Nike
The issues of child labor are becoming a growing concern as developed countries recognize the inhumanities of child labor in lesser-developed countries. Proposed solutions, such as sanctioning countries with poor labor practices, create further problems, while issues like the Asian economic crisis are increasing the difficulty of such solutions. The main efforts to counter the problem are left in the hands of an international council that relies solely on public and social pressure to police the issue. Child labor problems are not limited to developing nations but represent a different problem. In the article, Child Labor Crises Worsening, the International Labor Organization (ILO), warns that the estimated number of child laborers in Africa could rise from 80 million currently, to more than 100 million by the year 2015. 1 Other statistics put out by the ILO state that approximately 41 percent of African children between the ages of five and fourteen are involved in economic activity, 21% in Asia and 17% in Latin America. Also, worldwide, 250 million children are working.2. The most important efforts to eliminate child labor abuse throughout the world come from the ILO, founded in 1919 and now a special agency of the United Na
"In many cases, a child's income defines the difference between destitution and mere poverty for a struggling family" 18 Economic factors such as the Asian economic crisis are worsening the problem. Workers in Indonesia are letting it be known that any job is better than no job. 11 Nike is not alone in promising to improve labor standards. In Indonesia, because of the economic crisis, the purchasing power of workers has dropped an estimated 60%. Furthermore, consumer outrage has prompted such companies as Nike to adopt codes of conduct prohibiting child labor in their factories abroad. The shift in Nike's corporate attitude was not through their initiative, but prompted by social pressure spawned by filmmaker Michael Moore. 8 Initiatives by the ILO have achieved some success by applying moral pressure and publicly slandering countries about their labor standards. The investigation found Noble Roman's employed 55 minors less than 16 years old in positions that were in violation of the federal labor laws. 4 The problem is, the WTO says labor standards are the domain of the ILO, while the ILO makes no link between labor standards and trade, and can therefore do nothing. 3 Trade unions backed by US politicians, as explored in the World trade survey: Brothers up in arms, suggest imposing trade sanctions as a punishment for countries that ignore minimum standards of decency. "15 If trade unions are recognized, wages in developing nations might rise while child labor is reduced, although the overall employment level would ultimately drop as higher labor costs drive manufactures out.
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