Spreading human rights through trade

A documentary on BBC television investigating the use of child labour in developing countries for the manufacture of clothing items to be retailed in the UK is causing somewhat of an uproar. Retailers found to be relying on child labour are coming under heavy criticism for supposedly playing a role in depriving the children from the opportunity of attending school and generally living out their childhoods (amongst other things).

It is important to address the issue here of how widespread child labour in developing countries really is. It is likely that the developing countries in question do indeed have regulations in place which prohibit the use of child labour, however, the extent to which such regulations are enforced is an entirely different matter.

The reality is that the situation in some developing countries may be so grave that families are often having to rely on all its members to work in order to eek out a living irrespective of regulations or who the employer is. So the children who are being crammed into factories to help manufacture clothes for British retailers, may well have been employed under tough conditions elsewhere were the factory work opportunity not available.

The key difference, however, is that whilst worker/children’s rights remain merely a matter of principle in some developing countries, their adherence is paramount to British and western retailers. It is impressive and important that the scrutiny which British and western enterprises undergo is being extended to their operations abroad. It is this scrutiny which is highlighting the general plight of children in developing countries who are put into labour, and may help to ultimately raise the standards in these countries with respect to the enforcement of child labour regulations.