The Evil Supplier of Everyday Goods

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This table shows the areas where child labor is extremely prevalent throughout the world. The lack of inconsistency in the age brackets can be noted in all these countries. Children as young as five are working in conditions as hazardous as mining, and are putting their lives in jeopardy for the sake of their families. The table also emphasizes the most populated geographical regions for child labor, mostly occurring in Southeast Asia and Africa.

The remaining question that is still pondered by many activists is how does society put an end to an essential part of a capitalistic system that many countries rely on. America purchases 379 line items sold within the country legally that are produced using child labor. Many people have reported that they would rather purchase any goods made in America rather than internationally, and 60% of people reported that they would rather spend a few extra dollars in order to avoid the exploitation of children (Consumer Reports, 1). However, this does not create an overall solution. If the children are removed from their jobs in underdeveloped countries, they are then left with no income, and their families may suffer even more because of this. There are also many underprivileged Americans who benefit greatly from the low cost of everyday goods, and who can not afford to spend an extra 20% on these goods. This is the true evil of child labor. Much of the world is so poor that many people cannot manage without these exploitive jobs, and would be even worse off without putting themselves in these dangerous situations at such a young age. Therefore, no one is to blame for the immoral acts of child labor; the only thing that can be done is for people who have the ability to make a difference to take action against this societal ill.

The FSLA in America created many laws that prohibited unlawful child labor in America. There is a minimum age that a child may be employed by an organization and a minimum salary that a child can receive. As more Americans have become educated about the issue, there has been a greater advocacy for Fair Trade and labor unions that advocate the rights of these children. There has been a call for equal access to education and collective bargaining between companies that ban child labor according to the ILO. Because of this, the amount of children who work illegally has been reduced by 30% in the last few years, improving the lives of millions. When humans are able to look past their greed and work towards a better future for others in less developed countries, or just in less fortunate situations, much can be done to make the world a better place (Herring, 2).

Child labor is inarguably immoral, based on the idea that young children are mistreated and forced to work in order for the survival of their family. However, the corrupt economic system that exists in the world makes this type of unethical practice almost inevitable. Many actions are taken in order to minimize the use of child labor, but the overall elimination of the concept seems somewhat impossible. If child labor did not occur, disadvantaged children would have the opportunity to become educated, and this could end the vicious cycle of class systems and poverty as whole. However, it would also pose another issue for those who could not afford the goods that are produced ethically, and could put the wellbeing of many people in jeopardy. For this reason, child labor is a beast that can be seen as an unsolvable problem. It is important that everyone does what they’re capable of in order to prevent child labor.

Works Cited

Cochrane, Joe. "Indonesian Children Face Hazards on Tobacco Farms, Report Says." NY Times. N.p., 25 May 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

"Products Made in America - Consumer Reports Magazine." Products Made in America - Consumer Reports Magazine. CR Magazine, Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

Michael Herring. "What Is Child Labor?" What Is Child Labor? - The Child Labor Education Project. University of Iowa, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

Adnan, Shoeb. "5 Positive Sides of Child Labor- Why Child Labour Should Not Be Banned?" Extremology. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

Harrison, David. "It's Official: Child Labour Is a Good Thing." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 30 Jan. 05. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

Carroll, Janell L. Sexuality Now. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning, 2009. Print.

"United Nations." United Nations. United Nations, n.d. Web. 02 Feb. 2017.

Annotated Bibliography

Cochrane, Joe. "Indonesian Children Face Hazards on Tobacco Farms, Report Says." NY Times. N.p., 25 May 2016. Web. 24 Jan. 2017.

This article provided a lens into a human rights issue in a different area of the world. The article was well written and used valid references to prove a point. It related to my topic because it showed how prevalent child labor is all over the world. The article was valid because it cited its facts which proved useful to my paper.

Michael Herring. "What Is Child Labor?" What Is Child Labor? - The Child Labor Education Project. University of Iowa, n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

This website provided a basis of my topic. It gave me background knowledge on what I was researching, and gave me many sources to reference. This source serves as a foundation to my paper and to my future research. The information was reliable and applicable to my argument. It provided many statistics and ideas on how to improve the issue.

"Products Made in America - Consumer Reports Magazine." Products Made in America - Consumer Reports Magazine. CR Magazine, Feb. 2013. Web. 13 Mar. 2017.

This source was reliable and well known, adding to its validity. It provided a variety of statistics for my argument.

Chen, Michelle. "India's New Child-Labor Loophole." The Nation. N.p., 16 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

This article exploited child labor in Asia and gave a lot of understanding and emotion to my topic. It is valid because it is written in a valid and accepted magazine.

Adnan, Shoeb. "5 Positive Sides of Child Labor- Why Child Labour Should Not Be Banned?" Extremology. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 25 Jan. 2017.

This article shows the counterargument