The Issue Of Child Labour In China Free Essay Example, 11000 words

In China, child labor has come to the attention of human rights organizations as well as international bodies in recent years. In April 2006, the International Labour Organisation(ILO) published a report entitled the End of Child Labour: Within Reach. The report indicated that there had been an 11 percent decrease in child labor worldwide over the previous four years. However, because of the failure of the Chinese government to publish any meaningful statistics on child labor, the report admitted that it was impossible to know whether or not there has been a similar trend in China (ILO, 2006). Indeed, research by the China Labour Bulletin (CLB) indicates however that child labor has not been reduced in any significant degree. On the contrary, it has now become an increasingly serious social problem in urgent need of redress (CLB, 2007). According to a UNICEF report of May 2006, there were 218 million children engaged in child labor worldwide in 2004 (excluding child domestic labor), more than half of whom are believed to be engaged in hazardous work These children are extremely vulnerable to exploitation and abuse(UNICEF, 2006). We will write a custom essay sample on The Issue Of Child Labour In China or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now As is the case with other regions of the world, child labor is hardly a new phenomenon in China. In fact, according to Watson (1980), until 1949, China had one of the largest and most comprehensive markets for the change of human beings in the world. In particular, he noted how, until early in the twentieth century, Chinese coal and tin mines relied heavily on child labor, especially from boy slaves purchased by mine owners (Watson, 1981). Since the 1949 revolution, although traditional slavery and related practices have been in sharp decline, child labor has increased (Watson, 1981). According to Hardy (2007), there are currently more than 12 million child laborers in China. These are usually to be found in low-level service positions or in labor-intensive industries. According to the Bureau of International Labour Affairs with the US Department of Labour, the accurate estimate of children working in China is not available.