Sweatshops Benefit Children

I am strongly against the idea of child labor; however, I inadvertently support the system every day. For example, every time I go shopping, play a game, use a computer, etc I become a child labor and sweatshop fan. Ask yourself, how often you look at a T-shirts tag and read "made in China". That label represents a factory from another country in which child labor policies are practiced. Our world has become highly dependent on trade; consequently, America has become supporters of child labor indirectly because child labor is not illegal in other countries. By trading with other countries and not fully understanding the work ethic in which the product is coming from, then consumers begin to support child labor. Most of our trade comes from third world countries. Sweatshops and child laborers are necessary in third world countries because they prosper their economy. As horrifying as child labor and sweatshops may be, this article suggests if we ban them then the country will suffer more financially, and third world countries must do all they can to keep their economies running! The article included a conversation between a reporter and a father from Thailand about work and how he is able to stay away from a life of poverty. The father told the reporter that his daughter, Darin, who is fifteen, works in a factory in Bangkok (Thailand) making clothing for export to America. To the reporters’ surprise, the father told them that she only made two dollars a day and worked nine-hour shifts, six days a week. This means that Darin is working fifty-four hours a week! The reporters compared this work ethic theirs- forty hour max workweeks, sick leave, and vacation. The reporters looked at their work ethic as gold, whereas the man thought that his daughter was being treated fairly and given good pay. America realizes that two dollars a day isn’t even minimum wage, whereas two hours a day is “good pay” in Thailand. Although Darin must work in a sweatshop for less than minimum wage, for long hours and under dangerous conditions, it is better than living on the streets, homeless. Taking away sweatshops would lead to more problems because “sweatshops are a crucial and necessary step in most economies’ evolution to prosperity”. People living in third world countries look to sweatshops for opportunities because people, especially children, knew they had two choices, “kids worked, or they went hungry”. This shows that although sweatshops and child labor is an appalling concept it is necessary for the county which means that the only way third world countries will be able to eliminate child labor and sweatshops is by creating a more stable economy. Therefore, shutting down all of the sweatshops and stopping children from working is not a solution to this problem. In the article it discussed s situation which went about shutting down factories to stop child labor and change the ways of sweatshops. However, this plan backfired and resulted in people “in crime, begging, or working as prostitutes”. This shows that although sweatshops are extreme ways of earning money, without them people would result to working in even more extreme circumstances. Overall, no matter how horrifying child labor and sweatshops are in reality an economy in trouble depends on them for financial aid.

MLA:Radley Balko. "Sweatshops Benefit Children." At Issue: Do Children Have Rights?. Ed. Jamuna Carroll. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2006. Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Gale. Deerfield High School. 8 Feb. 2010 .