to maximise profit margins for their organisation and they do not have to pay children as much as adults but on a moral scale this is reprehensible. 175 members of the ILO according to Collier & Dollar (2002) have endorsed the core standards which include banning abusive labour practices. Unfortunately, in many poor countries this ban is not enforced. The root cause of child labour must be addressed rather than using secondary measures such as legislation which will not be enforced in countries where child labour is prevalent.

Instances of child labour have decreased according to Dagdemir & Acaroglu (2010) and Basu (1999) suggest that there has been a significant decline in the years since 1950. However, in identifying the role of child labour, Lieten (2003) identifies that if there is a requirement for a product to be cheaper then there is a need to source cheaper labour which comes back to an expectation in the rise of child labour. Libório & Ungar (2010) state that child labour is complex and there is risk as well as positive outcomes – resilience on the behalf of the child, where they use their own resources to overcome adversity. However, Libório & Ungar (2010) states that exploitation is not in the best interests of the child but that the child will use opportunities available to them to negotiate their identity for resilience. Child labour is central to the globalisation debate (Voy, 2009), as foreign direct investment has a considerable effect on child labour driven by income. It should also be acknowledged that there is considerable risk to child migrants, where they are extremely vulnerable during transit and can end up in hazardous conditions and being exposed to abuse and exploitation.

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are obvious links between child labour, globalisation, and migration. While it may look like there has been a decrease in child labour, it has just become more invisible with overlapping issues being brought to the fore. It is interesting to see how other factors have impacted on child labour such as migration and globalisation with major concerns being overlooked as developing countries do not sign up to international conventions. It would seem that there has been a desensitisation on child labour issues on a global scale. Migration is an obvious determination for child labour and the vulnerability of children must be addressed on a global scale. Due to the free movement of human capital, it is visible that this has prolonged the use of child labour and it is a very real issue which governments and international agencies must address.

References

Basu, K., (1999) Child Labour: Cause, Consequence and Cure with Remarks on International Labour Standards, Journal of Economic Literature, Vol. 37, No. 3, pp. 1083 – 1119

Collier, P., & Dollar, D., (2002) Globalisation, Growth and Poverty: Building an Inclusive World Economy, World Bank Publications

Dagdemir, O., Acaroglu, H., (2010) The Effects of Globalisation on Child Labour in Developing Countries, Business and Economic Horizons, Vol. 2, No. 2, pp. 37 – 47

Dingle, H., (2014) Migration: The Biology of Life on the Move, Oxford University Press

ILO (2014) Labour Migration, International Labour Migration, Available online at http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/labour-migration/lang–en/index.htm, [Accessed 30 April 2015]

Lieten, G.K., (2003) Globalisation and Child Labour: Possible Consequences, International Conference “Child Labour within the Context of Globalisation: Problem Outline and Action Points” 26 – 28 September 2003, Hattingen, Germany

Li, P.S., (2008) World Migration in the Age of Globalisation: Policy Implications and Challenges, New Zealand Population Review, Vol. 33/34 pp. 1 – 22

Libório, R.M.C., & Ungar, M., (2010) Children’s Labour as a Risky Pathways to Resilience: Children’s Growth in Context of Poor Resources, Available online at http://www.scielo.br/pdf/prc/v23n2/v23n2a05.pdf, [Accessed 30 April 2015]

Steger, M., (2009) Globalisation: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford University Press

United Nations (2006) Convention on the Rights of the Child, United Nations, Available online at http://web.archive.org/web/20061003230539/http://www.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm, [Accessed 30 April 2015]

Voy, A., (2009) Globalisation and Child Labour, University of Oregon